Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-01-30


count of the moisture. The frosts some
times cover the plank roadways to depth
Of three inches, and then the people have
coasting and tobogganing parties on the
roller coaster highways l have described.
Prince Rupert is healthy city. There
were less than 80 deaths last year In the 5000
population, and the births were $50. There
were only five cases of typhoid fever, and
three Of these came from outside. The town
has hospital which is but little used. 1t has
Jail, an up-to-date fire department, with
motor engines 1t has good public schools,
including high school, with a building OF
four stories. 1t has three daily papers, a
public reading room; and its people are quite
as intelligent and much more progressive
than those Of similar sized towns in the east.
For instance, the town believes in munich
pal ownership. 1t has hydro-electrc plant
that cost more than half million dollars,
from which it not only supplies the several
public utilities, but it also sells power to fac
tories and individuals at $13 per horsepower
per annum The town has its own telephone
and electric light plants. The telephone
rates to business houses are $3.50 per month,
and the plant pays profit to the municipal
treasury. The mayor tells me he hopes to
put on municipal jitneys to carry the people
to and from their homes along the board
roads.
Prince Rupert believes in the single tax,
and the most of the revenues OF the city
come from tax on land only Improve
ments pay nothing The Prince Rupert
hotel, for instance, cost $125 900 to build. 1t
is on lot 100000, and this lot is valued at
$4,000. The tax is levied on the lot only.
There is nothing paid on the building. Just
across the way is vacant lot of the same
size, and it pays just as much taxes as the
big hotel The result is that people cannot
afford to hold valuable real estate without
they improve it. The present taxes are 4
little over II mills on the dollar of assessed
values, WHICH are about 90 per cent of the
real values
Prince Rupert started with a boom. Il
was all planned and partially developed be-
fore a single lot was offered for sale. The
Grand Trunk Pacific railway decided upon a
site, and sent its engineers to clear the land,
level the hills and lay out the city. The
company had $4,000 acres of land including
the town site, and the first subdivision COW
cred one-twelfth of that area. The woods
were cut away, the land cleared, the business
part of the city excavated and leveled and
plank roads made. The future city was adj
vertised and then auctions were held in Vic
toria and Vancouver. The first lots brought
high prices, and the boom continued, until
the present financial stringency began. Now
hard times have reduced the prices and
progress is halted The war has stopped
business in all parts of Canada, money is
tight, and the people are so much affected
by what is going on In Europe that they do
not think or talk Of anything else. Within
short time large number Of volunteers
have been equipped here and sent to the
'front.' and the same is true OF Dawson in the
Klondike, and nearly every city in Canada
There is no doubt, however, that Prince
Rupert is bound to be city of considerable
size The people believe that it will be
great port, and that within short time after
peace is declared it will start on its way to
becoming a city of 100000 or more. The
government expects to make large public
Improvements, and new buildings will be
put up as soon as money grows easier. The
government owns one-fourth OF that city,
including the most of the water front. The
Grand Trunk Pacific railway is planning to
erect a 100000 hotel, and eventually
steamship line will be established to ply be-
tween here and the orient There will also
be steamers TO the Panama canal and a
large part of the wheat crop of northern and
western Canada will pass through here on
its way to Europe via the canal With a
view to the future the city is now erecting
the larnest floating drv dock on the Pacif1n