Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1925-01-08
THE WEALTH OF THE NATION
HERE

The Los Angeles Times, like all
west boost their towns and states.
newspapers of the West and South
For all this trouble and expense the
business men Of those cities fall in
line with their advertisements and in
fiuence. Everything works ike
clockworks, smoothly without fric-
ton, with them They stand togeth-
er. They work together. They sue
coed. There is a lesson here for the
/ business men Of Belington and Bar
bour county. Read the following.
"Midwinter numbers of the Times
have appeared annually for forty
years as milestones recording the
progress and development 81 Los
Angeles and the Great Southwest. IN
each of these annual editions the a.
chievements of the year closing were
offered as pledges for the future. And
no one who views the Los Angeles Of
today and the whole glorious South
land can fail to appreciate how mag
nificently these pledges have been re-
deemed.
'This, the fortieth milestone, re-
cords greater material and cultural
( progress than any that have been
erected in the past. More than $3.50,
| 100000 was expended last year in ac-
ual building construction. Our city
population has increased from 95o,-
600 to 1,075,000 since the last annual
was issued. The assessed property
valuation increased from $996,95O.-
600 in July, 1923, to $1,36S, 00O, 900 in
July, 1924, gain of 40 per cent.
| Harbor exports have more than doubl-
ed in the last twelve months. The
factory output for the Los Angeles
district for the year established a
] new Pacific Coast record, $1,15O ,OOO,-
900. Bank deposits were greater.
bank clearings were greater, the vol
ume of retail trade was greater,
school attendance was greater, Gus
toms receipts were greater, and post
al receipts were greater than ever be-
fore.
Los Angeles County now possesses
material wealth estimated at S.
275,000,000. When the first Midwin-
ter~number of The Times was issued
forty years ago, the estimated veal
tn was about $22,000,000. The pre-
sent population is estimated at $780,
600. Forty years ago the population
OF the county was about 10000.
Annually, since the first Midwin-
ter number was issued, enthusiastic
citizens have made prophecies in its
columns relative to the growth and
progress which would be recorded
within given time. When these es-
Inmates were read in other communi-
ties the authors were characterized
as enthusiasts or dreamers. None
believed that district so remote
from the great centers of population
and wealth Of the country could make
such progress.
But most of those enthusiasts liv-
ed to see, their prophecies more than
fulfilled. When one now turns
through the files of the annual num-
bers of The Times one does not smile
at the estimates because they were
so great, but because they all fell so
far short of the mark of actual de-
velopment.
For forty years, as regularly as
the holiday season came and passed,
The Times has been accused of over
estimation in it's predictions concern
ing the future of Los Angeles. Many
of it's prophecies were repeated with
merry jest by the doubling Thomases.
But never in all these years have the
predictions of the publishers of The
Times equaled the measure of growth
and development that has actually
{ taken place.
Such is the record of past achieve
ment; and never in all the forty years
has New Year dawned roster with
promise for material and cultural de-
velopment and progress than that
which our expectant faces are turned
upward to greet on January /, 1925"
California has nothing on us when
! it is all summed up, so what's the
use, of. letting up and turn our faces
westward. The wealth of the nation
is here-right at our very doors. Lets
J get some of it!