Evening star., 1938-10-09

OF Lnc country. lHe UTtLeTs MT. Hutt,
is on the stat OF the Los Angeles Times.
Nert ,0eek's article ,DiH be Urttten from
San Francisco.
LOS ANGELES, CALF.
Southern California is so continually in
the national spotlight that she is thorough
ly tanned from exposure. In some respects
her hide is toughened by the experience,
but there are always a few tender spots
where blisters reveal treacherous areas.
Mohe things happen oftener in this sector
than anywhere else in the country save
perhaps Washington, and news men who
come here to work find it necessary to
change their appreciation of what consti-
tutes story good enough to rate first page
handling.
Because of diversified interests Los An
eeles (and for the purpose of this appraisal
Los Angeles and Southern California are
used interchangeably) has learned to take
whatever comes more or less in stride. 1t
requires good deal to upset her news
equilibrium
For the same reason We get our national
reactions out here somewhat off balance.
That is to say. depression or recession
does not catch up with us until the rest of
the country has been put to bed and We
usually sit up and take notice few months
before States farther East come out from
under the anesthesia.
Politically Minded State.
Southern California takes her politics
very seriously. Her primary campaigns are
often events participated in by all who can
raise the filing fees and radio charges which
are a part of the initial expense of every
candidate She usually has at least one
recall election at bat with another one on
deck There were 800 candidates for vari-
Gus Offices of high and low degree at the
August primaries.
e. After being as solidly, reliably and as
conservatively Republican as Pennsylvania
Of pre-Earle days, except for slight slip in
1916 when California cast the deciding elec-
toral vote for Woodrow Wilson, the State
suddenly went berserk in the 1882 debacle,
since when she has been enthusiastically
New Deal, at the same time retaining Re-
publican governor and State senate, cir
cumstance which serves to illustrate the un-
predictable proclivities of her people.
Southern California has weathered the
economic storm better than most other Sec
tions of the country. Labor disturbances
which have left their mark on the San
Francisco area have been less serious here
abouts although it would be difficult to
convince concerns like Douglas Aircraft
and other ma jor industrial sufferers of this
fact.
The most serious problem from an
economic employment and relief standpoint
Los Angeles has been called upon to meet
is that of INDECENT migration. At the rate
Of approximately 900 a year this wave
of immigrants has swept across our borders
forcing down wage scales, swamping some
country districts with transient children Of
school age and throwing upon local COM
munities relief problem out of all propor-
ton to their ability to meet.
This condition has created an artificial
unemployment surplus; that is to say, con-
ditions in this part of the State have been
such that without this migration they could
easily have been controlled. As it is, the
coming winter is viewed with considerable
apprehension.
On the other hand, two major factors
have been instrumental in bringing about
definite business pickup in Los Angeles
and Southern California. One is the build
ing program, which has kept this city lead
ing every other in the United States in the
number of month-by-month building per-
n1its and second only to New York City in
total value of new construction.
The other Is the establishment of this
section as the cultural center of the coun-
try, attracting to permanent residence and
work here of the leaders in various fields of
art, literature and science, including such
institutions as the Max Reinhardt Work.
shop and School of the Theater, transplant
ed from Salzburg; the California Institute
Of Technology, the Huntington Library with
It's magnificent art gallery and many other
outstanding contributions.
Various Pillars of Prosperity.
Building, oil, motion pictures, supremacy
in sports, a convention and tourist business
not seriously affected by the recession have
each had part in preventing the slump
from being quite as serious here as in many
other parts of the country and in contribut-
ing to quicker partial recovery.
On the whole, then, it may be said that
our people are generally, better off than at
any time since the great depression. Not
70 many silk shirts and yellow shoes as in
1929, but sounder understanding on the
part of the solid 'sot citizenry of what it
is all about and more definite determine
tion to provide for a rainy day as evidenced
by investments in homes and increased
savings deposits. Rents here are lower than
IN most metropolitan centers, and while
there has been small drop in dollar vol
ume In Southern California this is account
ed for by comparative drop in commodity
prices.
One interesting trend in Los Angeles Is
toward the decentralization of the down.
town shopping and business area to rather
elaborate community centers, where many
Of the larger stores have established
branches and where the traffic problem Is
not so serious.
One reason why life in Southern Cali
fornia flows by more or less like song is
because the climate tends to keep folks out
of doors. Children are healthier, athletes
are more athletic and while many a pot