Evening star., 1938-10-09
Southern California Prospers
Despite Erratic Political Tides
Climate Contributes to Economic Oddity
in Americas Structure, With Citizens
Inclined to Experiments.
BY Chaplin Hall.

and into the worlds biggest and best week
end and daily peak traf1ic jams.
In the Los Angeles area the "vital' sta
tistics jump to car per every two persons
and probably nowhere else in the world
are there listed SO many families in pos
session of two or more cars. This year,
New York State, with its much greater
population, is left behind in the number of
registered motor vehicles. It is hearten-
ing sight to pass w. P. A. project with
its long line of cars waiting to carry their
toiling owners, after the days stint is done,
back to their homes, the nearby beaches or,
perhaps, to public golf links for a round
or two before dinner.
Workers Have Leisure Time.
The f1ve-day week is quite generally in
effect in Los Angeles although retail stores
have not yet adopted it, Forty hours is
almost standardized as working unit for
the week, which means that our workers
have more leisure than they formerly had
and to that extent, at least, are better of"
than they were at the beginning of the de-
preston.
A tendency to let Frank worry about the
future is observable and more individuals
in the lower wage brackets are following
the example of Uncle Sam and spending
their income, or more, as they 60 along,
which, whatever it forebodes for the future,
is one reason why retail trade. installment
transactions, auto sales and other factors
hold up so well hereabouts.
This condition is backed by the larger
income groups led by those having to do
with motion pictures. aviation. oil produc-
ton and other specialized lines largely re-
sponsible for Los Angeles fine stores,
beautiful homes and lavish expenditures,
the advantages of which many other cities
of comparable size do not enjoy.
Los Angeles and Southern California are
fortunate in having a diversity of interests.
Our eggs, as in the case Of Detroit Akron.
Pittsburgh and other Eastern industrial
centers, are not all in one or even In two
or three baskets. In spite of labor troubles,
the Port continues to grow until in gross
tonnage handled it has superseded all
other Pacific Coast harbors and most OF
those on the other side of the continent.
Citrus fruits, grapes, beans. cotton, canta-
loupes, nuts and other products indigenous
to the locale are seldom all in the red at
the same time, while the enormous growth
of the aviation and motion picture indus
tries sustains an employment and pay roll
background that may not be successfully
laughed OF. =
In spite of the Wagner Act and collective
bargaining and inroads made during the
past year by radical labor organizations
and leaders of the Harry Bridges type, Los
Angeles is still, in the MAN, an open-shop
town, and as such enjoys many advantages
over its tightly closed and rigidly ruled
sister industrial cities
Pension Plan Enters Picture.
California has attained a somewhat
sinister rating throughout the country as
the breeding place for all sorts of odd re-
ligious ideas and political schemes of doubt
full expediency. At the present time we
are in the throes OF $3o-a-week pension
plan propaganda in which all persons over
| so years of age are supposed to participate,
willy nilly, and which is nothing more or
less than a State backed scrip issue sup
posed to finance itself by revolving stamp
sale
Crazy as the scheme is, enough voters
in this part of the State fell for it to get
its supporters nominated for Governor,
Senator and other State offices and to Offset
the Presidents effort to pull Senator
McAdoo through for another term. As .
result we are faced by a campaign in which
the issues will not be Republicans vs.
Democrats or New Deal VS.. anti-New
Deal, but such blue-sky propaganda As
$3O-a-week, single tax On land and the
| turning loose of Tom Mooney
Although the Democratic registration
| leads at about a 3-to-2 ratio, thou
sands of voters signify their intention of
| trying the reforms out This has natu
rally aroused the conservative and vested
| interests and large campaign funds are
| being raised on both sides for battle royal.
Because so many persons come to Cali
| fornia in their later years, there is higher
than-average lover so" population, most
of whom see no incongruity in collecting
| their living from the State. On the other
hand, climate and little interference with
their MARKHAM. Henry George, Stain or
other leftist ideals has attracted individ
uals who see here an opportunity to try out
their peculiar theories. So the coming
campaign promises much of interest.
Epic Written Into History.
-Four years ago Upton Sinclair with his
Epic END Poserty in California; just about
scared the conservatives out of their wits
and resulted in the election of one Of the
| few Republican Governors in that landslide
year. If Sinclair had been wiser politically
and if he had not written so many books
and pamphlets he might have been elected.
This year the issue is revived under the
| $30-a-week for every one over SO" banner.
Olson, nominated on the Democratic ticket
for Governor, and Sheridan Downey, nomi-
mated for United States Senator, both Of
whom were Epic supporters and Townsend
| plan sympathizers, won out over J. r. r.
O'Connor, formerly controller of the cur
| rency, and Senator McAdoo, each Of whom
had the presidential blessing. Everything
else being equal California would be safely
Democratic this year, but things being rs
they are, such q result is by no means
"in the bag"
II isn't thot No1 Ioync Doocavntf