One cannot live for long in Califorum before he falls a victim to the enthusiasm of its people. Go where you wilt you find that the Californian feols—not always with absolute justification—that his state is leading the world in many of its activities. Me claims to lead in scientific agriculture, and probably doer. He claims for his state the Jeadership in oil production. He claims that no state is making greater industrial progress. Har-hours are being built at the prevent time in Oakland, Long Beach, San Pedro (this is already prac ally complete), and the cities of Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and ethers have harbour plants. based more on the long vision of men who visualize what trans-Pacific commerce must ultimately row into than on immediate necossi Be-
Yieving that commerce is swinging Pacifiewards, the Californian is Yooking far shead. He builds for the future. Cities "enter into a rivalry which is not altogether too friendly for the economic growth of the future, and the rapidity with which cities have come into Prominence on this Pacific Coast seems to afford proof that the Cal fornia knows what he is doing, During the three years that this writer lias been resident on this Coast he has soon remarkable changes in most of the ports. Los Angeles, for example, it has ong been the claim that 5,000 fam-ities come to the place every mon and most of them stay. A New York banker was once approached regarding facilities for an enterprise in Los Angeles, and turning to the applicant, he "asked simply, "Say, what did you say the popula tion "Los Angeles is?" The man from the Golden State stroked his looked up to the celting as if was a painful ordeal to give and naively replied, Well, I can't tell you what it es, but I believe I can tell you what it was. It passed the million mark four days ago when I left by train to come here."
All this bustle and speedy growth is literally bewildering to the Briton, Down in the dear old West-country town in England where this writer got his first impression: of life the population has not altered for 50 years, and if I were to go there and tell them that there isa city called Long Beach out in California which in 1904 pat buildings to the value of $700,- 000 and last year getting on for $25,000,000, I know that I should at once have my veracity questioned. Yet such is the ease, and the prospects for 1926 are even better.
Making Comparisons, And this is not due to extra: ordinary inflation. Comparing California with Florida at the present time, the advantages are all with the Western state. In Florida real estate has leaped to unheard of figures, and men who have become millionaires overnight through the purchase of land that they have never seen can been counted by the score. That sort of wild gambing must, of course, bring its dire results all in good time, and it will dawn upon the holders when the boom breaks that values bear possible proportion to earning power. But in California, with few exceptions, progress is sound. Take Long Beach as an instance:—Building permits—1904, $750,- 000; 1925, nearly $25,000,600.
Aank clearings—1910, $6,298.
000; 1924, $370,000,000 "(and steadily advancing).
Bank deposits—1010, 000; 1925, $52,250,000.
Taking a conservative view, and knowing Asia fairly well as'T do from long residence there, T cannot but fool that California must clu ing the next 60 years become an enormously increasing factor in Asiatic trade. It is likely, for example, that people having interests in Asiatic countries will come here settle down. The number of English (and Scottish) people who are buying places here is increasing. Their purpose, probably, is twofold. First, they have a climate here which is a8 near ideal as it is possible to get, for unless one goes down to Bournemouth, or to the Scillfes (and who wants to live in the Setllies?), or to the Channel Islands (the paradise of taxpayers, but where it is hard for the non-
Channel Islander to fit in), he cannot get in Great Britain a climate anywhere approaching that of Southern California. Then, second, if he has business interests in China or any other country in Asia he is within practically easy reach, and can cross the Pacific in magnificently appointed. ships, I may be wrong, but I fancy that 85 time goes on, and more desirable people from all nations come here to reside and enter into commerce, it will be a much more interest ingly cosmopolitan community among whom one may mix than it was 20 oF so years ago. For despite his go-aheadness, the Californi—the true "native son"—has the name for being extremely jealous his Golden State. That tends to make him spontaneously hospitable towards newcomers, for he can laud his country to the skies without offence, but tends also to make him Poe slightly jealous that his right in the State might be usurped. Therefore, the native Californian is given, rightly or wrongly is not for me to say, the reputation of being ai! little suspicious of those whose native heath docs not coincide his own. He knows his State, and he loves it. Any well-bred California is able to entertain you with many stories of its ffseinating history of days before it was brought into the Union in 1850. At the same time, while this is all
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.