CAPITAL OF ORANGE LAND.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXVI, Issue 51, 7 December 1909, Page 6

CAPITAL OF ORANGE LAND.

A WONDER CITY. Visiting Wellington at present is Mr It. W. Larritt, manager of the Hotel Westminster, one of the big hotels-of Los Angeles, in California. The place is one of the wonder cities of the West, its population having leapt in twelve years from 70,000 to something over 300,000, and it is still growing. Los Angeles is situated a little south of San Francisco, adjacent to the Pacific coast, and irrigation has made it a huge garden city, the climate of which is famous .throughout the States. Thither the tourists from the East and North pour during certain months to escape the rigors of the winter. Its water supply is brought from the head of the Owen's River 300 miles away, and is used not only for ordinary purposes but for irrigation and power for the generation of electricity. Mr Larritt claims that it is the bestlighted city in the world, the arc lights being suspended on highly-ornamental standards in bunches of four at short intervals all the way down the main streets. The city has a magnificent tram service both in the city and away out into the country. Beyond the city boundaries there is a double rail on one side of the track in order that the wider express cars may travel at a high rate of speed comfortably while it does not exclude the city cars from running over the tracks. The visitor suggests that the laying down of an extra single rail from Sydney to Melbourne would enable all cars to run right through instead of relaying the whole of the track. The idea is good testimony to the smartness of the American in overcoming a variance in the gauge of cars. "Nothing grows in Los Angeles without irrigation," said Mr Larritt to a 'Dominion' representative, "and there's nothing that won't grow witli irrigation. The result of this is that a man buying an acre or 100 acres looks out smartly after his water rights. Water is everything there. Many of tho city business men have little farms or orange groves a little out from tho city and rest there among the orange trees. A very delightful life it is. If a man plants out ten acres or .so of orange trees he gets quite a good income from it, while it does not interfere with his business. Last season 45,000 car loads ('IOO boxes to the car) of oranges were sent from Los Angeles. Each box fetches about 1.20d01., so you can figuro what the crop was worth'. ' Then there are the peaches and pears. I see them in your windows—in cans!"

The luxury of the big new hotels in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and elsewhere in California was a theme on which Mr Larritt talked freely. In the reason it was quito ordinary" for these houses to put up 1200 guests. In the new hotels the very last luxuries were provided. Thoro wero telephones in every bedroom by which anyone could speak to the office or 500 milos away, and there were hot and iced water taps alongside ono another in each room. In Los Angeles the hotels have to close at 1 a.m., but in marvellous 'Frisco they never close at all. It used to bo the boast with some of the San Francisco hotels that the doors had not been closed for forty years—then the earthquake and fire came. =