A FILM CITY

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14737, 31 August 1921, Page 7

A FILM CITY

PROSPERITY OF LOS ANGELES. MR WILFORD'S *IMPRESSIONS.

"Los Angeles, where I stayed a month while in America this time, is," said Mr T. M. Wilford, M.P., to a New Zealand Times reporter, "a city of 750,000 people; and 'its increase in population in the last 12 months is 93,000 —that is to say, the population of Wellington. I should think such growth is a record for the world. 1 went to the City Hall to ascertain the number of building permits issued for the first six months of this year, and it was 14,020. Of these, 5004 were for dwelling-houses. Los Angeles enjoys a prosperity that does not fall to the lot of other cities, because of (1) its climate, (2) its cheap timber, and (3) the 'fact that £30,000,000 worth of picture films were issued from there last year, portraying all its most beautiful spots to the world without the cost of a penny to thcs„ city. When you contrast that £30,000,000 for the production of films in Los Angeles alone with the whole export trade of New Zealand — £53,070,000 for 1919 —it shows thai il. is indeed a favoured city. Moreover, its climate is such that people from the East, as they call New York, retire to Los Angeles to live, for from February to November it is sunshine.

"The automobile traffic in Los Angeles is supposed to be, and I believe is, Hie thickest in the world. There were over 1370 automobile accidents there in the first, five months of this year, and 7300 arrests for criminal offences in the 12 months. Shootings and hold-ups are common: and there were five women awaiting trial for murder while 1 was there. Some of them had shot their husbands." Asked whether this was attributable, as some would say, to the influence of the picture films, Mr Wilford said that these tilings were common enough before there were any films. Los Angeles, at any rate, would say nothing against picture films. There were J 3,000 people in the city employed in tlie film producing industry.

"The water supply of Los Angeles." he added, "is wonderful. They bring it about 400 miles—or as far as from Wellington to Mercer—through the big mountain range;. San Francisco, also, is now installing a big water supply, coming 250 miles from the Iletchy-Ilelchy."