FILM CITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 August 1921, Page 6

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 Times reporter, “a city of 750,000 people; and its increase in population in the last twelve months is 93,006 —that, is to say. the population of Wellington. I should think such growth is a record for the world. I went to the City Hall to ascertain the number of building permits issued for the first six month,s of thia year, and it was 14.020. Of these, 5004 were for dwelling houses. Los Angeles enjoys a prosperity that does not faff to the lot of other cities, becai/se 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 the city. When yon contrast that 30 million pounds for the production of films in Los,-Angekis alone with the whole of the export trade of New Zealand - €53,970.000 for 1919—it .shows that it is indeed a favored city. Moreover, its climate is .such that people from the East, as they caff New York, retire to Los Angeles to live, for front February to November it is .sunshine.

“The automobile traffic in Los Angelos is supposed to be, and I believe it, the thickest in the world. There wore over 1370 automobile accidents there in the first five months of this year, and 7300 arrests for criminal offences in the twelve months. Shootings and hold-ups are common: and there, were five women awaiting trial for murder while I' 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. \lr. Wilford said that these things wore common enough before there were any films. Lor. Angeles, at any rate, would say nothing against picture films. There were 13.000 people in the city employed in the film producing industry.” • The water supply of Loa Angeles.” he added, “is wonderufl. They bring it about 400 miles—or an far as from Wellington to Mercer through the ‘big mountain range. San Francisco' als.* is now installing a big water supply, coming 250 miles from the HetehvHetchy.”