Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

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r N- ' REAL ESTATE RECO.RD SAVE OUE FORESTS. . Is it not time that the National Government interfered to préserve some of our forests? One of the most lamentable facts in coimection with the future of the country is the rapid cutting down and démolition of aU the wood¬ land east of the Mississippi. Evén the appa¬ rently inexhaustible supply of the Northern belt of country extending from Maine to Min¬ nesota, is beginning to show signs of giving out. Unless we annex Canada, the next géné¬ ration of this country wiU suffer extremely from a want of a scarcity of lumber. The discovery of anthracite coal seems, almost pro- vidential, for in addition to the ordinary waste of wood for buUding and mechanical purposes, by this time we shotdd hâve had an absolute famine had wood been needed for cooking and warming jjurposes besides. In the far West they hâve begun to pLant trees in that now treeless countr}--, all of which wiU be of great benefit to the miUions who are yet to occuiiy the Western prairies. But the growth of wood in the West bears no sort of comparison to the destruction south, east, and north. This is reaUy a matter to which the atten¬ tion of the scientific societies should be di¬ rected, so that State and National action might be obtained to préserve such woods as we now hâve, and to add to their number by judicious planting. It is, moreover, désirable that a topographical survey of the country should be made, with a view to setting apart certain places in the country as woodland. One of the bad effects of the cutting down of our forest trees has been witnessed in the annual freshets Avhich create such havoc. Of the Connecticut, Hudson, Delaware, Susquehana, Potomac, and other Eastern rivers, the forests used to retain the moisture when the snow melted, and so *preveuted any sudden accession to the waters of thèse streams. Freshets were in fact un¬ known before the cutting down of the forests ; now they are an annual occurrence, and of in¬ creasing destructiveness. Then let the subjecfc be agitated of settmg apart large tracts of country for the purpose of growing wood. In¬ deed, many of the wom-out farms in our North¬ ern States could not be utilized for a more lucrative crop. In the immédiate viciidty, for instance, of Saratoga are old wom-out farms Avhich are useless now for the purpose of rais¬ ing crops. but which, if planted, in fifteen years would raise a most abundant crop of chestnut and.larch trees. However, this evU vrHl in time correct itself, as wood is already becom¬ ing so scarce as to make it profitable to dévote large quantities of land to the spécial purpose of raising it. The newspapers aU over the country are dis- cussing the Chinese problem, It seems to be inévitable that we shall hâve a large Chinese émigration. It is quite idle to say anything about the undesirabUity of this population, for come , they will. Labor is very cheap in China, and is very dear in America ; this the Chinese hâve found out, and they are preparing to emigrate in rayriads. A great many f oolish laws wiU be j passed to discourage them, but a fleet stationed | before every port in the Pacific would not avaU j to keep them out or prevent them from effecting I a landing. Now what is to be done? ^i^ajai universaUy admitted that the Chinese consti- tute a most undesirable addition to a popula¬ tion. True, they are patient, hard-vrorking, ingemous, and supply aU we need of cheap labor ; but then they are heathens, of an in¬ ferior race, practice vices which are nameless, and almost unknown even in the lowest strata of our population, and it seems in every sensé a real misf ortune that they should form a part of the great nation Ave hâve founded hère. There is one solution of the difficulty which has not yet been thought of, and Avhich we very much fear avUI scarcely commend itself to the mass of our popxUation when proposed ; and that is, the propriety of interdicting the propagation of the Chinese upon our own soU ; in other words, allowing only Chinese men to come hère, and prohibiting them from inter- mingling with the population ; or if Chinese women must come, to compel both sexes to ob¬ serve those practices which are the custom in the Oneida communityl Those who are curious and désire a knowledge of what those practices are, would do weU to-address J. H. Noyés, Oneida, New York. It is to the discrédit of the people of West¬ ern Jersey that they hâve not taken efficient means to redeem what are known as the New¬ ark Flats. This vast marsh ought to be ex¬ tremely valuable land for buUding and garden purposes, where it now breeds nothing but mosquitoes and fevers, and is utterly useless for any manufacturing, fanning, or buUdihg uses. Some time since Mr, S, N. Pike organ¬ ized a company to redeêm a large portion of this Bwamp, and dykes were buUt for mUes along the Passaic and Hackensack rivers, Tor some reason or other the attempt has not suc¬ ceeded, due, doubtless, to the want of proper engineering skilL A wise thing to do would be to organize a company foi: the purpose of bringing over several thousand Hol- landers, who are weU acquainted with dyking, and who could eventually be useftU iu founding gardons on the ground thus redeemed, The accessibiUty of this property to New York ought to make it of immense value and im¬ portance to those who woiUd do much to rid aU Western Jersey of the plague of that beau¬ tiful région, the mosquito. VALUATION OF CITY PROPERTY. The follo'«Tng is the relative value of the real aud personal estate in the city and county of New York as assessed for 1868 and 1869 : - Asse.ssinent Assess-r.ent ~ Eeal Estato forlSlS. for 1809. §623,236,555 $684,140,768 Increase in one year.............$152,843,813, Of this amount of increase nearly $43,000,000 is in five wards ofthe city, to Avit : the Twelfth, Eighteenth. Nineteenth, Twenty-first, and Twenty-second, and upwards of tAventy-five mUUons is in the TAvelfth and Twenty-second Avards alone. The largest increase of any one Avard is that of the Twelfth, the valuation of which has been raised $14,505,860. The foUoAving is the assessment of taxable Personal property in this city and county for the present year : Résidents.......................$175,990,396 Non-residents......-............ 29,422,299 Shareholders of bànks,____..... 74J547,184 , ^otaL^^.^^^,..'..__....... $279,059,829 La 1868 the vâliiation of personal estate was : Résidents........'......(.......$177,860,146 Non-residents ,'.::...-...,■:-...... 31,841,607 Shareholders of banks........... 75,998,019 Total....................§285,199,772 This shows a decrease in the value of per¬ sonal estate of $5,239,943. The total valuation of real and personal estate for 1868 was $908,436,327, The total valuation for this year is $964,100,597, The total increase is, therefore, $55,664,270. So soon as the roUs hâve been examined and confirmed by the Board of Supervisors, the rate ^ of taxation for the present year wUl be deter- ^ mined. BUILDING OPERATIONS. Mr, James McGregor, Superintendent of BuUdings, reports as to new buildings from January 1 to July 1, 1869, as foUoAvs : Plans and spécifications for noAv buUdings submitted, examined, and passed upon, from January 1 tov Jidy 1 were 727. Of thèse 531 Avere approved, Jieing in conformity Avith the laAv ; 121 were not fiUly in accordance Avith re¬ quirements, but, being subsequently conected, AA'ere approved ; 75 indefimtely draAvn, or con¬ taining provisions in violation of the law, Avere rejected. The number of buUdings proposed to be erected is 1,289, and are classified as follows : First-class dAveUings.............452 - Second-class dAvellings.......,..". .250 Third-class dweUings.. '......... .283 First-class stores..............-.'.,. 68 Second-class stores..............-14 Third-olass stores............■..'.' 23 . Factories......................■". ' 90 Schools..........:.......:...•. .• 5 Stables...-...'..........:..[..:... 72 Churches...................... 13 ' ' PubUc buUdings........'.........19 Total.....................1,289 SAGINAW LUMBER FIELDS.' A CORRESPONDENT of the Chicago Tribune^ Arating from SaginaAV, gives the foUoAvdng ac¬ count of the state of affairs in that région : •' ïhe river from East Saginaw to Bangor, a distance of about fifteen miles, is thickly stud¬ ded Avith himbei mills, some of Avhich haA'e docking facUities for 5.000,000 to 8,000,000. When there are full stocks on hand, there is lumber enough to buUd up towois and cities re- quisite to constitvite a respectable State, and fence them aU in. There is, of course, an im¬ mense amount of capital invested, and -the condition and prospects of the trade are at all times a matter of great concem. The early part of the past Avinter Avas unfavorable for logging, and, as is commonly the case under such ch-cumstance.s, unusual exertions Avere put forth to secure log.s, the resuit of Avhich Avas rather a larger stock than usual, oAving to the protracted sleighing throughout the latter part of the season, but the increase is not great enough to affect the market. The stock of choice lumber is proportionately smaU, and the prices for that quality avUI be much more like¬ ly to advance than to recède. The amounts of logs got out on the Tittabawassee, according to the estimate of the Boom Company—always accepted as good authority—is 250,000,000 feet, which is pretty Avell secured. not over 10,000,- 000 feet being behind or "hung up." The amount laSt year Avas 228,871,300. The amount on Cass river is knoAvn to be 68,000,000 feet, against 88,740.000 last year. ïhe stock this season is all secured, and avUI be doAvn in about three Aveeks. Bad river has about 20,- 000,000, against 15,700.000 last year Rifle river, on "the Bay," has got 150,000,000, of Avhich 25,000,000 are being hungup beyond aU hopes of securing this season. ïhe amount last year Avas 48,000,000. ïhe River Au Grès has 45,000,000 cut, of which 20,000,000 are hung up. ïhe amount last year was 18,800,- 000. ïhe logs from Rifle and Au Grès rivers include all from the bay that are towed to the