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- 6 VICTORIA ILLUSTRATED.
always point with pride and confidence to their trade with this point ; in the late unsettled financial feeling extending throughout most parts of the World, it may be confidently asserted that Victoria felt it less than any city on the Pacific, and, in fact, sent large sums of money to the Sound Cities to alleviate the stringency at those points. So great, in fact, is the credit of Victoria that the city bonds find a ready market at 4 per cent.
REALTY.
Property values have grown steadily during the past twenty years ; and here may be noted one fact concerning Victoria and Victorians which is very significant. Nine-tenths of the city's residents own their homes, and, if in business, their business premises. Such a statement can be made of but few cities in the land.
The following compilation furnished by the British Columbia Board of Trade, gives since 188o the value of real estate, personal property and income assessed in the City of Victoria :
Years. Valuation Valuation Valuation Taxable
Real Estate. Exempt Real Personal Income.
Estate. Property.
1880 $2,363,942 EXEMPTIONS FOR 1891. $3,250,000 $145,000
1881 2,749,075 Church Property (buildings only).........$336,500 3,378,000 173,200
1882 2,809,675 Dominion Government.....................$152,625 3,260,000 148,000
1883 3,092,285 Provincial " .....................$284,700 3,440,000 151,000
1884 3,104,860 City of Victoria, real estate...........$472,585 3,445,000 151,000
1885 5,178,800 ________ 4,184,638 236,870
1886 5,644,410 $1,246,410 4,425.511 279,000
1887 5,750,895 4,876,652 419,620
1888 5,758,445 5,097,258 461,900
1889 8,948,903 5,748,767 632,286
1890 9,367,600 6,376,830 619,200
1891 17,700,000 7,516,378 736,450
The following, also from the same source is interesting as giving the comparative value of real estate, personal property and taxable income of the four principal cities in British Columbia :
YEAR 1890.
Description of Victoria. Vancouver. New Nanaimo.
Assessed Value. Westminster.
Real Estate $9,367,600 $9,500,000 $3,557,815 $685,655
Personal Property. 6,386,830 739,974 546,656 511,800
Income (taxable).. 619,200 280,100 62,650 19,900
Total 16,373,630 10,520,074 4,167,121 1,217,355
YEAR 1891.
Description of
Assessed Value. Victoria. Vancouver. New Nanaimo.
Westminster.
Real Estate $17,700,000 $11,700,000 $6,974,720 $1,000,000
Personal Property. 7,516,378 2,213,550 1,344,502 602,450
Income (taxable).. 736,450 344,300 91,500 18,100
Total 25,952,828 14,257,850 8,410,722 1,720,550
RealEst. exemt'd 1,246,410 300,000 1,687,200 Not valued
Gross Total.. 27,199,238 14,557,850 10,097,922 1,720,550
Pop'n Census 1891 * 16,849 13,685 6,641 4,595
Value per capita.. $1,614 29 $1,063 78 $1,520 54 ........
It may also be stated that when the new city limits are included next year, the assessment will be increased by about $7,000,000.
SOCIALLY.
As a place of residence, Victoria offers attractions that can be presented by no other city in the Province. It is the commercial, political and social capital. Here are the Parliament buildings, Courts and Government offices ; and here the headquarters of Her Majesty's fleet in the North Pacific, as well as of " C " Battery, R. C. A. The officers of the service are ever ready to assist in any festivity, and their presence tends materially to the success of the social pleasures of the city. The society of Victoria is of the highest order, and fully equal to that of any city on the American continent ; everybody has the best privileges of good education, whereas the personal ownership of homes and their attractive e surroundings, so universal here, must, in the nature of things, beget and increase refinement ; the Victorians are proverbial for an easy distribution of time between office and home, and it is this very fact that makes their homes and society so attractive, and life a fair division between labor and pleasures. There are two excellent clubs, the Union and the Victoria, and while furnished in true English substantial comfort, they occupy handsome buildings, the former located toward the residence, and the latter in the business part of the city ; these two clubs bear the stamp of true hospitality in their every detail and the members bear out the character of the appearance by their treatment of the city's guests.
The Victorians are great lovers of manly sports, in-chiding football, cricket, tennis, yachting, lacrosse, rowing, hunting, 'cycling and horse racing.
The benevolent organizations Include the Y. M. C. A. and the W. C.T. U., in both of which much interest is taken.
The Masonic, Odd Fellows and other secret societies are well represented, and much more care is taken in the standing of candidates than is often the case in the East.
SCENERY.
To describe Victoria, and do full justice to her manifold charms, would require the pencil of both poet and artist. From the heights upon which many of her wealthy citizens have built their homes, the scene presented is truly
* City official census just taken shows over 23,000 population.
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