Population counting circa 1944! In the midst of all this planning talk recently, I think others might enjoy these tidbits from a book copyrighted in 1944 that shows just how far we've really come.
My dad has been sorting through his books, and ran across one that used to belong to my grandfather, Earle Dell'Orto, who was drafted into the Marines in World War II. The book, Dear Sir, by Juliet Lowell. Letters of ribaldry and desperation culled from war plants, draft boards, government agencies... is short, sweet, and absolutely hilarious. But these entries in particular caught my eye:
Office of Civilian Defense
Pasadena
Gentlemen;
In reply to your request for an estimate of the present population of Laguna Beach, I wish to advise that our estimate is 7490.
Our City Engineer has just arrived at this estimate by comparisons mainly based on the flow of our sewage treatment plant at the present time as compared with the flow at the time of the Federal census in 1940.
Yours sincerely,
City Clerk
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Bureau of Vital Statistics
Los Angeles, California
Gentlemen;
In reply to your question - our death rate is the same here as elsewhere - one death for every inhabitant.
Department of Health
City of ____________
Syndicate