The herald., 1894-09-24
THE TIME IS NOT YET RIPE.
l Supervisor Talks About
River Improvements
1t Is q Public Work That Must Be
Undertaken.
The Duty OF the County In the Matter.
A Word About the Report
of the Engi-
neor.

'Iti is pity" said one OF the board
Of supervisors yesterday, to Q HERALD
reporter, "that the times are not ripe
for the river improvements suggested
by the committee of engineers who re-
ported to us few days ago."
The attention of the supervisor was
called to the magnificent sum total of
over two and a half million dollars
given by the engineers as the cost Of the
work necessary.
That is no doubt q large sum-" re-
piled the gentleman. "but it will have
to be done some time. 1 know very
we'll that it is large sum. That 10 why
| made the remark that l wished the
time was propitious to undertake the
work."
"You have no idea," he continued,
what lot OF complaints the board of
supervisors has to hear about the dam
ages OF the San Gabriel and Los Angeles
rivers. Day after day property owners
come to US and ask il there is no way to
protect them from the winter freshets
OF these otherwise harmless streams.
Year after year has gone by and while
some work has been done, principally
within the limits of Los Angeles city,
the many thousands OF acres of land
along the water courses are just as
much liable to overflow as ever.
"The board has been absolutely power
less to make any adequate plan for the
remedy of this state of things. because
the protection of land subject to over
flow requires comprehensive and ex-
pensive improvement all along the
channels of the rivers mentioned. The
taxpayers already complain Of the heavy
burdens they have to bear. and the
board has not contemplated the pro.
posal of q plan that would require the
iseue OF hundreds of thousands of dol
lars worth of bonds with any great de-
gree OF satisfaction.
''It is no doubt true that such q propo-
sition will not be made very soon, or
voted very soon by the people.
ut 10 nevertheless the thing to do.
Two river courses that damage large
bodies OF fertile lands every year; that
have destroyed thousands of acres and
will destroy thousands more, should be
brought under control. There is NO
public work that our board could under
take that would eventually accomplish
80 much material good. Yet it is work
OF such q nature; the interest OF the
people generally is go hard to be awak-
ened to its importance, that l do not
look for any speedy rslieffor the anxious
land owners whose property 10 menaced
by the river during the rainy season."
"Could not q little be done at q
timer"
MOT with any degree OF success. The
whole and carried out as q wndie. oucn
is the nature of California atreamg. like
the Los Angeles and San Gabriel. that
patches OF work to contine the channel
are not very successful"
"The engineers make a suggestion
about defining the channels ?"
THAT ie one thing that can be done
and ought to be done, and which I will
urge with all the influence possess.
The official beds or channels of these
rivers should be officially defined and
settled. II this is done there may be
other steps which can be devised to
carry out the benefcent work of re-
claiming land already damaged and pro.
tecting the precious soil Of SONS Of the
richest sections of Southern California"
"Why don't you submit the question
to the people about the issuance OF
bonds?"
"It seems to me useless at present. l
think they would be defeated by a large
vote. But the time will come when
some such plan of public improvement
will be undertaken. Land is too valu-
able in this part OF the world to allow 1t
to be ruined as it is being yearly ruined.
Already there are big arrears of damages
due from the county, and 1t will be COM
PEELED to settle for them in some way.
The courts now have several big dam
age suits in process of litigation, and as
the liability of the county becomes each
year more clearly understood and de-
fined, it will be obliged in eelf-proteo'
ton to provide against recurrence oi
the devaatations OF the floods OF the
past"
II don't see that the engineers could
have reported differently. They are cor-
rect, it seems to me. in not advising the
county to undertake temporary work
that will only put off the inevitable day
when permanent work will have to be
done. They say very truly that few
people are aware of the Importance oil
necessity of the confining OF these rivers
in we'll defined channels. But it will
become a crying question before many
years. The frat step has been taken ir
the report of the engineers, the frs
Systematic report ever made OF THU
character. Its conclusions are based al
they say on careful surveys. and wha
they say, If true, must necessarily gathe
force from week to week and month Il
month";"
1.-THE present board will then not tax
any steps to carry out the recommends
tions OF the engineers
, II don't see how we can. Even II
ia the most important work we can un
3 dertake we are handicapped"
, "Why don't you submit the questio
, to the people of the county"
q ut would be impracticsbls now. Br
next year the question will come u
J, with greater strength, and it will cor
Q tinue to come until action is at la
taken. In the meantime the peop
b whose land ia menacsd by the rivers wi
o have to possess their souls in patienc