The record-union., 1896-05-23
As to tho Selection of the One Which
Shall be Improved.
A Board, Consisting of an Officer of
the Navy, an Officer of the Coast
and GeOdetic Survey and Three
Civil Engineers Skilled in Riparian
Work, to be Appointed to Examine
Said HarbOrs, the Decision of
Which Shall be Final as to the
Location of Said HarbOr.


Location of Said HarbOr.
WASHINGTON, May 22.-The con-
ference on the river and harbor bill
came to a final agreement this after
noon on the disputed question Of deep
sea harbor at Santa Monica. Before
agreeing Senator White was called in
and accepted the compromise. The re-
port was subsequently agreed to in the
Senate without objection, and will come
up in the House tomorrow. The En-
rolling Clerk of the House has the whole
bill, with the exception Of this item,
enrolled, and an effort will be made to
get the bill to the President tomorrow.
He will then have ten full days (Sun-
day and the day he gets it not counted)
in which to consider the measure. He
can either approve it or permit it to
become a law without his approval. A
veto must come within the constitu-
tional period Of ten days. This period
elapses at midnight on the night of
June 4th A veto before that time is
confidently expected.
The morning conference on the bill
ent by invitation of the committee, and
made an argument in favor of the Sem
ate agreement. He denounced the prop
osition to strike out all the appropria-
tions as an attempt to bulldoze him into
the acceptance of the House PROPOSE
ton to name the commission in the bill
This he very frankly said he never would
accept. Senator White did, however,
make one concession, in the hope Of
bringing the conferrees together on
common ground. He was willing to in
sert clause in the bill to the effect that
if the engineers decided that the harbor
should be placed at San Pedro instead
of Santa Monica, then the inner harbOr
provided for at San Pedro should not be
constructed. He did not believe this
should be done, but he was willing to
make this much of a concession in order
to reach definite results.
The afternoon session was productive
of much and an agreement was reached.
The following is the full text of the
Santa Monica agreement:
For deep sea harbor at Port Los
Angeles, in Santa Monica Bay, Cali
fornia, or at San Pedro, in said State,
the location of said harbor. to be de-
termined by an officer of the navy to be
elected by the Secretary of the Navy,
an officer of the Coast and GeOdetic
Survey, to be detailed by the Superin-
tendent Of said survey, and three ex-
perienced civil engineers, skilled in ri
parian work, to be appointed by the
President, who shall constitute a board,
and who shall personally examine said
| harbors, the decision of a majority of
which shall be final as to the location of
said harbor. 1t shall be the duty of
said board to make plans, specifications
and estimates for said Improvement
Whenever said board shall have set
tied the location and made report to the
Secretary Of War for the same. with
then the Secretary of War may make
contracts for the completion of the i'm
provement of the harbor selected by
said board, according to the project re-
ported by them, at cost not exceeding
in the aggregate S1,900,O00, and $50 900
is hereby appropriated, or so much
thereof as may be necessary, to be used
for the expenses of the expedition and
the payment of the civil engineers for
their services, the amount to be deter
mined by the Secretary of War
provided, however, that if the board
hereby constituted in this section pro-
vided shall determine in favor of the
construction of a breakwater at Port
Los Angeles, no expenditure of any part
of the money hereby appropriated shall
be made, nor shall any contract for the
construction of such breakwater be en-
tered into, until the Southern Pacific
Company, or the owner or owners there
Of, shall execute an agreement and file
the same with the Secretary of War that
any railroad company or any corpora
tiCn engaged in the business of trans
pcrtation may share in the use of the
pier now being constructed at Port Los
Angeles, and the approaches and tracks
leading thereto, to wit: Westerly of the
easterly entrance to the Santa Monica
tunnel, upon such just and equitable
terms as may be agreed upon between
the parties, and if they fail to agree,
then to be determined by the Secretary
of War; and before any expenditure Of
the money hereby appropriated is made
| for the construction of breakwater at
Port Los Angeles, said Southern Pacific
! Company, or the owners of track or ap-
proaches leading to said pier, shall ex-
ecute an agreement, and file the same
with the Secretary of War, that any
railroad or transportation company, or
any corporation desiring to cnstruct a
| per at Santa Monica Bay, may for the
purpose of approaching such wharf or
| pier, and for the purpose of construct
ing and operating the same cross the
track or track approaches and right of
way now used by the Southern Pacific
| Company, under such regulations as
may be prescribed by the Secretary Of
War, and upon the payment of such
compensation as that officer may find to
| be right.
Provided, further that in the event
said harbor is located at Port Los An
| geles, no greater royalty on the rock
used for the construction of the break
water than twelve and a half cents per
cubic yard shall be charged, and the
Southern Pacific Company shall charge
nc more than one-half cent a ton a mile
| for freight on rock transported over its
road"
| Improving Wilmington Harbor, Cali
i fornia, in accordance with the project