The San Francisco call., 1897-05-22
ALVIS0 HARBOR.

The action OF Governor Budd in vetoing
the appropriation made by the Legisla-
ture for the Improvement of Alviso har-
Dor so far from dampening tie ardor of
the people CT Santa Clara County in that
enterprise has had the effect of stimu-
lating their energies and rousing them tn
new effort. As was announced in THE
CALL yesterday the Board of Trade of San
jose is working energetically on the pro-
ject and it is probable that within the
next two months some definite plan of
action will be adopted and important
steps taken to carry it out.
For more than eight years now the
people of Santa Clara County have been
directing a large part of their progressive
energy toward the accomplishment OF i'm
provements at Alyiso which would make
that port commodious harbor for ship
ping AS was natural they sought first to
obtain an appropriation for the work from
the General Government, for it comes
rightly within the scope of river and har-
Dor improvements. While, however,
something was gained in that way by the
persistent efforts of Congressman Loud
not enough was done TO keep up to the in-
creasing requirements of the expanding
trade of the port. Efforts were therefore
made to get assistance from the State.
These also were baffied by reason of the
Governors veto. The county is now con-
sidering the advisability Of undertaking
the preliminary work of improvement at
her own expense, on the principle that
self-help is the best help.
The most casual study of map of Cali
fornia will show the value that q
good harbor at Aiviso would be TO the
State. 1t would open up deep-water COM
munication with one of the largest and
most extensive OF our v.llevs and provide
transportation facilities for an ind astrious
population, whose numbers and whose in
dustries are rapidly advancing. The
amount of business done at the port, even
under present adverse conditions, is large
and there can be no question it would in
crease rapidly as soon as proper facilities
were provided for it.
There are no serious diff culties in
volved in the problems OF the propos ed
improvement. Nothing is to be done ex-
cept the removal of soil washed down by
the streams, which has filled up the
southern end of the bay and formed the
extensive marSneS along ltS DOruerS BY
dredging out the desired channel it would
be possible at the same time to furnish
The material for embankments, which
would reclaim q considerable district of
the surrounding country, and thus render
useful some OF the richest lands in the
State.
All the advantages to flow from the pro-
posed enterprise are we'll understood by
the progressive people Of Santa Clara. and
it is not surprising they have determined
TO pnt their own hands to the plow and to
do some work for themselves while wait
ing for the fulfiilment of their rightful ex.
pectations of assistance from the General
Government. The San Jose Board of
Trade, which is directing the movement,
is in the hands OF able and energetic men,
and there is every prospect that with the
cordial cooperation Of the people of the
county they will devise a means of begin
ming the work and carry it so far that
there will be no longer any hesitation on
the part of Congress to grant the appro-
priation, which should long ago have been
made