Los Angeles herald., 1905-04-12

by residents of San Pedro, after which
Col. Hanbury stated that it is an error
to suppose that the action of the en-
gineers with reference to the harbor
lines will commit the government to
anything. All the engineers can do, he
said, Is to prepare and present plan
for improving the harbor, regardless
of any and all private interests. In
fluences might be brought to bear on
congress, however, for certain appro-
priations, but the engineers would in
nowise be responsible for such action.
When the hearing concluded yester-
day reports from the Harbor league of
San Pedro and special committee ap-
pointed by the San Pedro city trustees
were presented to the engineers. They
were as follows:
Reports of Committees
To the Board of United States Engi-
neers for the San Pedro harbor:
conference.-the undersigned commit
tee, appointed by the board of trustees
of the city of San Pedro to appear be-
to be the sentiments of the people Of
San Pedro on the proposed changes in
the harbor lines suggested by tie
Southern Pacific railroad company, the
Salt Lake railroad company and the
Banning company, has to say:
When your board met here last year
to establish the harbor lines as they
now exist, no formal committee was
appointed by the city of San Pedro to
appear before you. We felt then as
we feel now and as we felt during the
long fight over the location of the har-
Dor that your corps could be depended
upon to do what was for the best in
terest of the harbor of San Pedro, and
we have not been disappointed.
We appear before you in accordance
with your invitation and at the re-
quest of the board of trustees of the
city of San Pedro.
The people of San Pedro take no mar
row view of the question at issue. We
make no suggestion as to where the
work on the harbor should be done,
our only desire in the matter being to
have the line established that the full
est benefits may be derived in the
for commercial purposes.
At the present time the three cor
porations above named claim all the
frontage of the inner harbor, except
ing some portion belonging to the lu1n-
ber companies in front of the city of
San Pedro and more or less under
their CONTROL and the only portion
which remains under control of the
city of San Pedro is the frontage on
the outer or deep sea harbor, which
will not be available for commercial
purposes until the completion of the
breakwater.
The people of San Pedro do not de-
sire to be understood as admitting the
validity of the above named COM
panies to the frontage claimed by them
as tide lands, as grave legal questions
are involved, which the courts will no
doubt be called upon to pass on here
after.
The present change in the harbor
lines, suggested by the three corpora
tions named. will, in our opinion, cer-
tainly not make the harbor more COM
modious, as it proposes to fill in a
very large portion of the open water.
1t surely will not make it safer for
vessels, as it reduces the water area
to two narrow channels and leaves no
room for turning basin, as proposed
by you; and it doubtless will not make
it free to commerce any more than it
is now, as the allied corporations are
to be the owners of the proposed
peninsula filled in the center of the
channel, as proposed in their plans.
On behalf of the board of trustees
and people of San Pedro we enter now
our protest against the proposed
changes in the harbor lines as present.
ed by the Banning company. the
Southern Pacific company and the
Salt Lake company, on the ground that
this proposed plan is not in the inter
ests of commerce or the purposes for
which the harbor is being construct
ed by the government.
JOHN T. GAFFEY, Chairman.
VIM. w. BURKE, Secretary.
Harbor Leagues Views
To the Board of Government Engi-
neers:
Conference.-The undersigned, a COM