Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-20
ANNEXATION IDEA
MAY Be FAVORED
CONTROL OF HARB0R MUCH
DESIRED
Several Members of Consolidation
Commission Express Themselves
in Favor Of Taking In Will
mlngton and San Pedro

Although no public meeting Of the
consolidation commission will be held
this week the members will hold an
executive session this evening for the
purpose of comparing notes and trying
to outline their future.
The commission recognizes the fact
that the time has come for 1t to
announce a definite policy, and it is
understood that this will be one Of the
subjects discussed tonight. The COM
mittees that are working on problems
connected with the San Pedro and Will
mington annexa ton project also are
expected to make reports, and it is
probable that the decision with respect
to a policy will be based largely on
these reports.
Several members of the commission
have for some time openly expressed
themselves in favor of a policy of an
nexation and of going to work along
that line. BY many persons this is
looked upon as a complete departure
from the original purpose Of the COM
mission, and the one for which it was
organized, but the members themselves
say that this departure Is more ap-
parent than real. They point out the
difficulties they already have encoun-
tered in trying to carry out a scheme of
consolidation by means of a constitu-
tional amendment, and they call atten-
tion to the fact that strict adherence
to that plan would mean a further
delay of at least two years.
To Save Valuable Time
In consequence of this. they say, they
have deemed it the better plan to favor
policy of annexation of such towns as
are willing to come in, leaving the
broader plan to be worked out later
on the ground that by this means a
great deal of valuable time will be
saved and the consolidation project
will in no way be endangered.
The commission especially is desirous
of effecting a merger with San Pedro
and Wilmington for the reason that a
move of that kind would give this city
control Of the harbor, and also because
annexation of the two towns named
could be brought about, provided there
is no serious opposition, during the
coming fall. The petition for the an
neXation of large amount of territory
adjoining Los Angeles, including a part
of the Cahuenga valley, Is now being
held up in the city council until the
San Pedro annexation question has
been decided, with view to voting on
both propositions at the same election
The petition is held in abeyance by
IluJudl COllSelI. Dul unless U0e commas
sion takes action within reasona BILE
time the signers are likely to become
impatient and demand that the council
take action N their case and call a
special election.
Control of Harbor Desired
With respect to the adoption of a
policy of annexation, particularly so
far as San Pedro and Wilmington are
nnn ,f f1,A - flao
consolidation commission said yester-
day:
There is no use trying to disguise
the fact that control of the harbor
would be of immense advantage to Los
Angeles. 1t is highly desirable that this
city be known as a seaport, and a mer-
ger with the harbor towns is the only
way to bring this about. 1t is freely
admitted by all persons who have given
this subject the slightest consideration
that Los Angeles needs San Pedro, but
on the other hand the fact must not be
lost sight of for a moment by the resi-
dents of the harbor town that San
Pedro also needs Los Angeles. San
Pedro has the harbor at present, but
unless a decided change in conditions
is brought bout before long it is likely
to find it's harbor in the hands of a
state commission. Long Beach already
has wrested from it the control of a
large part of the harbor and the COM
plant of citizens down there now is
that private interests are trying to
secure control of the entire breakwater.
San Pedro has shown itself power
less to prevent these encroachments in
the past, and she now looks to Los
Angeles for assistance. By joining with
Los Angeles, San Pedro would enjoy
even greater benefits than those which
would accrue to this city. That there
will be opposition to the plan of an
neXation with Los angeles seems to be
foregone conclusion. The interests,
corporate and private, which are con-
tnually encroaching on the harbor
doubtless will fight any project of that
kind, and this fact alone should con-
vince the citizens of San Pedro that
their best interests lie in merger with
Los Angeles. The Indications now are
that at the next public meeting of the
commission the members will have a
definite plan prepared for submission
to the residents of the harbor towns
and that action on it will be taken in
the near future"
RAILWAY OFFERS TO