Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-01
PROPOSES PLAN
TO END DEADLOCK
CIVIC BODIES MAY BE ASKED
TO INTERVENE
City Council States Conditions Under
Which It Would BE Willing to
Accept Board Of public
Works

The city council has suggested a
method whereby that body and the
mayor can reach an immediate agree
mont on the question of the board of
public works
This is for the three civic bodies to
name three men to constitute board,
which names the mayor Is TO send to
the council. and the council agrees that
If this is done 1t will meet and without
an hours delay confirm the names.
In executive session yesterday morn
ing the council formulated the follow
ing statement:
"The undersigned members of the
city council, earnestly desiring to ter
inmate the unfortunate deadlock tlat
now exists with regard to the appoint
ment of board of public works where
by all street and other improvements
have come to standstill. seriously
threatening the welfare of the city,
now beg to submit to the mayor and
to the citizens of Los Angeles the fol-
lowing proposition:
''tThe charter by it's provisions re-
quirlng the confirma tion of the council
plainly intends to rest reasonable
part of the responsibility for the quail
ity of these appointments upon this
body. The serious nature of this re-
sponsibiity is made more clearly evi-
dent at the present time by the fact
that under the state law this board of
public works must control the owens
river water enterprise.
Now, we propose to the mayor that
he comply with the original plan and
allow the commercial and civic bodies
to name the members Of the board of
public works. We aEre on our part that
if the chamber of commerce, the Mer-
chants association. the Municipal
league. will. through committees APP
pointed for that purpose, select three
names, and If the mayor will appoint
them we will without an hours delay
meet and confirm them. We have no
candidates of our own and no desire
unnecessarily to oppose the mayor,
but we are determined that this board
shall be composed of men of high char
acter and first class abilities and shall
not be used by any one for his politi-
cal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
"(Signed) Theodore Summerland, G..
A. Smith. Bernard Healy, +. l.. Ford,
Edward Kern, e. L. Blanchard, S. w.
Hitler"
Copy Sent to Mayor
A copy of this statement was sent
to the mayor but the chief executive
yesterday refused to say what recogni-
ton, if any. he would take of it.
The action of the council in prepar-
Ing the was taken dIter Ille
mayor had submitted another slate for
a board of public works to an adjourned
session of the council yesterday MORN
ing. On this slate appeared the names
of Willard II. Stimson, T.. T. Perkins,
and l.. L. Robinson. Stmson was the
only new name presented yesterday.
This list was referred to the committee
of the whole and the council again adj
journed to meet at 10 O'Clock this morn
ing.
The suggestion of the council is in line
with that made by the mayor when
the amendment providing for the board
was voted by the people He sent a
committee to each of the civic bodies
named asking them to each submit a
list of the names and from this COM
plete list of thirty he was to select
three names for the board of works.
The civic bodies refused to select ten
names, but unofficially agreed to get
together and name the board if the
mayor would send their nominees to
the council. This the mayor refused
to do.
The only official cognizance that the
civic bodies took of the communication
of the mayor was to say that 1t had
been received and referred to their
boards of directors.