The San Francisco call., 1906-12-25
Merchants Association to
Ask Legislature to Add
to the City Water Front
SUGGEST A PLAN
TO EXTEND DOCKS
$25,0OO,O0O Bonds VIII Be
Sought at the Same Time
for Harbor Improvements

To add twenty-three miles to the
water front of San Francisco a bill
sion of the state Legislature for the
annexation of tvo-thIrds of San Ma
teo County TO the City and County of
San Francisco. At the same time a sec
Ond bill win be drawn calling for the
expenditure of s25,O00,OOO for the Inn
prOvement of the harbors of the State
from Eureka to San Diego.
These steps are the elimination of a
movement fnaugurated by the whole
sale merchants and shipping men of
this city. The agitation commenced
with the effort of the merchants in the
other commercial bodies of the city in
a definite attempt to better the ship
ping conditions of the port. This at
tempt was successful. Ii took no ar
gument to convince the members of
the Merchants Exchange the Mer-
chants Association, the Ship-Owners'
Association. the Chamber of Commerce
and the other organizations that the
shipping of SAN Francisco had far out
grown the restricted accommodations
of the docks now in use.
A joint meeting of the commercial
bodies recently held showed that all
were ready TO work for the enlarge
ment and betterment of the docks and
wharves of the water front. It was re-
lated at that meeting that it was no
infrequent occurrence for a ship to be
compelled to lay in the stream while it
waited for a vacant berth at which to
discharge its cargo
MUST BE EXTENDED SOUTH
The only possible extension TO the
north is cut OF at the Presidio. and
part OF the distance from the present
end Of the seawall to the military
reservation is to be used by the Gov
ernment for the new transport docks.
The opportunity for expansion is linn
tied to the south from India Basin
along the shore of San Mateo County.
The water here is deep close to the
shore. and it would require compare
lively little dredging to extend the
docks in this direction
A second argument. which led the
promoters of the harbor improvements
10 look to the annexation of a part of
San Mateo County, is the fact that with
the coming of the Western Pacific up
the peninsula and the building of the
bridge at Dumbarton Point by the
Southern Pacific this whole strip of
water front viii become the scene of
great developments.
After the projected improvements
were in definite shape and had received
the approval of the merchants the Cali
fornia Promotion Committee took a
hand in the enterprise and the 'Harbors
of the State" was the subject of dis
cussion at the recent meeting of the
county committees at San Diego. But
the Initiative and the burden of the
work thus far has been done by the
merchants Of the Potrero Association.
and among them Frank W. Marvin and
tsadore Jacobs have been the leaders.
In speaking of the annexation move
nent last night Marvin said:
MARVIN SPEAKS OF PLANS
"A bin will be presented in the next
Legislature to annex two-thirds of San
Mateo County We have the backing
Of the property-holders on the strip
Of water front affected. which is TWEEN
ty-three miles in length The present
aocks are entirely inadequate for han
cling the increasing commerce of this
port. That fact is recognized by every
shipper in San Francisco, and they are
agreed that the time has come when
something has to be done. The only
direction in which the docks can be
extended is to the south, and the rail-
road development there accentuate the
wisdom of the proposed annexation.
AT the same time bill will be in
$4,000, 600 on the harbors of the State
To interest the entire commonwealth
IT was determined TO include Eureka,
san Pedro and San Diego. Jacobs was
recently in Los Angeles. where he was
given a dinner by the Los Angeles
Board Of Trade, and received the as
surance of the merchants of that city
that they would help in the movement
TO secure the passage of the bill There
IS some feeling In the southern part
af the State on what they consider the
unwarranted part which the Promotion
Committee has taken in the matter. as
they think the province of the COM
mittee is naturally confined TO other
matters, but it is not anticipated that
this feeling will result IN any serious
opposition TO the measure.
WOODEN DOCKS MUST GO
1--WE are agreed that the day of
wooden docks has passed, and the ex-