Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-15
ARBITRATION PLAN
OF SCHOOL BOARD
WANTS RAILWAY TO NAME ONE
APPRAISER
Damages Caused by Subway to Be
Decided by Three Dlsintercsted
Persons, or Property viii
Be Sold

BY giving the Los Angeles Railway
company the choice of buying the olive
street school property outright, of pay
ing adcouade damages or of dropping
further negotiations altogether, the Los
Angeles board of education last night
placed the issue of tunneling under the
city school squarely before the railroad
company. For two strenuous hours the
members of the board, City Attorney
Hewitt and John d. Pope, Engineer
Ellison and Attorney Newlin of the
railway company discussed all phases
of the question and when the meeting
broke up the question had been placed
in such a way that further action de-
pends on the company
The trouble arose over the question
of how much the Los Angeles Pacific
company would pay the board of edu-
cation for the privilege of tunneling
under the Olive street school. H. w.
Frank and F. J. Stilson, the majority
of the building committee, thought that
$1,000 would be adequate compensation
for the damage which would result TO
the school: but Chairman j. M. Quinn
of the building committee did not be-
lieve this to be sufficient. Accordingly
he presented a minority report at the
meeting last Monday night advocating
a demand for $4,000 damages. AS the
committee had not been able to reach
an agreement the subject was referred
to the committee of the whole with H.
w. Frank as chairman. Notwithstand-
ing a determined effort made by some
of the members to force action Monday
night. President Scott prevented any
decisive move benig taken till further
information could be had on the sub
ject
A meeting was called last night, by
which time City Building Inspector
Backus, Superintendent E. c. Moore
and City Attorney Hewitt had prepared
reports on the different phases of the
question.
Mr.. Backus was unwilling to give a
valua tion on the damages which would
result from the proposed tunnel, but
DIR. Moore and the school Office de-
clared that tunneling under the build
ing would destroy it utterly for school
purposes. City Attorney Hewitt re-
ported that full and adequate compen-
sation must be secured before the board
could sell the property.
Following the reports, the opposing
forces locked horns. The majority re-
port first came up for consideration.
With F. w. Steddom absent, the oppon-
ents We're evenly divided, and vote
showed Frank, Stilson and Dozier in
favor of the $1,000 damages, and Scott,
Quinn and Page opposed to it, The di-
same, and the meeting seemed to have
come to deadlock.
AS no agreement could be reached the
members finally adopted resolutions
leaving the damages in the hands of a
board of three appraisers One of the
members of the trio is to be chosen by
the board of education, the second by
the railroad company and a third by
| the first two members chosen. In case
! tNUn on n
colleague within three days, the cham
Der of commerce will be asked to name
the third. A majority of this board
will have the deciding vote in the queS-
tion of damages. Agreement to this
proposition by the railroad company
will settle the question at once.
In case, however, that the company
does not approve of this method of fix
| ing the damages, the board will offer to
sell the property to it. A board of ap-
praisers, to be chosen as provided
above, will pass on the value of the
property, and each side must agree to
abide by the decision of the majority of
the board Of appraisers.
If the railroad company declines to
accede to this second proposition, the
school board will consider all further
negotiations as being called off and
may allow the subject to drop.
The Olive street property, on account
of its downtown location, is considered
among the most valuable property
owned by the school board. j. NJ.
Quinn stated that if the property We're
his own private possession he would
hold it for $1,000 front foot, as it will
be directly opposite the L. A.-Pacific
station. School men declare that the
tunnel will come so near the surface
that the vibrations will render the
building unfit for school use, and they
consider $1,000 damages as ridiculously
low.
'Rhe action of the board last night is
in the form of an ultimatum; if the
railway company accedes to arbitration
the question viii be settled in the very
near future; If not, the subject will be
dropped at once.