Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-03
REALTY BOARD TO
WORK FOR BONDS
WILL AID IN GETTING OUT
THE VOTE
Passes Resolutions Declaring Owens
River Project Prime Necessity
to Continued Growth Of
Los Angeles

the MONDAY session OF tne LOS fAHsSlSS
realty board, held yesterday at the Hol.
lenbeck hotel, when Mayor Harper ane
other city officials were heard during
free discussion Of the Owens river water
supply and the approaching 6ond eiec'
ton. Bankers, merchants and business
men generally indorsed the views OF the
speakers, and all will unite In the cam
paign to provide Los Angeles with an IN
exhaustible supply of pure mountain
L L. Bowen, acting president of the
board, occupied the chair. There were
present as guests Mayor Harper Presi-
Elliott and Fred L. Baker of the board
water commissioners, William Mulhol
land superintendent of the water depart
ment, and ]. B. Lippincott, aqueduct en-
gineer. -,
Mayor Harper spoke of his recent trip
to the head waters of the Owens river
and back over the line of the proposed
aqueduct He paid hearty tribute TO
dent of the water department OF Los An
geles and as chief engineer of the Los
| Angeles aqueduct. He declared Mulnol-
land the biggest man connected with the
water business of any city. and declared
his belief that Mulho1land is capable oi
carrying out the project of bringing the
Owens river TO this city and that what
ever 1t may cost Los Angeles has got to
have it," This statement was greeted
with hearty applause, and the following
resolutions We're carried unanimously:
To Aid Bond Election
"That it is the sense of the board that
each member constitute himself a COM
mittee of one to render aid with automo5 d o.
carrying the bond election.
THAT committee of ten be appointed
to organize for the purpose OF getting out
the vote at the bond election, and that
said committee be held responsible In this
matter"
The mayor said that when he measured
the river it was estimated that there were
5000 inches running in its bed, although
the SHOWS had hardly begun to melt IN
the mountains. His inquiries in the owens
river valley had convinced him that there
would be plenty of water for Los Angeles
at all seasons; much of 1t, he said, would
be taken directly from small streams, and
he declared that there was no foundation
for the stories published here as to the
pollution of the stream by alkai. AS 10
carcasses of animals getting into the
aqueduct and other sources of pollution
he believed there was nothing to these
predictions. The city, he said, will fence
in several miles on either side of the
aqueduct, which it had to purchase in
order to secure the water rights, ana
there will be practically no animal pollu-
tion of the water. He said that no par
ticular injury will be inflicted upon resi-
dents in the valley and that antagonism
had about died out, except at Bishop, and
that Bishop would not be affected, as the
water is taken out below that town.
has been said by an evening paper to
take the hide off cattle, or something Of
that sort" declare the mayor, 'it is as
saw. saw Prof. Hilgard analyzed it and
found it to be the purest he ever an
alyzed."
Regarding the engineering difficulties,
the mayor said that 1t is not very hard
proposition, but simply an immense one.
AS to it's cost, he reserved his statement
until he should have the report of an
engineer whom he took with him for that
purpose, but he said: Whatever 1t costs
Los Angeles has got to have it. We can
not get 1t anywhere else" He said that
he could not understand the opposition to
to project, as even the power companies
are dependant upon the prosperity of Los
Angeles for their very existence, and the
mayor indicated very plainly that he did
not believe prosperity would continue
he added, ''in five years. time when we
have that water here, Los Angeles will
be as big again as 1t is now"
Engineer Explains
Mr.. Mulholland, when called upon, hav
ing arrived late, requested Mr.. Lippincott
to explain the proposition from an en-
gineering standpoint, and the latter gave
a detailed explanation of the. project, IL
Illustrating his remarks by reference to a
map showing the Owens river valley ana
the line of the aqueduct.
Acting President Bowen of the realty
board declared tnaC ne heartily agreed |
with the mayor as to the absolute neces-
sity for the Owens river water and that
he would vote for the bonds If he knew
1t would double his taxes.
]. NJ. Elliott, speaking on behalf of the |
water commissioners said that Mayor
Harper had fully explained the situation
as he had seen 1T two years ago, and he |
had nothing to say on that point except
to confirm the mayors remarks. He
that the few citizens of Los
Angeles who honestly opposed the project
be furnished free transportation to the
Owens river valley, and If atterward any
of them still persisted in opposition he
thought they should be left In loneliness
to fight it out 1t was his opinion that
there is not more than 10 pei cent Of the
population of the city opposed to the
bond issue.
Fred Eaton, called the father of the
Owens river proposition, asserted that the
city has options upon all the land neces
sary to give 1t legal right to an ample
supply of water. He declared that the
legal contentious against the city's rights
are Of minor Importance, and If the peo-
pie above the intake of the aqueduct
should utilize all the water they possibly
could there would still remain 5000 inches
in the river, and aside from that there
would be 5000 inches in Cottonwood creek
and streams controlled absolutely by Los
Angeles He said that he believed senti-
ment is already crystallized in favor of
the proposition, but that the important
OuSiIiSSS 10 " SSI lAlS NOlS Oul
Pease Urges Vigorous Effort
President of the Council Pease pointed
out that somebody must be trusted in
order to carry through any project. From
his knowledge of the men who had this
matter in charge he is convinced of their
sincerity and of their ability. He declared
himself thoroughly in favor of the project
and urged that vigorous effort to get
out the voters should be made by the
realty board, so that as big a majority
as possible could be secured, which would
give confidence to bond buyers. The city
council. he said, is unanimously in favor
of the bond issue. In answer to some in
quiries from members of the board Mr.
Lippincott declared that there will be no
danger of pollution of the water by drift
along the line of the aqueduct He said
that the engineers expect to build the
aqueduct for less than the estimated cost
and to use the surplus for covering 1t, but
that In any event it is proposed to apply
the first earnings of the plant to this
purpose. Meanwhile, he said the desert
drift is not extensive, the soil generally
being of fine clay. However sand boxes
would be built by means of which any
drift could be removed, and from SAM
tary standpoint he suggested such drift
could not be more injurious in the aque-
duct than in natural river, and organic
impurities would only have ten days life
while 1t would take several months for the