Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-06-12
POOL INTERESTS
FOR BIG HARBOR
LOS ANGELES UNlTES WITH
SAN PEDRO
BOOSTERS ORGANIZATION Is
FORMED AT CITY HALL
Prominent Men of Both Municipalities
Start Consolidation Movement
Anew, Naming Committee
to Plan Steps


organized a representative body in
the Los Angeles council chamber last
night.
San Pedro sent delegation to the
city hall to cooperate. 1t having de-
veloped that one of the principal OBJ
| jects OF the new united boosters or
| ganization was to assist in the con-
| solidation of Los Angeles and San
Pedro in the interest of a great harbor.
Mayor A. G. Harper, who presided,
| faced a distinguished gathering, in
! Guiding two former mayors (McAleer
| and Workman) and prominent bust
ness and professional men. He opened
the session by explaining why the in
Vitations had been sent out.
I'VE sent out about eighty-flve in
vitations and ] see about fifty men
are here" said the mayor.
81 have received many letters of re-
greet and telephone messages, showing
that practically every one would come
| If possible.
For Greater City
"This meeting was called, as stated
in the letter, for the purpose of MAX
| ing Los Angeles greater in every way.
pathy with the idea and that we can
speak openly and to the point, holding
nothing back.
1.-THE idea started in a talk I had
with two or three men, discussing
plans for the harbor day celebration at
San Pedro on the Fourth of July.
"Mr. Gaffey at that time expressed
the belief that this was a good time
| to push the consolidation idea. He
felt sure that the people of San Pedro
were now much in sympathy with con-
solidation.
80 we called a preliminary meeting
| in my office Wednesday, and, with
about fifteen men present, we decided
| to name a law committee to study a
few disputed points. San Pedro was
represented at this meeting.
while the primary object of calling
this meeting was to assist In the con-
soiidation of the two cities, we hope to
form an organization that will do per-
manent good.
1--WE want a greater and better
city. We can consider the question of
! the river bed to hold 1t in perpetuity;
| learn to enjoy our harbor, and do
other things for the future In making
the owens water available and in
other ways.
Need Access to Harbor
with all the harbor talk prevalent
| the harbor is not worth a cent to us
until we get access to 1t. AS 1t now
| stands the harbor may as well be In
| Kansas City.
when we have 100000 people here
we will have a finished isthmian canal.
With large bodies of the finest land
in the southwest at our doors, with
the Imperial, lower San Joaquin and
| Los Angeles valleys near us, we can
| support a population of 100000 to
10, 000, 900. We must get busy now.
"There is no reason why our city
should not extend from the mountains
to the sea, and 1t is with that idea that
I called this meeting.
Joseph Call was asked by the mayor
to speak, as he was the chairman of
the law committee named the day be-
fore.
The Legal Phase
Mr.. Call said James A. Anderson,
John r. Gaffey, Oscar Mueller, M. x.
Young and the speaker served on this
committee, and took up the legal ques-
lions necessary In advance of any con-
soildation steps.
Some of our members had served on
! former consolidation commissions,
said Mr.. Call, land the subject was not
new to them.
"There are two steps absolutely neces-
sary if we want to go ahead:
"One is amending the freeholders'
charter authorizing the consolidation
of the city and adjacent and nearby
cities and the coast with the interven-
/ ing territory preferably under control
of the government of the larger city.
1.-THE other is calling on the legisla-
ture authorizing adjoining cities to con-
solidate under one municipal govern
ment, taking the charter of the larger
city In order to preserve the charter of
Los Angeles.
Still Sixth Class City
"As to San Pedro there is grave legal
doubt as to whether it is a city of the
fifth class. 1t had been sixth class
city until its reorganization two years
ago. AS l said, there are grave legal
obstacles in the way of recognition of
Its change to a city of the fifth class.
The laws provide for disincorporation of
cities of the sixth class, and if San
Pedro remains a sixth class city. as we
hold it does, then it can easily distn-
corporate and consolidate with Los An
geles by the vote of the people of both
cities"
Mr.. Call then spoke of other ques-
lions. When he came here in 1882 he
said it was a city of 1000 population,
largely MeXicans, In a purely agricul-
tural country with no manufactures.
No one then thought of a metropolis
taking it's place. Now no one can
prophesy five years changes.
Mr. Call spoke of Kansas City in the
east, Galveston on the south and San
Francisco on the north as being our
only rivals now.
Practically Inland Now
"Yet today we are practically an in
land city," said Mr.. Call, paying the
same rates of transportation from San
Pedro as from Los Angeles to San
Diego, and high rates elsewhere"
Mr.. Call presented figures showing
that Los Angeles paid ten times too
much for freights, and said the only
hope was free access to the ocean with
ocean ship carriers to keep down rates
He said there were unemployed in
Los Angeles and Long Beach today be-
cause manufacturing industries had
been neglected and because the COM
munities pay so much for coal, pig iron,
| lumber, ETC., to railroads that manufac-
turing enterprises are not open to Idle
Workmen.
Secretary Fleming of the harbor com
mission was delegated as secretary at
this point.
San Pedro's Side
Mr.. Gaffey of San Pedro then spoke.
"There is one impression | wish to COR
rect" he said "There is a general be-
lief that San Pedro has already given
away her harbor frontage. That is
wrong. San Pedro has thousands of
feet left In the outer harbor, and room
for vessels for twenty years.
1--WE have for years felt that some
thing should be done to give us the
heneft of the short haul, We have
concluded that other new roads will not
do it, no matter IL there are more lines.
1 - . 49,. d.