Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-10
URGES ACTION IN
HARB0R FIGHT
SOUTH MUST DEMAND PLEDGE
OF LEGISLATORS
BELIEF EXPRESSED THAT LOS
ANGELES MAY BE IGNORED
Man Familiar with Political Develop
ments Says South Must Be
Alive to Needs of Its
Ports

''If Los Angeles, San Pedro, Long
Beach and Wilmington don't wake up
to the course of certain political de-
velopments very soon there will be a
tremendous howl of disappointment in
this county after the legislature ad-
journs," said Il man who is deeply in
terested in harbor and shipping inter-
ests yesterday. He is in a position to
know at first hand developments in
this line, and has recently made a per-
sonal study of the situation at San
Francisco which has brought to light
some peculiar phases of the political
side of the harbor question.
Here is the program he said, and
he knows it well enough almost to
speak authoritatively. THE local
movement fathered by Senator Bill
Savage will resolve itself into de-
mand for a state harbor commission to
take over as state work the improve
ment of water frontage and the con-
struction of docks and wharves. To
carry on this the voting of $2,000,0O0 in
harbor improvement bonds will be
asked.
IF this goes through attention to
harbor improvement will be paid prl-
marily to San Francisco, with minor
amounts for san Diego and Eureka,
but little if any at all for San Pedro
or Los Angeles port. The excuse Will
be made that there is no harbor in
this county which offers opportunity
for consideration by this state harbor
commission, that the frontage is prac-
tically owned and developed by private
interests. To this Los Angeles county
can of course make reply that suits
are under way to recover control of the
tidelands so called, and that the oppor-
tunity will be presented for state work
through these suits.
To Ignore South
But in the meantime every effort
will be made TO center tie work of the
state commission around San Fran
cisco and to expend practically all of
the money there. The Southern Pacific
wants to see this done and will work
to centralize and control the commits
sion to that end. San Diego has big
corporate interests influential enough
to get that harbor some consideration.
This will have in the end the result
of leaving Los Angeles in the lurch.
Now if Los Angeles and the nearby
harbor towns will begin a campaign
Immediately after election to make the
candidates elected to the legislature
forms the matter can be turned to our
advantage here. Let them create the
state harbor commission. Let them
vote the bond issue, but before that
let it be clearly understood that this
county shall have certain privileges.
First among those should be law
allowing consolidation if the cities con-
cerned desire it. That ought to pre-
vail anyway, and it is a shame that
it is not possible without special legis-
lation. Then there should be pro-
vision allowing the towns here, either
separately or unitedly, TO make their
own harbor improvements until such
time as the state can take the work
over. Let us go ahead in the mean
time and do what we can.
Third, there should be definite
proviso that a fixed amount of the bond
issue shall be diverted to improve
ment at this point and il should be in
the law If San Francisco, standing,
say, as a port with a million people in
Los Angeles should have $7,00O00O set
aside for it's harbor by the state. This
is a matter that every voter living
south of the Tehachapi has a vital
concern in.
Los Angeles Must Act
ut will not do to say that when the
time comes Los Angeles will get at
tention, for that time is a case of now
or never. 1t is law of port develop
ment we'll known all over the world
that commerce once in the habit of
to a certain port is very hard
to divert to another point, and that
law applies almost critically to Los
Angeles today. If the states improve
ment is thrown to San Francisco har-
Dor and the great traffic sure to pour
in on the Pacific ports in very few
years is attracted to call there and
pass Los Angeles by, it can never
be again turned to this city. The time
will be too late. This has been proved
in striking fashion in the history Of
European ports.
"Now if Los Angeles and the tribu-
tary territory will say. Give us our
rights and all of them or we will de-
feat your bond ISSUE" the harbor here
will get attention. otherwise we Will
wake up too late to find ourselves
badly crippled and outwitted."
This matter will be brought before
the Municipal Waterways association
in an effort to initiate a vigorous non
partisan campaign Immediately after
election to protect the harbor inter-
ests of this section when the legislature
meets. The presidents Of the different
chambers of commerce of the towns
in Los Angeles county are on the di-
rectorate of the Municipal Waterways
association, and that body can start
such a campaign easier han any other
in the county.
&~$