Los Angeles herald., 1908-09-18
WORKS SPEAKS
TO REALTY MEN
SAYS ELECTION BY WARDS Is
A FAILURE
URGES AMENDMENT TO THE
CITY CHARTER
Would Have 100 Voters Nominate
Candidates for office-Names to
Appear at Primaries Without
Partisan Designation

Judge John d. Works was the guest
yesterday of Los Angeles realty board
at it's first meeting since the summer
vacation. AS one of the authors of
the proposed amendments to the city
charter. Works explained the purposes
and provisions of these amendments.
After passing briefly over the major
ity of them, which he said were of
character to command the support of
nearly all intelligent citizens, he talked
at some length upon the amendments
providing respectively for change in
the system of electing councilmen and
for direct primary.
AS to the former, he declared that
the system of election by wards had
proved failure by experience, not
only in Los Angeles, but throughout
the United States. He declared that
men are now serving on the council
and many have served in the past who
would not have been elected at all by
the voters of the city at large. He
said that the wards in Los Angeles
are so arranged that several of them
extend into a district where the vote
to a large extent is under the control
of special interests. He declared that
the proposed amendment would rem
edy several evils and in his opinion
would accomplish the selection of a
better class of men to govern the city.
At Primary Election
As to the direct primary provisions
by which 100 voters could nominate
candidate for office or complete
ticket and all such nominations would
be placed upon the ballot at a primary
election, the names appearing without
any partisan designations. Judge
Works asserted that its adoption
would go far toward remedying the
political evils most complained of, SO
far as concerns municipal affairs. He
asserted that the present system oil
nomination by caucus and conventions
is a pronounced failure.
At the close of Judge Works ad-
dress President Parish, in expressing
the interest taken by the board IN ms
remarks said that the charter amend
ments should be carefully studied by
the real estate men, who, as Judge
Works had said, were at least as mucn
interested in good government as any
class of citizens Works had appealed
to the board to support the amend
ments if in the judgment of its mem
bers they should be found desirable.
Parish suggested that this was ques-
ton to be determined after careful
study and at a subsequent meeting.
Herbert Burdett, secretary of the
board. gave a synopsis of measure
recommended for discussion by the
legislative committee of the state
Realty Federation, which, 1t adopted,
would provide for submission to the
forthcoming legislature of bill max
| ing it necessary for all real estate
agents to obtain state license.
Would Require a Bond
| As a prerequisite to the issuance or
such a license credentials as to char
acter and a bond, the amount of the
T. 1crOactad S600O must
be given This proposition originated
with the president of the Fresno real
estate board. In his opinion the CIV
ing of such a bond wouldiat least make
all agents responsible to that amount,
whereas, under present conditions,
thousands of alleged agents transact
business involving valuable property
and often the entire fortune of the
purchasers, although they may be pos
sessed of nothing, and in case of suit
for Misrepresentation, would be found
execution proof. 1t is urged that every
honest and reputable agent could OBJ
tain the necessary bond and on the
other hand a great many 1rresponsl-
BILE "curbstoners" would be debarred
from rushing into the business when
ever there is a tendency toward spec
ulation on the part of the public. The
business itself would be placed upon
a more substantial and permanent
basis. The license fee, as suggested,
would be nominal, but the promoters
of the measure urge that the possess
sion of a license would be necessary
before any transaction in real estate
could be closed and the possessor of
the license would be responsible at
least to the amount of his bond. Bur-
dett explained that bill covering the
above points is being prepared by a
competent attorney, but that it will
not be submitted to the legislature un-
less the assent of at least two-thirds
of the members of the State Realty
Federation is obtained, and that the
present discussion in the various local
real estate organizations is for the
purpose of argument pro and con. in
order that the proposition may be
thoroughly considered in all it's as
poets.
Discussion and action upon this
matter were deferred until the next