Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-06-19
us. BOARD HEARS
PLEA OF PUBLIC
INTERESTS" MAKE OFFER
WITH STRING ATTACHED
WILMINGTON PROVES HERSELF
A GENEROUS HOSTESS
Representatives OF Chamber Of COM
merce, Harbor Commission and
other Bodies Urge Claims OF
People to Water Front

hearing Yesterday. The streets were
CAV with remnants and flags and a huge
sign-,.A Free Harbor"-- tapped nois-
lily in the wind as If to emphasize It's
words. The town hall was decorated
tastefully and the citizens furnished 3
free lunch to 1000 people who were It's
guests. Its palatable beans SAND
wiches with real ham and stimulating
coffee spoke for the good women who
prepared the lunch.
Glad hands were abundant. Even the
interests--the Southern Paciflc ano
the Bannings-offered the glad hand
to the harbor board, composed OF COL
Biddle, Capt. Fries and Lieut.. LEEDS,
when they offered to dedicate all lana
claimed by them for. channel purposes
Rlt their glad hand required a con-
sideration that the Fries lines be mod
flied as they wished. AS these modi-
fications went to the heart OF the mar
bor scheme and seem inimical to the
municipal ideas of the plan, scope and
instrumentalities of the harbor in view
of it's future, their glad hand seemed
without either grip or warmth.
The offer to dedicate was containea
Pacific spoke through Frank Carr, for
rner city attorney of San Pedro, and
the Bannings through James A. Gibson
of Los Angeles. The offer went nana
ia hand with the request for modtff-
"a tions of the same detail and dis
closed a. mutual plan to lay the fouh-
dations for future dealings by THESE
interests through the record OF tne
hearing. AS the whole proceeding Win
he made into a final record for trans
mission to the war department, even
the verbal speeches being taken IN
shorthand, nearly everyone claiming
any interest was represented.
Hearing Begins
The hearing opened by Col. Biddie
reading the Leach telegram of instruc-
tions 70 the board which directed fix
ing lines without reference to private
interests, but asserted that the war
department would not make them nnal
until auitclaim deeds had been re-
ceived from ALL
The outer harbor lines were first Of
fered for discussion and r. Il. Miner
made objection to bringing In the outer
line. as he said 1t would fnJure tins
interests of the Outer Dock Harbol
company's plans to handle deep watel
shinnine. He also objected to tht
change proposed in the crook at tht
head of the west channel, which az
fected lands owned by ]. c. Wiliman M
and A. S. Koyer. Willmans mace SER.
Gus objection to the manner in Which
the lands affected him. me cry %
san Pedro and the San Pedro chani-
her Of commerce made the same OBJ
lection as Mr.. Miner and resolutions
exnressing these objections were iiied'
The CITY of wilmington, through
FRANK q. Tyrrell, declared that, so Tar
az the inner harbor wilmington mar
bor) is concerned 1t demanded that the
paramount right of the pupnc oyer
private right be recognized, and that
Tho harhor lines be fixed without ref
erence to spurious claims" He COM
pared the situation to that OF Chicago
told how Chicago had constructed
drainage canal fifty miles, and now
Los Angeles and the bay cities must
eventually have. q ship canal. 1t was
the necessary corrolary OF the owens
river project. with its gigantic power
producing resources. Mr.. Tyrrelis ao-
dress was largely In the nature OF
sneech TO the audience, which filed
the town hall and which applauded MIN
frequently.
After Mr. Tyrrell, Col e. r. Fox
read a paper criticising some OF the
details. which he later admitted was
out of Mace as the things he specified
had all been remedied.
Wi;mInston's Position
CITY Attorney Mcclure of Whining
TON declared that the Fries plan rep
resented all that Wilmington asks ana
that no modification was necessary.
Objections by Quinn and McDermott to
the lines. which they said would rum
their land for the purposes intended,
and the Consolidated Lumber company
were also fled These things were not
presenting important questions, and
their discussion was largely to get them
in the record.
IT was when Mr.. Gibson took the
stage to speak for the Banning COM
many and the Earnings individually
that the important stages were begun.
Mr.. Gibson declared the claims OIL the
private interests. whether good or bad,
must first be extinguished by the gov
eminent before harbor Improvements
would be begun. He declared the Ban
nings were in good faith and stood
ready with $780, 900 to begin the work
of Improvement which they had
planned. He said 1t was the duty or
the hoard to fix the lines without ref
erence to the private interests, but that
the latter had a right to present their
cases to the board.
He then read the formal statepent
of his clients. First, they indorsed the
Fries plan as modified by the applica-
tion of the Banning company January
last. This modification meant the
narrowing of the turning basin at the
west end to about 1900 feet, whereas
the Fries plan provided 1900 feet. They
also asked the change of the Mormon
island line from straight line to an
oht,1se angle, so as to prevent the
water frontage from being cut off from
the east basin sin such a manner as
to possibly cause unnecessary litiga-
t;on and delay of improvement"
The notifications proposed were rep
resented to be in the interest OF better
Facilities and avoiding injury to the
Banning interests.
Threat of Litigation
The document also recited that, bas-
ing their belief that their notifications
were acceptable, they prepared to go
ahead with improvements, and that
funds are now available to begin the
work lust as soon as the lines are
established and that they have been
anxious for years to begin improve
ments. The document also said:
"That II the harbor lines are fixed
as herein asked for, the undersigned
will dedicate for channels for naviga-
ton purposes all their interest In the
proposed channels, embodied In the
said modified Fries plan"
The Banning notifications mean that
access to the west basin will be taken
away from Canal street, and that the
access to the eighteen acres owned by