Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-01-15
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DISCUSSED BY
ENGINEERS
MANY ATTEND MEETING At
SAN PEDRO
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS HEAR
OF NECESSARY CHANGES
Representatives Appointed by Come
merciaI Bodies Confer with Men
Named to Decide on Pros
posed Improvements

Not only Los Angeles and nearby cities
but the entire great southwest, is inter-
ested in the report which United States
Engineers Colonel D. w. Lockwood and
Lieutenant Colonel Smith s. Leach of
Washington, d. c., together with A. Fl.
Weber, civilian engineer, and Lieuten-
ant Colonel John Biddle OF the San Fran
cisco corps of er gineers, are to make to
the chief of engineers. Brigadier General
Mackenzie, as a result of yesterdays
hearing at San Pedro city hall.
Not only the peaceful development of
the harbor is under consideration, but the
presence of Major William G. Ham of
the United States coast artillery, who,
with Captain Amos A. Fries of Los An
geles, is a member of the artillery board,
showed who would be in charge OF the
installation of Notifications at San Pedro
harbor.
This was not mentioned in the call for
the hearing, the construction of fortifica-
lions and such work by the government
not generally being given to the public
Mayor Harper of Los Angeles, repre-
sentatives of the Los Angeles chamber
of commerce and others made up the
party which left the Sixth and Main
streets depot in private car for the
coast yesterday morning at o'clock.
All Towns Represented
Southern California municipalities. in
GLIDING Pasadena, Pomona, Riverside,
Redlands, San Pedro, Ontario Santa Ana
and Whittier, through their chambers of
commerce, approved a set of resolutions
prepared originally by j. A Miller, sec
rotary of the Long Beach chamber of
commerce, and presented them to the
United States engineers yesterday.
These resolutions, which set forth the
needs of the country at large of improve
ments of San Pedro harbor. state that
available wharfage for public purposes is
necessary to justify expenditure already
made; that the harbors are bottled up by
railroads; that Southern California sends
IT, 900 tons of freight year by rail that
should go by water; that the railroad
rates are squeezing $20,000O 900 from this
section by preventing fair competition by
sea; that unless the inner harbor is inn
proved and deepened necessary wharfage
privileges to compete with railroads will
not be obtainable, and that the aid of the
United States government is imperative
in this case.
The subject of deepening the inner chan
mel and of building a shore end to the
breakwater was the practical side of the
construction work, while the feature of
the meeting was tie discussion concerning
the advisability of requiring the Southern
Pacific to build draw bridge between the
turning basin and the west basin in the
inner harbor.
Congress, or the secretary of war, will
be the court of last appeal, eventually
upon determining what is to be done in
this instance. So far the southwest has
simply handed over to the governments
representatives, the engineers, their own
side of the controversy, telling the needs
of the situation. The result may not be
known for months to come.