Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-08

, two petitions, one calllnB Tor an slec-
tion on consolidation between Los An
geles and San Pedro and the other for
consolidation between Los Angeles and
Wilmington. This procedure is legally
necessary, but a voter may sign both
petitions and the canvassers will Sc
cure signatures to both at the same
time. In all respects the work OF ar
ranging for the elections will be car
ried forward as one proposition.
John p. Steele, vino SO successfully
fhandled the canvassing for signatures
to petitions in the charter amendment
and recall elections, will have charge
of the consolidation petitions. He al
ready has obtained headquarters at 105
North Broadway, and will have every
thing in readiness to start canvassers
out tomorrow morning unless some
hitch now unforeseen intervenes. The
consolidation law requires 20 per cent
of the registered vote, which means
$4,000 qualified signers or a total of
| $1,000 signatures to be on the safe side.
To Begin Canvass at Once
The task before Mr.. Steele is that
Of completing the canvass at as early
a date as possible. He is confident that
a start Wednesday morning will enable
him to secure the necessary number
by Saturday night Everything will
be ready to canvass the city syste-
matically tomorrow morning and the
men will be assigned to sections of the
city where they can secure the largest
number of names in the shortest pos
sible time. 1t is proposed to check up
the names secured daily, beginning
Thursday
| Mr.. Steele believes it will be possi-
BILE to have the petitions verified and
ready for the city councils action in
| calling the election at the meeting Il
week from today. In that event the
date for the consolidation election will
likely be fixed for some time in Au-
gust.
A similar procedure will probably be
Followed in San Pedro and Whining
ton, and the friends of the movement
! for a great harbor expect to see the
three cities united before the close Of
the summer. The only other source of
delay in the progress of the harbor
movement is expected in the courts by
| technical obstacles to determination OF
the tideands titles. The cases will
come up before Judge Bordwell in the
first week of October, when every effort
will be made by the attorneys for the
defendants claiming title to the inner
harbor and its approaches to entanglc
the issues and put off determination.
1t is said that another joker will be-
sprung by Secretary Fleming of the
tion committee which will as effectually
dispose of delay in the matter of the
tidelands as the committees report to
be submitted today promises to handle
opposition arguments in other direc-
tions.
Jobbers Give Approval
feature of the consideration of the
committees report which adds spe-
cial strength to the campaign is the
unqualified Endorsement yesterday by
the Associated Jobbers Some feeling
had arisen in San Pedro and Whining
ton that the jobbing interests Of Los
Angeles would not be a unit in advanc-
| ing the movement for a great harbor
| becauses of the question of terminal
rates. This question was made a para
| mount one by the committees of both
harbor cities at the initial conferences
with the Los Angeles committee. The
conferences resulted in declaration
for terminal rates for the harbor points
| through consolidation, and now that
the Associated Jobbers of Los Ange-
les have approved the consolidation
committees recommendations any
doubts on this score will be set at rest
at San Pedro and Wilmington.
| The plan on which the Los Angeles
committee has worked has been unique
in many respects. The fifteen men com
prising the committee were selected
! by the business bodies as the most
representative and public spirited men
who could be found. In practically
less than two months they have formu-
lated a basis for consolidation which
has united widely varying interests
and which disposes of questions illvolv-
ing the rights of residents of all three
cities in a way apparently satisfac-
! tory to all sides.