Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-04-04
SPEAKER POINTS
TO DEMAND FOR
PROMPT ACTION
LOS ANGELES MUST NOT LOSE
HER OPPORTUNITIES
OCEANIC TRADE SHOULD BE DI-
VERIFIED TO SAN PEDRO
Consolidation Committee Of Beach
City Holds Meeting In Which
Importance Of Harbor De-
velopment Is Shown
Especial TO- Tho Herald.l

Especial to The Herald.1
SAN PEDRO, April 3.-Before an
audience of more than 400 persons,
most of them property owners, John
A. Fox, director of the national rivers
and harbors congress, delivered an
address this evening under the aus
pices of the San Pedro board or trace
Attorney Joseph II. Call was ex-
pected to speak on the subject or ter
minal rates, but he was kept at nome
on account of sickness. In letter ad-
dressed to the meeting, however. ne
gave his opinions on the subject. rms
paper was read by Sidney A. Butler,
the new president of the Municipal
Waterways association.
In a way the meeting was In the
nature of "a consolidation rally, the
chairman, DR.. William "A. weldon,
stating that 1t was the intention IN
the consolidation question which had
been taken up by the board OF trace
to hold several public meetings open
to free discussion on the subjects IN
cident to the Joining of San PEDRO
with Los Angeles. John Il. Carey
spoke of the plans thus far of the
consolidation committee, which looked
to the immediate Improvement or the
outer harbor, tunnel under the city
and a direct macadamized boulevard
to Los Angeles. The membership roll
of the board of trade is still open and
all independent citizens and taxpayers
were urged to join the peoples or
ganization" during the coming week.
More Money Is Needed
Mr.. Fox spoke at length on the work
of the National Rivers and Harbors
congress in interesting the people or
the whole country on the Importance
of a united effort to compel the govern
ment to appropriate more money Tor
the deepening and improving of water
ways. He sketched the history of the
the Intellectual pork barrel plan or
approximations of former years as
compared to the equitable, just and
businesslike' method which was urged
by congress, composed of 3400 repre-
sentatives at the last convention ana
supported by the chambers OF COM
merce and boards OF trade throughout
the country. He stated that $4,000 had
been spent during the past year IN
carrying the crusade Of education over
the United States and urged the unftei
cooperation OF the Pacific coast IN
asking the government for adequate
appropriations for the Improvement OF
the coast harbors.
With facts and figures he showed the
result OF opening up water competition,
and the millions of dollars which were
saved. He reviewed the history OF the
deepening of the eastern and southern
harbors and the trade relations, propne-
sying that the transcontinentai move
ment of commerce would soon be super
seded by the movement between north
ern and southern ports
Haste Necessary to Hold Trade
"Delay in getting the Improvement
of the harbors on this coast" contin-
ued the speaker, would mean that the
Panama canal would be used largely
by foreign ships instead or our own,
as we would not be ready to care Tor
the business in this locality. l do not
think there is anything of greater i'm
porfance in this locality than the deep
ening of this harbor.'
He urged the unity of purpose for
this city and Los Angeles and the
whole southwest, showing the scope OF
the benefits which will result to all To-
calities when water rates to and from
san Pedro harbor take the place of the
railroad rates. He showed the tremen-
dous growth of commerce and produc-
tion on this coast and the necessity
of water competition. His mission, ne
shid. was to educate the merchant IN
Kansas to the idea that the improve
ment of all the waterways was TO MS
interest as well as to the interest OF
He smoke of the enormous sums
spent annually by the government In
maintaining the army, the navy, tne
postoffice, the pensions and otner
branches of the government But
three per cent of these great sums Is
the amount appropriated for the I'M
provement of rivers and harbors," he
safd. He showed that of 1853 large
cities in the United States, lat of them
were located on the water, and pre-
dicted for the united city of San Pc
dro and Los Angeles brilliant COM
mercial future
shoestring is First Step
Before reading Mr.. Calls paper, Mr..
Butler stated that he had always been
n friend of San Pedro and had worked
hard to provide o means whereby
water competition could be secured by
the united cities. THE 'shoe-string'
strip was the first step, the consolida-
ton bill the second, and now we are
ready to work together"
AS the subject of terminal rates has
been a bug-a-boo advanced by the OPP
ponents of consolidation and echoed
and re-echoed around San Pedro, the
paper will be Of interest. Mr.. Call
wrote:
aAround the bay of San Pedro with
in a radius of forty miles are more
depends on the opening of port in
san Pedro to competitive commerce"
said Joseph II. Call. "The people Of
san Pedro need to have this port
opened as much as the residents of
Los Angeles or Pasadena. The aver
age rail rates in Southern California
are more than double the average
rates throughout the United States.
The earnings of the railways. includ-
ing express companies and car lines.
during the dull year of 1908 amounted
to three billion dollars. or about $S5
per head on an average for every man,
woman and child in the United States;
and the earnings Of the railways in
Southern California amounted to dou-
bIe that amount per head equal to
$40 to the person, or over $500 to the
Cost of Coal Excessive
"By the closure of the port of SAN
Pedro Los Angeles pays S12 for coal
which can be brought here from Puget
sound and delivered on the docks at
san Pedro for IS a ton and hauled to
tcontinued ON Page Two)