Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-15
MAYOR OPPOSES
FRANCHISE FOR
RAILROAD SPUR
EXECUTIVE SAFEGUARDS. PLAN
FOR UNION DEPOT
MESSAGE ASSERTS GRADE CROSS
INes ARE MENACE
Recommendation Made That Southern
Pacific Be Granted Merely Permit
to Handle Cars at EIks'
Reunion

HI ECAUSE he believes 1t a seriou
X inconvenience to general traffic
- an obstacle in the way of tn
union depot, and on the ground tina
grade crossings are a menace, Mayo
Alexander has vetoed the ordinanc
granting the Southern Pacific four
track spur on Fourth street betweel
Central and Alameda.
This is Moyar Alexander's first vet
that has really been a veto. He di'
return without his approval an or
dinance regulating the sale of mea
and fish, but this was on purely tech
nical ground and at the suggestion o
the council, that the matter might b
amended. But the veto of the fran
chise Is very positive in it's reasons ant
shows the mayor means business. 1t /
doubtful If the council will pass tn
ordinance over the mayors negative
as several members We're opposed to
in the first place. The mayors message
which will be read to the council to
day, follows:
To the Honorable, the City Council:
Gentlemen:-I return herewith,
without my approval, ordinance
granting to the Southern Pacific
Railroad company the right to con-
struct and mai.4tain for twenty
one years four railway spur tracks
across Fourth street between Cen
trail avenue and Alameda street.
The necessity for exceptional
railroad facilities to properly handle
the vast crowds during the Elk
reunion is made the occasion for
the application for the franchise.
t.sv t,15,
: arrival of the Elk-laden trains will,
1t is true, be unusual. These con-
ditions, however, will be but tenn
porary and transient, whereas the
franchise or right proposed to be
granted by the ord nee is per-
manent and enduring for the full
term of twenty-one years.
The following are some of the
facts pertinent to the question as
to whether the city should give the
franchise which the ordinance pur-
ports to grant:
The company owrg the land on
the north side of Fourth street
Just across from its Arcade depot
lands. The company represents that
it wishes these spur tracks to en-
able it more effectively to use its
land north of Fourth street, and a
portion of its Arcade depot lands
not now occupied, for the purpose
of storing cars.
There are now five tracks along
Alameda street which cross Fourth
street, and one track across Fourth
street less than 200 feet west of
Alameda. This franchise, If granted,
will add four more tracks within
that space, making Fourth street In
that section little more than por-
tion of the railroad yards.
The above described physical con-
dltions would, IL this franchise were
granted, seriously inconvenience
those who, of necessity, must fire.
quently traverse this part of Fourth
street.
Grade Crossings Dangerous
Moreover, as the city grows and
street traffic increases, grade cross
ings rapidly become more and more
dangerous. Therefore. before grant
ing any such franchise as that de-
scribed in the ordinance, careful
consideration should be given to the
feasibility of so constructing these
proposed tracks as to cause them
to cross Fourth street either as
elevated tracks or below the grade
of the street.
Serious efforts are being put
forth by our leading civic CONNER
cial bodies looking to the construc-
ton of an adequate and down-to-
date union depot for the joint use
of the three great transcontinental
lines which terminate in or pass
through Los Angeles, and there is
every reason to hope that, In the
near. future, such union depot Will
become a consummated fact. Should
such a union depot be built at some
place other than the grounds now
occupied by the Arcade depot, the
four additional spur tracks which
the ordinance proposes to grant
would not then be of vital neces-i
ity to the proper performance OF the
company's legitimate duties to the
public.
On April 2, 1906, the Southern Pa
cific Railroad company applied to
the city council for the vacation or
that portion of Fifth street extend
ing from the east line of Central
avenue to the Arcade depot, piece
of land of great value. The induce
ment which the company held out
to the council for the vacation of
said portion of Fifth street, and the
purpose for which the company de-
sired the same, as stated by 1T to
the council at the time, was the
erection of a new modern depot on
said vacated street and on the adj
joining property.
On December "a. 1906. the city
council, over the mayors veto, and
upon the ground that such promised
depot would be valuable city as
set, granted the application.
Company Fails in Promise
Notwithstanding that it is now
more than two and a half years
since the city was induced to va
cate said portion of Fifth street, In
reliance upon the railroad COM
pany's promise to build new mod
ern depot. no step has as yet been
taken by the company to keep Its
promise.
In the light of the foregoing facts
am Of the opinion that, for the
following reasons, the twenty-one
wear franchise described in the or
dinance should not be granted:
In the first place, the frequent
and practically unavoidable block
ing of Fourth street by trains would
inevitably cause serious ineonven1-
ence to those who must, of neces-
ity. make frequent use of this part
(Continued on Page Five)