Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-06-10
THOUSANDS SIGN
PETITIONS FOR
CONSOLIDATION
COMMITTEE PREPARES FOR
CAMPAIGN AT MEETING
SAN PEDRO AND WILMINGTON
WILL COOPERATE
Chairman Stoddard Jess Urges Feas-
ibiIty of Plan as Business Invest
ment for city-5onds
Not Issue
CONTINUED from Page oneI

and wilmington, and the board of SUI
pervisors together with Captain Amos
A. Fries, resulted in delegating the
presidents of the Los Angeles bodies
to choose a committee of fifteen OF
the most prominent and public spirited
men to represent Los Angeles as COM
mittee on consolidation.
The duties of the committee COM
pretended a scheme for consolidation
looking toward an adequate movement
for making in Los Angeles county one
of the greatest harbors of the world
sufficient to receive steamships of the
deepest draught with commerce direct
from the great ports of the world, ana
with public facilities for handling a
tremendous commerce into and out OF
Southern California. To accomplish
this plan 1t was necessary to develop
harbor ideas much broader than the
mere provisions for digging channels
and building docks and wharves. Prob
lens which lined up before the COM
mittee among the many presented,
were the relative Importance of the in
ner and outer harbors, the opportunl-
ties for immediate improvement, the
adoption of a scheme which might pro-
vide an ample harbor in readiness be-
fore the opening of the Panama canal,
the limits of municipal enterprises al
lied with the harbor and yet impor-
tant to it, such as ferries and fish mar
kets and tunnels and other approaches,
and the problem of terminal rates for
the harbor points.
Decision for Terminal Rates
The committee spent about a month
gathering up details and getting IA
miliar with the harbor and every phase
of the interests involved in its making
Then frequent conferences were held
with the San Pedro and Wilmington
COMMITTEES and bodies and subcommit-
tees visited the harbor cities to con-
fer with the representatives of their
ideas. As result the first decision an
nounced was in favor of terminal rates
for San Pedro and Wilmington. In
turn, the other points involved were
worked out and moulded into the report
made public yesterday.
The work of the consolidation COM
mittee was greatly facilitated, accord
ing to the testimony of the members,
by the data already gathered by the
Los Angeles harbor commission. Secre
tary A. P. Fleming of the committee,
as secretary of the harbor commission,
had foreseen just such turn in the
movement for a great harbor, and he
had available in the commissions Of
flee a large amount of information
which saved the consolidation commit
tee great deal of searching and col
| lecting. The members of the consolida-
ton committee unite in crediting Mr..
Fleming with a large part of the sue
cess of the committee in formulating so
successful a report i'm so short period.
An example of the work which Secre
tary Fleming has put in is shown In
the fact that the Endorsements of the
business bodies were not made until
Monday of this week and were not
available altogether until yesterday
morning, yet they were presented prop
ery yesterday afternoon as part of
the consolidation committees report to
the city council
Give Business Time
Although all the members of the com
mittee are men of exacting business af-
fairs, they did not hesitate to give
their time freely to the work. When
Captain Fries invited the committee to
accompany him over Long Beach, Will
mington and San Pedro harbors every
member of the committee was on hand
at the appointed time. A similar in
terest characterized the meetings, and
the enthusiasm of the members in the
Importance of the harbor and consolida-
ton grew rather than diminished as the
plans unfolded.
Stoddard Jess, who was chosen by
the committee as its chairman, has
been one of the hardest and most
thorough working members. The ex-
perience of formulating an important
plan of procedure affecting the citys
interests is not new to him, as he has
been prominent in others heretofore
He was one of the leading members of
the old consolidation committee and
his knowledge in this respect proved
exceedingly valuable. Mr. Jess is vice
president of the First National bank
and a member of the clearing house
committee.
William D. Stephens is another rep
resentative of the banking interests on
the consolidation committee, as he is
vice president of the American National
bank, but his long connection with the
mercantile business and his service as
president of the chamber of commerce
and as mayor of Los Angeles Indicate
likewise the range of his knowledge of
the ways in which the growth of Los
Angeles may be assisted by an ade-
quate harbor scheme. Mr.. Stephens
was temporary chairman of the COM
mittee.
Gives Valuable Suggestions
Joseph Scott, although vice president
of the Equitable Savings bank and
thereby also a spokesman for the finan-
cial interests, is equally we'll known as
an attorney ana prominent counselor
in educational matters. AS president
of the board of education he was able
to give the committee valuable sug-
gestions in working out facilities in
that line, but his suggestions were no
less valuable from both legal and gem
eral civic viewpoints.
Another member who spent great
deal of time in working out legal
phases of consolidation is Leslie r.
Hewitt, city attorney Mr.. Hewitt has
studied the question thoroughly, and
particularly in regard to the RESPONSE
bilities which may be assumed by the
consolidated city. Secretary A. p.
Fleming, who is the attorney of the
harbor commission, and James A. An
derson, who is counsel In the tidelands
cases for the harbor commission, were
also able to give legal advice of great
value
Municipal phases of the movement
were likewise advanced by the MEM
bership on the committee of M. p Sny-
der president of the California Savings
bank. AS mayor of Los Angeles three
terms, and at time when the harbot
problem provoked considerable discus
sion, his familiarity with public affairs
was invaluable.
Shipper Represents Jobbers
The jobbing and business interests
were thoroughly represented. f. w.
| Braun, head of the wholesale chemical
i 8r,,, ,,.hfab bpara hie name ic a large