Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-18
VENICE SUGGESTED
AS FUTURE SEAPORT
CONGRATULATIONS ARE SENT
TO LOS ANGELES
President of Resort Chamber of Com.
merce Sends Letter to Angel City
Chamber Reminding It
Of Possibilities
sunset 1891.
Home 4o15.

VENICE, Aug 1S.-What may be a
prophecy regarding the future of a
deep water harbor at Port Ballona is
contained in the letter of congratula-
ton sent to the Los Angeles chamber
of commerce by Fred X. McCarver,
president of the Venice chamber of
commerce, on the consolidation Of San
Pedro and Wilmington with the Angel
city.
The communication reads as follows;
THE Venice chamber of commerce
sends greetings and congratulates Los
Angeles in it's municipal extension TO
and including the ocean frontage and
harbor facilities of Wilmington and
San Pedro.
Your prosperity and growth is our
prosperity and growth, and we there
fore feel a direct interest in the open
ing and the commercial development
of the southwest in general and of Los
Angeles in particular made possible
by the control your city has obtained
to unlock our front door on the Pacific
ocean.
THE commercial situation of Los
Angeles and of the southwest as to
commerce on the Pacific is and long
has been absolutely unique. No other
city and no other section of the world
of one-tenth the Importance Of Los An
geles and its commerce, with navigable
waters and access to the sea, is now
or ever has been shut out from general
ocean commerce. China and Japan are
the only known exceptions in the past,
Possibilities of Venice
There is no such condition outside
of Los Angeles now, nor has it always
been so on this coast. Long years ago
OF, II.
California ports going to and from the
ports of Mexico and Panama. Your
front door and the front door of the
southwest on the ocean has been arti-
fiCially closed and locked to foreign
commerce for long years. That your
city will open this front door on the
ocean to the advantage of all, including
the advantage of those who have closed
and kept closed your ports so long, is
our confident belief.
I'VE take this opportunity of sug-
gesting three kinds of action, germane
to the full realization in material ad-
vantage to Greater Los Angeles and to
the southwest, which are capable of
giving the fullest gains from your har-
Dor control"
The letter then defined these three
kinds of action, in brief as follows:
''First-A campaign to repeal the
barbarouSp navigation laws of the
United States, by reason of which laws
the American mercantile marine has
been handicapped off the sea.
"Second-We indorse heartily your
plan of a government-owned steamship
line from Los Angeles port to Mexico
and Panama. This is both just and
right, with strong precedent in the
government steamship from Colon and
to the Philippines.
"Third-When you need more room
for the large steamers from the Ori-
entail and Panama commerce than your
present ports will prGide, remember
that a deep seaport with more frontage
for deep sea vessels than your new ter
ritory can furnish can be constructed
at Venice. The permit for this work
from the secretary of war of the United
States has been issued. The cost by
contract of the entire work, including
breakwater, pier and slips, giving forty
feet of water at low tide, Is $1,440,000
Venice offers the opportunity for the
best deep sea harbor at the least cost
of any town on the Pacific coast"