Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-24
SAN PEDRO BUSY
WITH PLANS FOR
A NEW WHARF
MUNICIPAL DOCK PROPOSED
BY CITIZENS
GIVES GREAT IMPETUS TO MOVE
MENT ALREADY UNDER WAY
Friends of Consolidation Regard This
as Extremely Significant as
Uncovering a New
Argument

The movement at San Pedro to slim
ulate immediate action in the outer
harbor received a new impetus yester-
day when the executive board of the
San Pedro chamber of commerce
mainly composed of men understood 10
be opposed to consolidation, arranged to
present to the San Pedro board of trus-
tees a resolution for special election
and bond issue to build a municipal
dock somewhere in the outer harbor
The resolutions will be prepared III
time to submit to the board of trustees
at the meeting next Tuesday.
Friends of consolidation in all three
cities regard this as significant because
it uncovers arguments heretofore not
openly fathered by the anti-consollda-
tionists. When they were initiated the
arguments for immediate Improvement
of the outer harbor toward the break
water were spoken of in Wilmington as
advanced by the Los Angeles CONSOLE
dation committee, presumably for the
purpose of making Wilmington citizens
believe that Los Angeles would neglect
the Wilmington bay section of the har-
Dor. This statement was actually made
in the Wilmington paper, when Is
actively defending the Banning and
Southern Pacific interests.
The resolutions as proposed for the
San Pedro board of trustees will prob
ably call for the issuance of bonds to
the extent of 100000 on the part OF
San Pedro, and as a first step will ask
that estimates be made on the cost OF
constructing a municipal dock in the
outer harbor, and that as soon as plans
and specifications can be prepared a
special election be ordered to vote on
q bond issue.
Try to Befog the Issue
San Pedro men who believe that con-
solidation will be of mutual benefit to
Los Angeles and the harbor cities think
this latest move is simply to befog
consolidation arguments.
1.-THE need of a municipal dock In TINS
harbor has been manifest for years,
said a San Pedro man yesterday, VINO
is regarded as one of the best posted
at the harbor, land now that the OPP
portunity is ripe for securing the back
ing and money of Los Angeles to help
build that dock and a few more the
representatives of the commercial well
fare of this city are advocating bonding
this community for $350,000 or 100000
for the purpose of getting a small part
of what will come if consolidation with
Los Angeles is carried through.
1.-The men who now want to force
big bond issue on the public here are
the same men who have talked against
consolidation with the allegation that
Increased taxes would have to be paid
on that account. AS in the greater
consolidated city all moneys spent for
harbor improvements would necessarily
be spent right here and the compare
tive value of assessed property is as 81
to S37 it is a simple problem in mathe-
mates to prove that if the community
embraced in the present limits OF San
Pedro city can afford to spend $4OO,OO0
for harbor Improvements this same
sum spent after consolidation would
mean a total expenditure of $14,S00,0OO.
AS no such vast sum is necessary the
CITY of San Pedro can save consider
able money by letting the greater city
issue the bonds for, say $3000,000, when
the total amount which would be paid
by our community would be but $4,000.
San Pedros Great Gain
"These figures are based on the as
sessed valuation of Los Angeles and
San Pedro, that of Los Angeles being
about $3.50 100000 and that of San Pedro
meing S7000,000. The remainder for
comparative purposes after Subtractlng
100000 from 100000, representing
sums which may be voted for and
$S5,OO0,00O from 100000, or what San
Pedro would gain by consolidation
that is, 1915, 900 saved on the proposed
cost of a municipal dock-dont seem to
make the anti-consolidation talk very
convincing"
1t is not improbable that protesting
delegation may ask the San Pedro
board of trustees to defer action on the
proposed special election until the
merits of the consolidation question are
thoroughly gone over and a report is
made by the San Pedro working COM
mittee on consolidation.