Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-04-03
DISCUSS BEACH
CONSOLIDATION
SPEAKERS ON EACH SIDE GIVE
ARGUMENTS
BOTH PARTIES CLAIM VICTORY
is THEIRS
over Thousand Persons Listen to
Speeches in Venice. Auditorium.
Music Relieves Tension Of
the Auditors


lions and oratory were pleasantly In
termingled at the large consolidation
meeting held at the Venice auditorium
this evening" Over one thousand per-
sons were gathered in the building 70
hear the best speakers of Santa MONICA
bay discuss the pros and cons OF Deach
consolidation.
Seated on the platform were a num-
her of representative men from all sec
tions of the beach. Among them were
Judge M. r. King, r. A. Phillips, presl-
dent of the Merchants of Venice; A.
f. Webster, president of the santa
Monica Bay chamber of commences;
George w. Brown, secretary OF Inc
same organization; e. ]. Vawter, Jr.,
70 i Vawter. ST., c. N. Brundage, At
torney Kenton Miller, J. M. White,
Judge c. ]. Noyes, j. Euclid Miles and
City Attorney Byron c. Hanna OF
Ocean Park.
F. *. McCarver, president of the
Venice chamber of commerce, presided
and introduced the speakers. he stated
that the different interests of the bay
had been invited by his organization to
gather and hear the arguments on both
sides of the question as to whether the
Santa Monica bay cities should become
one or remain as they are. SAID ne:
1.-THE chamber of commerce has taken
decided stand against the proposed con-
solidation, but we want 10 near DUH
sides of the question.
Says Taxes Would BE Lower
7. Euclid Miles, chairman of the
finance committee of the Santa Mon
lea council, was the first speaker Tor
the consolidation side and occupied his
time giving figures showing the pres
ent amount raised and expended Dy
both cities and also the same amounts
if the cities were under one govern
ment. Said Mr.. Miles: 1.-THE assessed
valuation is as follows: Santa Monica,
s., 1928, 405; Ocean Park, $5,490,334. The
present tax rate is in the latter 80
cents, in the former SLIGO. BY this
means there is raised annually in
Santa Monica $120,704 and in Ocean
Park $49,4 13. With an approximate
population of 1900 in the former and
ZOO in the latter this gives pro rata
tax of $3.50 in Ocean Park at present.
With the same amount to be raised
and the same population under one
government the pro rata tax would
be ST."
Dr. j. NJ. White, the first speaker
against the consolidation said: 1T can't
see where we of Ocean Park win be
benefited by consolidation. Some call
it annexation, but call ii humiliation.
Some people say that we Of this end
are controlled by one man, but I am
here to say that this is not so. Let us
alone. The time is coming and is
nearly ripe when we will want to go
into Los Angeles. Let US go into a
city that will take care of u.s."
The burden of the speakers talk was
that Ocean Park was we'll enough as it
was. He stated that he could not see
where it would be any cheaper to run
the city government under consolida-
ton than at present.
Referring to the advocacy of the
consolidation movement by an Ocean
Park paper he said: 1T is between two
fires. 1t is on the tail of two dogs and
neither dog will sit still.
IF we want to get into anything
let us get into Los Angeles was his
closing shot.
Opera Selection to Quiet Nerves
AT this point the chairman an
nounced that they would taboo politics
Tempest Scene" from Rigoletto by
the Chiafarelli band. The piece was
accompanied by superb electrical eff
fects and was greeted by deafening
applause. The band was forced to re-
spond TO an encore.
Judge j. C. Noyes, the next speaker.
thanked the audience for the encore,
the effect left by the storm scene.
Said he, II hope that it is typical of
our discussions"
Speaking on the consolidation, he
said, IF you had no city and the same
population, would you build two cities?
Which is better, one or two? Our
friend and skillful physician let the
cat out of the bag when he stated that
he did not want to unite with certain
persons on this bay. He would rather
go sixteen miles than unite with
city a few rods away.
when / came here / was surprised
to find two cities with a total popula-
ton smaller than some of our town
governments in Massachusetts. Clos
ing, he said, 81 have yet to hear one
reason why. it would not be better to
have one city instead of two"
Hanna Attacks Consolidation
City Attorney Byron C. Hanna of
Ocean Park answered the arguments
of the preceding speaker in mastery
fashion, paying a glowing tribute to
Judge Noyes' ability and eloquence.
He read repeatedly from an Ocean
Park paper and attacked that paper s
attitude on the consolidation question.
He said: ut is purely a question of
material gain with these people. They
want the city printing, which they
can't get as they are in neither city,
He denied that there would be a saw
ing in salaries, and drew comparisons
between the payrolls of the two. He
stated that all of the public utility
companies were in favor of the move
from selfish motives alone. 1.-THE pre-
vious speaker supposes the condition
of things if we had no city," he said.
THAT would be different than what
we have. We must think of the con-
ditions as they exist, and not theorize.
We want Ocean Park to grow. We
want to be able to have a say in the
government"
He stated that the Santa Monica city
charter provided for the town to, be-
come part of the city at its doors and
that it was not safe to go sixteen miles
to get into one. He stated, in answer
to Mr.. Hanna's argument that it would
be over two years before the citizens
of Ocean Park would be represented in
the city government, that the state
statutes were more powerful than the
Santa Monica city charter and pro-
vided for just such case as the pres
ent by authorizing an immediate APP
portionment of the new territory.
Partisans of each side claim the
meeting was decided victory for their
cause, the ants claiming that the
proposition is dead and the proponents
of the move stating that other meet
ings will be held and the agitation go
on harder than ever