The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-07-04


to discover why these engineers devote their time
outside of their employment, and we fail to under
stand why their argument should deeply impress
your committee The present harbor OF San Pedro,
with 80 to 40 feet of water, contains fully three
miles of water front, including the breakwater
appropriated and which will become the property
of the city of Los Angeles upon consolidation,
while there is public property upon the called
inner harbor
Before further discussing these questions and
holding needless conferences. we desire that your
committee should take prompt action upon
muncation of the 10th inst and inform directly
Tuesday evening what the attitude of your COM
4nttee is upon improving the outer harbor of San
Pedro and construction of connecting highway.
This difficulty has apparently been adjusted
by later negotiations in the line of compromise
by which San Pedro gets important concessions
joint report of the several committees made in
June embodies treaty of peace among the con-
tending powers and outlines the course to be
pursued after consolidation.
This report is, by itself, remarkable docu-
ment indicative of the masterfu spirit of the Los
Angeles and the extreme lengths they are
prepared to go in order to accomplish the con-
, solidaton of the harbor towns They begin by
promising 100000 to be raised by bond issue
and expended on docks, harbor Improvement and
good roads. They promise San Pedro a full
municipal equipment of modern fire, police and
school departments, free public libraries a public
fish market, ferry across the harbor and in fine
all the municipal uxures. Lastly, they agree that
both San Pedro and Wilmington shall be given
terminal rates by the railroads.
This last concession raises some complicated
issues which may not be altogether within the
power of the Los Angeles boomers to decide
When is terminal not terminal? San Pedro and
Wilmington being harbor towns are real terminals
if they anything and if the word is held to its
true meaning But under the railroad construction
of the word they not terminals. Los Angeles
is the terminal point where no railroad terminates
1t is another phase of the purely arbitrary practice
OF the railroads that gave rise to the famous
Spokane rate decision and brought on the present
controversy between the coast and interior cities
Now it is quite clear that this controversy will
finally be settled one way or another on some
logical rule of uniform practice formulated by the
interstate commerce commission and that the con
cession of terminal rates will not i'll future be
granted in response to the pulling and hauling of
rival commercial communities and the pressure they
may be able to exert the railroads. In other
words, Los Angeles may have promised San Pedro
and Wilmington something which it does not own
and has not the power to give Indeed, if the
harbor is the true terminal Los Angeles may lose
that privilege. Certainly terminal point Is miles
long would present an extraordinary railroad pho
nomenon. 1t is true that this whole subject OF
terminals is at the present time in a condition OF
the widest confusion -due.to the haphazard prac-
tees Of railroads, the conflicting drag ocompetng,
cities and the fact that the interstate commerce
commission has scarcely begun to appreciate the
difficulties, mostly artificial, of the situation and
is much perplexed over the process OF adjustment
. and the formulation of rules.
The people OF Los Angeles have formed high
admiration for Captain Fries. and the town of
Wilmington hasl named street after him as
token Of esteem and regard. Now Captain Fries