Los Angeles herald., 1909-06-06
BOARD RENDERS
PUBLIC SERVICE
REALTY BODY EUzZLES BAD
H0MBRES
President of Local Real Estate Organ
ization Reviews at Annual Meet
Ing Work Done in Safe
guarding Investors

President Oscar E. Parish, in his an
nual report to the members of the Los
Angeles realty board at the meeting
last Thursday of that organization, re-
ferred to several ways in which the
board has rendered public service.
During the past year." he said, the
realty board has investigated and re-
ported upon the misleading methods
and untruthful statements of certain
land companies and individuals selling
acreage, to the State Realty federation,
which gave wide publicity to the re-
ports. A tendency to gross eXaggera-
tion on the part of promoters of euca-
lyptus schemes was checked, and prob
ably thousands of dollars saved to
small investors. Some of the most un-
desirable advertising both of eucalyp-
tus land or eucalyptus stock and also
of government land by professional To-
Gators was materially modified, and in
some instances withdrawn altogether.
The board dealt directly with the case
OF the Jones & Ryder Land company,
which was found to have Wronged a
large number of purchasers of city
property, and both lenders and borrow
ers of money on realty mortgages. A
committee of the board. after thorough
investigation, laid the facts first before
the grand jury, and again before the
district attorney, and the result was
the almost immediate closing of the
offices of the corporation, and the alb
sconding, while under bail, of l.. e.
Jones.
Several complaints, or requests for
arbitration, were brought to the atten-
ton of the arbitration committee and
satisfactorily settled.
Good Name of California
"The work referred to is not only of
the greatest benefit from a patriotic
I i T. at Flg
good name of California, but is also OF
considerable force in checking the reck-
less tendencies of more or less ire
sponsible persons engaged in the busi-
ness, who otherwise have nothing to
fear but the penitentiary, and whose
methods, if unrestrained, would utter
ly demoralize the business and bring 1t
into the worst reupte.
1.-The proposed state constitutional
amendment relative to mortgage taxa
tion was defeated through the existing
machinery of this organization, as not
only all its members were urged to
vote against the amendment, but the
matter was brought to the attention of
all members of the state realty fedora
tion. and hundreds. probably thou
sands. of votes throughout the state
were thus Influenced. This was a
strong illustration of the value of or
ganization in an emergency and sug-
gests the possibilities i'm case of much
more important emergencies.
THAT the value of membership in
the board is appreciated by some who
do not or cannot avail themselves of it
is shown by the fact that some nom
members have falsely claimed MEM
| bership both verbally and, i'm one in
stance, in printed matter in order to
| influence purchasers.
st1Tbara ho ham iOo1IiTipc a
| tie office of the board as to whether
certain agents are members of the
| board and as to the reia bility of speci-
! fled agents, both members and nom
members. There have been also great
many inquiries by mail and requests
| for lists of members
THE new law affecting street open
/ ing and widening proceedings was
urged by the board. II benefits both
owners and agents in several respects,
and especially in fixing the date of
the order appointing referees as the
| time at which the valuation of prop
erty should be determined. Another
| law, also promoted by the board
through the state federation, provides
| for the compensation of property own
/ ers on the district assessment plan in
| cases of cuts or fills in streets. A law
| which originated with other members
of the state realty federation permits
the courts tC authorize the payment of
commissions on sales of property be-
| longing to estates of deceased persons.
Persistent effort by the board re-
suited In the passage by the city coun-
ell of an ordinance providing for an
additional clerk in the bureau of street
assessments, which it is believed will
do away with the vexatious and often
expensive delays in this department.
| IAN important new line of work un-