Los Angeles herald., 1910-05-10
7 ou Should See the Dolls

will cost $SS1,0OO stands. The roads
comprising these sixty-five miles are:
Ell Monte road, Wiltshire road, Long
Beach boulevard, section l of Wash
ington street, Vermont avenue and
Sunset boulevard Prospect avenue,
Compton road, Florence and Slauson
avenues, Los Feliz road, Whittier road,
Ell Monte-Pomona road, Harbor bou1e-
ward, Naples road and Huntington
drive The facts are, no macadam
contract has been let on any of the
three roads last named, while the total
length of the roads mentioned is 69.7
miles. If the cost is to be 1881, 900, the
average cost a mile will be, in round
numbers, $12, $40, instead Of $13,550, COW
ering an error in calculation of 1910
mile. Our estimate previous to the
bond issue on these identical roads ag-
gregates 1895, ,510.S2. On this estimate
we expect to make a big saving, pos
sibly reducing it below the guess of
1881 900 made by the advisory commit
tee. This example demonstrates how
idle it is to extend further time in the
discussin of such loose figuring.
CALLS ATTACK VICIOUS
Caustic and reckless criticism in
deed appears to offer a tempting me-
dunn of publicity to certain tempera-
,ments when they find themselves on
the outside of the management of
public enterprise and have a banker
ing to be in it. 1t is and has always
been easy for sophistry, abetted by
ignorance, to twist facts and figures in
order to bolster a predetermined case.
In making this public and, so far as
we are concerned, final reply to an at
tack upon this commission, so vicious
in it's manner and SO prejudiced and so
exaggerated in it's matter, we have
perfect confidence that it's various
sweeping statements were at the time
discounted to about their true value in
the mind of each member of your hon
orable board-every one of whom we
have found disposed to be fair in
final showing-as we'll as in that of the
large section of the thinking public
which likes to see fair play and de-
tests pretense.
Feeling, then, that this document
was not intended to be anything but
provocation, we have refrained from
any lengthy and more detailed analysis
in refutation of it's charges. Never
theless, we also realize that much
damage may be done to the enterprise
in such a bitter assault, and many
doubts created which would be better
dispelled. 1t may sooner or later seem
best to your honorable board to insti-
tute an inquiry into the question of
the competency of this highway COM
mission as organized to carry on to
completion and with efficiency and dis
patch the work planned prior to the
bond issue and for which the bonds
were voted.
SUGGEST INVESTIGATION
It is, perhaps, needless to caution
you that such an investigation to be
of any value whatever must be con-
Quoted by a man or men of such rec
ognized ability and known freedom
from partisan bias as to finally answer
the questions raised not only in
your own mind, but in that of the
public. From such a source both
sound criticism and constructive sug-
gestion are always welcome to sensible
men. Meanwhile we shall continue to
do our duty in the premises as we see
it, and we have pledged our good name
and our reputation as business men in
this community to carry the whole
project through to a successful issue.
The problem of rock supply now is
solved in every respect quite satisfac-
torily, and we will say definitely that
the bulk of the mileage of macadam
will be laid down before the close of
the next dry season after this, leaving
probably a small balance to be done
in 1912 All the work as planned Will
be completed within the funds avail
able. Notwithstanding contrary inti-
nations, we have never made any
promise of earlier completion.