Los Angeles herald., 1910-10-19
EXPLAINS REASON
OF $4,000 CLAIM
Harbor Commission Submits Full
Report on Lumber Co.'S
Federal Demand
COPY SENT EACH COUNCILMAN
Dredging Was Done to Facilitate
Use of East Basin San
Pedro Inner Basin
COPY SENT EACH COUNCILMAN

To show the council on what consid-
erations it had acted when it ap-
proved the demand of the Consoli-
dated Lumber company against the
federal government for $4,000, the
harbor commission yesterday sub
mitted a detailed report to the council
Every member of the council had re-
Ceived q copy of the message and 1t
was not read in the open session, but
at the suggestion of President Lusk
was filed. The harbor commissions
report is as follows:
Los Angeles, Cal, oct 10, 1910.
To the Honorable, the City Council OF
the City of Los Angeles, Cal.
Gentlemen:-The board of harbor
commissioners of the city Of Los An
geles are advised of the resolution
adopted by your honorable body at it's
last meeting relating to the application
presented by the Consolidated Lumber
company to the national government
for an allowance for work which that
company did in dredging certain
portion of the east basin of the inner
harbor at San Pedro, which is in
cluded in the plans Of the govern
ment for future dredging in that har-
Dor, as follows, to wit:
"Resolved, by the city council OF
Los Angeles in regular session assem-
bled, that all such claims not pledged
assistance by the city in advance OF
work done should be allowed to win or
lose on their own merits and without
Endorsement by the city,"
TO HELP INDUSTRIES
Inasmuch as the declaration of poll
icy contained in the resolution adopted
by your honorable body will probably
be of far-reaching Importance as af-
fecting the future development of our
harbor, and particularly as affecting
certain policies upon which this board
is proceeding, we feel that a proper
consideration for the public good makes
it necessary before the matter is en-
tirely closed for this board to par
ticularly call your attention to GER
tain facts.
The dredging which the Consolidated
Lumber company did was for the pur-
pose Of enabling certain large indus
tries, to wit, the plants of the Consol-
idated Lumber company and the ia
cif1c Lumber company to locate con-
tiguous to the harbor. These exten-
sive plants promised to give employ
ment to about 500 men and to do a
business involving the handling at the
port of San Pedro of about two nun
dred million feet of lumber per annum.
Prior to doing this dredging, the Consoii-
lated Lumber company petitioned the gov
ernment of the United States to divert
sufficient amount of the appropriation that
had been made for other important I'M
provements in the .harbor, to pay for dredg-
ing n channel 200 feet wide through a por-
ton of the east basin Rs definitely located
and planned by the government, Of suf-
Ffcient depth to accommodate vessels carry
ing lumber to the two plants In question.
The harbor commission, at that time pre-
sided over by George II. Stewart, deemed
the matter of constructing the channel. as
petitioned for by the Consolidated Lumber
company, of such great Importance as to
Justify the government in diverting funds
to that purpose which had been appropriated
for other important dredging in the harbor,
and for that reason indOrsed the petition
of the Consolidated Lumber company.
AWAITED ENDORSEMENT
And we may be pardoned for calling your
attention to the fact that although the
petitIon presented by the lumber company
and indorsed by the former harbor commits
sion, involved the diversion of n large por-
tion of the amount that had been appro-
priated by the government to do other i'm
portant work upon the harbor, which work,
If the petition had been granted, must have
remained undone, 1t was not deemed by
the board of harbOr commissioners neces-
sary to report the matter to tho city coun-
ell of the city of Los Angeles before the
board indorsed 1t.
The petition of the Consolidated
Lumber company to have the channel
in question dredged by the government
with funds diverted from other work
for which they had been appropriated
failed because as stated by the Of
ficials of the government they had no
power to divert to this purpose a fund