Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-25
PROTEST MAY END
STREET RY. PLANS
: FOR FOUR TRACKS
Aggressive Action of the Property
Owners Disturbs Pacific
Electric Officials
NEEDED AREA IN DISPUTE
Real Estate Holders Fear Heavy
Assessments for More Sta
tiOnS and Grounds
NEEDED AREA IN DISPUTE

That the aggressive action of prop
egty owners in tho southwestern por-
ton of Los Angeles in blocking con-
struction by the Los Angeles Railway
company of a car house just south OF
Agricultural park and their further
effort to have the same company's
four-track right of way along the pro-
posed extension of Santa Barbara ave.
nue. and Hoover street condemned prob
ably will prevent the construction OF
q four-track electric railway system
out through the southwestern portion
of the city toward Redondo Beach and
San Pedro, which the company has
been contemplating for some time.
This was the statement made yester-
day by officials of the company.
Although never announced before 1t
is stated that Henry E. Huntington,
president of the Los Angeles Railway
company, for several years has planned
to construct four-track electric rail-
way system out through the south
western portion of Los Angeles to
reach Redondo Beach and San Pedro
for the purpose of building up the
country between these two beach
towns.
SUBsTATION Is COMPLETED
AS an evidence of the sincerity of
the plan 1t is pointed out that the rail-
road company has already constructed
n substation to furnish power for the
new line at a point not far from the
proposed car house site, and 1t is stat
ed that the new car house was not only
to relieve the congestion of this part
of the city, but also to care for the
large number of cars which would be
needed for operating such a line.
Although no exact date for the ac-
tual construction OF the new line can
be set, according to officials of the
company, things were rapidly shaping
themselves for the building of the new
interurban line before the car house
controversy arose.
What will be the result If property
owners persist in opposing the COM
pany's plans none of the officers would
state yesterday beyond saying that the
line would have to be abandoned.
Several residents of the section have
appeared at the offices of the COM
pany with protests against the action
of the property owners who appeared
before the city council.
RESIDENTS FEAR HARDSHIP
According to Frank L. Martin, who
resides on South Vermont avenue in
the disputed territory, the proposed
condemnation Of the car house site.
the substation site. the four-track
right OF way and the fifty lots owned
by the company in the section will
work a great hardship on many of
the residents. Mr.. Martin said yester-
day:
Like myself, great many of the
residents in the section who will have
to pay for the condemned property are
buying their PLACES on the installment
plan. Under the contract we sign with
the real estate dealers In buying we
do not obtain title to our property until
all the payments are made, and as a
racII1f nnf prOnartxy
merely tenants-and cannot appear be-
fore the council to protest for or
against the condemnation of any prop
erty. At the same time our contract
holds us to pay for all Improvements
in the district in which we live"
with this condition 1t is simply a
case of the real estate dealers from
whom we have purchased our homes
contracting for something for which
we have to pay. They, as property
owners, have the land condemned; we,
as agreed under our contracts, must
pay for this land.
PROPERTY OWNERS ARGUMENT
IT have been investigating the prob
able cost of the land which may be
condemned to the residents of my dis
trict and find it will be enormous.
For instance, we will be assessed to
pay for the car house site, a four
track right of way, substation and
grounds, which, by the way, can be of
no possible use except to a car COM
pany, and for the paving of Vermont
avenue and of Thirty-ninth street
''The railroad people tell me that in
order to buy the car house site we
must pay, not only for the land on
which 1t was to stand, which is valued
at about $350,000, but also for the fin
ished car house. They assert the con-
tract for constructing the house has
been let and therefore, under the law,
we must pay for it, as well as the site.
They also state that If the district
buys the four-track right of way 1t
must pay for a four-tra railway sys-
tenn extending the entire length OF the
strip purchased, and the price of this
alone would be oppressive"