Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-03-30
CITY ATTORNEY ANSWERS CRITICS
OF HARBOR IMPROVEMENT PLANS

improvement of the city frontage upon the
outer harbor." There cogent reasons why
the city should not, at this time, disclose the
details of its plans, for that is what this re-
quest inevitably leads to.
Explains Situation
Here is the situation. The city OF Los An
gees proposes to pledge its credit for So, 100000
to improve a harbor in such manner Will
break the private and corporate grip now
fastened upon 1t and open the harbor to free
commerce. This money must be made to go
far possible, so that the best results
may be gained by the least expenditure and
in the shortest possible time. The harbor
has for years been the favorite field for ex-
plotting the grabbing and monopollzing
schemes of the transportation companies and
the city must plan and maneuver to force its
way to the available waterfront as best It
may The city is determined, unless 1 am
greatly mistaken, to accomplish its purpose.
While the public improvement of the 'harbor
is hedged about with difficulties at nearly
every point some legal, others OF practical
sort, they are not insuperable; yet they are
sufficiently serious to make it prudent, If not
imperative, that the city should hold as free a
hand as possible in dealing with them.
The city, II the bonds voted, will have
a limited amount of money which IL must ex-
pend in the construction of docks, wharves
and warehouses. the opening and improving
Of streets and highways to provide access to
the waterfront and in the constructing Of
comprehensive plan of harbor development
along publicly owned waterfront which II
may improve at its discretion, the city must
place its improvements as best 1t may and
where they will do the most good, and as
soon as possible. The great problem is to
provide publicly owned and controlled ter
minal facilities for commerce, and the most
essential factor in the problem is the open
ing up of public streets and highways to and
along the waterfront particularly to the outer
harbor. No one can tell how much 1t will
cost to provide these all-important means of
public access, without which docks and
wharves are either useless toys mere adj
1uncts and feeders to the corporations that
already control more of the waterfront, even
in the outer harbor ITSELF than they are now
ever were justly entitled to- In my judg-
ment, it would be act OF the greatest inn
prudence for the city to say now that ii Will
expend a fixed amount in constructing these
highways, knowing that such work viii re-
qure condemnation proceedings and probably
the payment Of undetermined amounts for
damages to private property.
a separate description of and a specification
of the exact location of particular improve
ments requires under the law a statement Of
the amount of money that Is to be expended in
their constructon-that is, of their estimated
cost. Since it is not and cannot be known
how much money will be required for these
highways, so also it is not and cannot be
known what the docks, wharVes and ware
houses as separate items will cost. To my
mind there is no question but that the only
safe course to pursue is for the city to state
the gross amount it proposes to expend for
all the contemplated improvements, and then
the city can expend its funds and work out
its complex harbor problem without the diff
fculties that are well-nigh certain to arise
II the details of its harbor plans are EN-
bodied in and made a part Of Its bond pro-
ceedings. When particulars, such as those
Just alluded to. are set out in bond resolu-
lions they cannot thereafter be departed from
very easily. no matter how difficult or i'm
practicable it may be TO observe them. The
situation in the harbor may change at any
time and until more of the underbrush is
cleared away some OF 1t, possibly, by legal
process, and it Will require some OF the bond
money to do this the city might find its
hands tied at a most inopportune time or in
a most inconvenient place If it exhibits
bill of particulars of Its proposed improve
nents and expenses at this time.