The San Francisco call., 1913-07-26
Improvement Club That Is
Opposing Municipal Rail
way Bonds Only United
Railroads Ghost
MAYORS SECRETARY
HUNTS DOWN MYTH
City Officials Show That No
Such Association Has
Tangible Existence

shadow of the United Railroads, Is the
definition of the Pacific Heights I'm
provement association as given yester-
day afternoon by Edward Rainey, sec
retary to Mayor Rolph, and Richard ].
Cline of the department of public
works. And both these men say they
have the facts to prove their asser-
tions. Furthermore, they produce the
proof
2017 Bush street is nowhere near Pa
cific Heights, and Rainey and Cline
point out that it is bit peculiar. TO
put It mildly. that the headquarters of
an improvement club should be located
so far away from the district that the
club processes to be trying TO benefit.
Harry II. FallI, says Mr.. Cline, is not
the prominent man that might be eX-
pected from the fact that he subscribes
himself president of the improvement
association. He is merely the collector
for a master plumber named Levy. AS
for John P. Renslow, who, the last time
the club came into prominence, was,
and may still be, secretary of the Paci-
fic Heights Improvement association,
his name appears in neither the
telephone directory nor the city di-
rectory, and Rainey and Cline ex-
press the opinion that he is probably
Heights Improvement association itself.
GHOST ISSUES STATEMENT
The question of whether or not there
really is any Pacific Heights Improve
ment association is rendered important
by the fact that last Thursday the as
sociation, or what at certain times
passes for it. issued a statement an
nOuncing that it was opposed TO the
proposed issuance of sS,5oO.Ooo bonds
for the extension OF the municipal rail
way system and that it had obtained
committee of $50" volunteer workers
10 resist the bond issue
Nobody around the city hall knew
Of any such organization as the Pacific
Heights Improvement association until
Richard J. Cline of the department Of
public works remembered that back in
1910 a purported organization of that
kind made a vigorous effort to put
through a scheme fathered by the
United Railroads to acquire title to a
portion of certain city streets for the
purpose of reconstructing the curves
and track in Preside avenue, COM
mencing a the intersection of Preside
avenue and Jackson street.
AT that time" says Mr.. Cline. 1--WE
made an investigation and discovered
that the Pacific Heights Improvement
association had no real existence. We
sent a n officer out to 2017 Bush street,
which appeared on the stationery OF
the association as its headquarters. and
could find no improvement club there
at all.
DIRECTORS MYTHS
We tried to look up the names of
the directors of the association, but
found that not one Of them appeared
in the city directory, the telephone
directory or on the great register.
Neither could we find the name of the
secretary, John P. Renslow.
The whole thing is a myth. There
is no such thing as the Pacific Heights
Improvement association: of that
m convinced. 1t Is merely a PROPOSE
ton of the United Railroads to block
the bond issue. The Pacific Heights
Improvement association is nothing but
a little private promotion committee
for the streetcar company, and 1 don't
believe 1t has any membership"
Edward Rainey was equally en-
phatic. The only time anybody ever
heard OF the Pacific Heights Improve
nent association" he said, was when
IN 1910 ii tried to put through a scheme
of the United Railroads to grab por-
tion of the streets of San Francisco
And now 1t again appears as the tool
of the monopoly trying to defeat the
bond issue. What is a Pacific Heights
Improvement club doing with head
quarters away down on Bush street
Id like to know. The whole thing
is ridiculous. II there is any such
thing as the Pacific Heights Improve
ment association, it is merely a part of
the United Railroads"
LAST HEARD FROM
In proof Of their assertions Rainey
and Cline produced excerpts from the
minutes OF the board OF public works,
showing the last activities of the asso-
citation. From these it appears that
on April 4, 1910 the board of public
works by resolution denied the petition
of the United Railroads for permission
TO reconstruct the curves and track in
Preside avenue. commencing at the
intersection Of that thoroughfare with
Jackson street
On May Harry II. Falk, signing
himself president of the Pacific Heights
Improvement association, wrote to the
board, asking to be kept Informed
when the meeting would take place in
regard to the controversy between the
United Railroads and the electric light
way in Jackson and Presidio avenue.
On May II Falk again wrote to the
board of public works. stating that
the officers and members of the Pacific
Heights Improvement association asked
that permit be granted to the street
car company for the reconstruction of
its street railway in Presidio avenue.
The letter concludes: LAS the Pacific
Heights Improvement association are
vitally interested in this movement
and know it is for the welfare of our
district, we earnestly ask that the per-
mission requested be granted"
July s. 1910, Vice President and
General Manager Charles N Black. of
the United Railroads, wrote to the
board, again asking the same request
Four days later another communica-
tion from Harry H. Falk, president
Of the Pacific Heights Improvement
association, was received by the board
OF public works, backing up the re-
quest made by Vice President Black
commencing the United Railroads for
having devoted its utmost energy
toward the upbuilding" of the business
section of the city, and strongly urg-
ing that the United Railroads be per-
mitted to complete the reconstruction
of it's line in Preside avenue.
The permission asked for was granted
during the absence of Commissions
Casey the following day. July IS. 1910
When Casey returned and found thai
the United Railroads had done the
work and constructed a crossing In
Sacramento street, he immediat tely
asked James McElroy, superintendent
of street repairs, to tear 1t up, which
he did. Meantime. however, on August