Valdez daily prospector., 1915-11-01
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1915
HE MAYORS REPLY TO THE PROsPECTOR'S CHARGES.

ford an opportunity for myself and
 le Municipal Council, which repre-
 ,nt, to refute the unwarranted and
 :alicious attacks which have been
 .ade upon the Common Council of
 le City of Valdez from time to time,
 Id in an impartial way state to you
 le true facts appertaining to this
 tleged fight against the Valdez Dock
 ompany.
 The only method that have as a
 ltizen of this town in answering
 lese charges is by calling special
 teeting of the citizens of the town.
 ave no access to the Prospector, as
 ou know this paper is being conduct
 d in the interests of the Valdez Dock
 ompany and the Steamship compa-
 ies, to whom they are subservient.
 has been the endeavor of this paper
 II the way through to mislead the
 eople as to the true issues. As an
 vidence to show you what tactics this
 ang resort to- little less than two
 lonths ago meeting was called in
 his hall. Some of the gang went to
 District Attorney Spence and asked
 i'm to quash it, that it was a mob
 1eeting and that a riot would result
 nd property might he destroyed. MT.
 pence was much excited and came to
 'enator Hubbard and asked him bout it and the Senator assured him
 hat such was not the case. I am merely citing you an instance like his to show you the tactics that are
 escorted to by the gang from time to
 ime, to mislead and blind the people
 hereby preventing them from know ng the true situation.
 will give you few facts pertain .ng to the early history of this con-
 roversy relating to the Valdez Dock Company. In the yAar 1908, as you will recall, the peoDle of this commu- aitv were paving s15.00, s18.OO and IS high as s22.OO per ton for coal. At hat time was a member of the Citv Council and on behalf of said City I sbtained an option to purchase the City dock, and purchased said pron- srty for $4760.00 The Valdez Dock 3o.. through the aid of their hirelings. to enioin me from spend- ing the city's money for this purpose. They wanted to maintain control of the entire water front. We threshed the matter out for days before Judge Judge Cushman and he ruled that we were within our rights and that we had the right to acquire that dock and pay for the same with the eity's money. As a result of my en- leavors in this direction it has saved the taxpayers of the City of Valdez within the last seven years approxi- mately S50.0OO.0O by holding the price of coal down to S12.50 ner ton. As result of coalition between the two steamship companies and the Val aez Dock Companv, represented by J. n. Lathrop and MT. J. c. Martin, we are in this position today, we own our own wharf and we are denied the privilege of landing our own freight at our own wharf Is this fair. to have our own wharf and established wharfage rates at approximately one third charged hv the Valdez Dock Co.,. yet the boats will not 1ard at the Ctv wharf. MT. J,athron, the cb'ef own ar of the Valdez Dock Company, is not a resident of your community. You are obliged to nav biz profits t" him. This same J. M. Lathron with the Valdez Dock Company and J. c. Martin are trespassers and usurners, having taken possession of Alaska Avenue. They are oDeratlng on that street in open defiance of the law. It would be just as fair to have Mir. White move his building out 20 feet farther into the street and tell the people thev must traverse around. Is that fair. The question yis,. "How long are we going to tolerate these things" As I was stating. we are obliged to have our freight landed at 3 dock owned by an outside individu- al and pay four prices for the privi- Iege. At Ketchikan, Juneau and Douglas. soc per ton is the prevail ing wharfage rate. Here you are obliged to pay all the way from s1.60 10 $2.5O per ton. Down in California the wharfage charge is to 5 cents per ton, while up here it is 30 to 50 times that rate. "Now how long are you going to tolerate this" If Val 1ez controlled the wharfage business and the water front of this town ln- side of IS months we could wipe oNt our $17,00O indebtedness.
 They charge the municipal authori-