The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-08
For the Good of
 the Community
THE city of Los Angeles Wonder

City It m1gnC well De calloQ7-eX- poets to export through it's municipal terminals on the Pacific 100000 bales of Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Southern California cotton this season. How did this come about?
 Thirty-three years ago Los Angeles was an inland city twenty-three miles from the ocean at San Pedro. But there was pluck there. People thought in big way. The 50000 of inhabitants voted a S3,OOO,O 900 bond issue to dredge the San Pedro harbor. They kept on spending until they had placed S22,000,00 in that one investment scheme
 Fifteen years ago the 25O,OOO inhabi- tants bonded themselves for S23, 100000 with which to build an aqueduct bringing water from the mountain streams 240 miles away
 Then it had water and an harbor. Something very important still lacked. Los Angeles was not a seaport. The rail- roads "classed 1t as an inland city-an intermediate point and not terminal point and refused it many privileges that go to coast cities.
 Los Angeles did not sulk over the ex- penditure of S3,000,000. It took the bull by the horns again. It sallied forth and annexed the town of San Pedro and the harbor through shoe string section of land. Thus it became both seaport and a terminal The terminals are owned by the municipality.
 Now Los Angeles is a port with capac- ity to handle the tonnage that is handled by the port of New York It is most en- phatically on the map of nations.
 NOf oo,,4o,,4 with 1.1o4o,. opJ o cooy,o,,+ the city installed lot of turbines for the development of hydroelectricity and did create Al, 900 horse power of the same Part of this is used in factories and homes in Los Angeles proper and part in operav- ing port terminal devices
 Did Los Angeles then quit? Was it not inclined to rest on the expenditure of ESQ., 100000 and tell that to do the rest? Not at all. It looked around anG found that Seattle and San Francisco, much farther north, had the same freight rates. on the growing cotton production coming to the Pacific coast for export.
 Los Angeles stirred itself and the rates on cotton to which it is entitled have been secured. This is how that port will have added 300,000 bales of cotton to it's out going business this season.
 LOS AngeleS IS geCClng tens or LnOu- sands of tons of iron pipe from Birning- ham, Bessemer and Anniston for Cali fornia distribution via ship out of Mobile. This is because Los Angeles got on the ocean in the proper manner.
 The situation at Los Angeles with reference to the ocean is precisely the same, distance and all, as that of Birming- ham with reference to the Warrior Port of Birmingham is our San Pedro. It is as near to us as San Pedro and the ocean were to Los Angeles before it went out to the ocean.
 Los Angeles has spent $6O,OOO,OOO on her water and seaport plants. Her people say the investment has been worth while.
 Summing it all up, we, ask ourselves How was it done? The S3,000,000 start was made when Los Angeles was less than a third the size of Birmingham It was done by big-mindedness; by having the vision that sees afar; the vision that tells us that really big things are not to be obtained on bargain counters; the vision that does not discount, but banks on the future of progressive community