Darby fails in effort to push hog permit over

A technicality brought up by the County Counsel, prevented the granting of a permit for huge hog ranches in Haskell Canyon by the Board of Supervisors in regular session Tuesday morning.

This is the belief of local observers who attended the meeting.

The Supervisors lined up four in favor of the Kazarian Saugus Feeders permit, and just one, Roger Jessup against.

Supervisor Raymond V. Darby, who is a candidate for U.S. Senator, emerged as the leader and principal proponent of the permit.

Not only did Supervisor Darby declare his’ belief that Haskell Canyon was an ideal place to put all the hogs in the county, but he also indicated his opposition to any further public hearings on the question and his belief that the Board should not listen to any further objections.

DRY CANYON INCLUDED

The point brought up by the County Counsel had reference to the Dry Canyon acreage included in the original Kazarian application. The City Bureau of Water & Power indicated its objection to hogs in the Dry Canyon watershed, and the original application therefore had to be modified to exclude Dry Canyon.

In view of the technical alteration in the application, the Supervisors voted to refer the application back to the Regional Planning Commission for further study and report with the proviso that such report be made by the middle of December.

Representing local objectors at the session were Henry Dreher, chairman of the anti-hog committee, Pat Lizza, William G. Bonelli Jr., Earl Muhl of Bouquet Canyon and Bill Clark. The Newhall-Saugus delegation was not invited to speak, and made no effort to do so. But it took careful note of the proceedings.

The matter of whether permit will be considered at a public or private session when it comes up again in December was left in the air.

DARBY URGES GAG RULE

Supervisor Darby made a motion to confine consideration to the transcript on hand, and to exclude further testimony, but this motion languished under the vigorous objections of Supervisor Jessup, who demanded that objectors be given a further chance-to voice their beliefs in open, public session.

The Newhall delegation considers it likely that the Supervisors will wait for the Regional Planning Commission report before taking the matter up again. Both the Commission and the Zoning Board have previously turned thumbs down on the permit.

What will happen, if a majority of Supervisors overrule the objections of Jessup in December has not been definitely decided upon. It is considered likely however that property owners of the vicinity may employ counsel to stop the hog invasion, or at least hold it up by court action.

Supervisor Darby got one sharp setback in his attempt to rush the permit through the board, according to local observers. In speaking in favor of tha permit, Darby declared that the U.S. Forestry Department had approved the use of 8,500 acres in the Angeles National Forest. Supervisor William Mendenhall, who was present at the hearing, immediately arose to correct this statement. Menaennall said that no such permit had been granted.

MORE LETTERS NEEDED

More and immediate letters to the U.S. Forestry Service protesting the use of the Angeles National Forest for hog slopping are urgently needed, Chairman Dreher declared yesterday. The San Francisco office has been authorized to conduct an investigation on the desirability, or otherwise of a Forest hog permit, and it desires an expression of public opinion. Letters should be addressed as follows: Mr. P.A. Thompson, Regional Forester, 630 Sansome Street, San Francisco 11, Calif.