Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-11-18
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

BOARD OF ALDERHEN.-TheB Board met at
the usual hour last night; the President in the
chair
A communication was received from the
Mayor in answer to the resolutions Of inquiry
in relation to tax sales, passed at the last
meeting Of the Board, and published in the
Star The communication is as follows.
GeHtie~en: There is no data in this Office
which will enable me to answer your resolu-
tion Of the 10th inst a, in which you ask
whether the last and any previous adver-
tisement for sale Of lots for taxes due and IN
paid thereon lots were advertised on which
the taxes had been paid previous to said ad
yertisement, and if any were SO advertised,
the number Of lines used therefor and the cost
Of advertising the same / have therefore
sought the information desired from such
sources as / thought were reliable; and en-
closed your resolution in letter to the present
tax collector, asking him to answer the ques-
tions it contained. A copy of his answer 1
herewith transmit you, by which you will per-
ceiye that lots were advertised for sale On
which the taxes had been paid, but rs no
record Of them was kept, he is unable to fur
nish you with the information you seek. also
addressed letter to Messrs. Andrew Roth
well and X. J. Roche, formerly Tax Collec-
tors, enclosing to each a copy of your resOlu-
tions, and asking from them the information
you desired as to the previous tax sales, and
also as to the person who had always paid the
expense OF such erroneous advertisement, and
enclose you a copy of their answers from
which you will learn that the cases upon
which property was advertised after tho taxes
had been paid were very rare, and could
only occur in consequence of errors In the Of
fce' OF the Collector, and that whenever they
did occur no claim for payment for such ad-
vertislng was a. any time made either upon
the owner Of the property or upon the Corpo-
ration, the cost being paid by the Collector
The information requested in your resolu-
tion OF the same date, on the subject Of taxes
will be furnished you with great pleasure as
soon as it can be collected but as it will in
yOlye considerable labor Il will be some time
before 1t csn be transmitted to you
On motion Of Mr.. Miller, the communica
ton and accompanying papers were referred
to tho finance committee, and ordered to be
printed.
Bill providing for conveying gas to the
Northern Liberties market was passed. Also,
bills for the relief Of L l. and w. B. Jack
son; Of George Miller; Of John w. Pittsburgh :;
bill for taking up and rslayinY gutter on
Eleventh street, frem the corner of D to the
corner Of Z streets, IN the Second Ward; and
bill for the relief of Martin Bosse.
Resolutions in reply TO the address of the
people of Wakefield, England, were adopted
aud ordered to be transmitted to the authori.
ties Of W akefeld.
Bill to grade First street east, from B to D
streets south, was passed.
An invitation rendered to the Board to at
tend the funeral Of the late General John Fl
Eaton was accepted, on motion of Mr. Miller
Mr.. Smith called up the special order, the
bill regulating the inspection Of lumber but
withdrew the call temporarily, when
Mr. Miller offered resolution appointing a
special committee, consisting of one member
from each ward, 10 enquire into the expsdi-
ENJOY OF rsmodeling the Fire Department
The resolution was adopted ,Dnd the Chair
appointed Messrs. Miller, Nkgs, Tretler,
Moore, Busey, Ruff and Smith on this COM
mittse.
Or. Smith, addressing the Board upon the
special order, said the present law regulating
the inspection Of lumber was imperative and
defective. and the sooner it was got rid of the
better. Lumber brought to this n market almost
invariably fell short Of the measurement for
which 1t was sold Vessels bringing lumber
from Port Deposit anchor in the channel, and
the lumber is landed in lighters at the yards
frequently without any inspection at all
Mr. Smith explained the material altera-
lions proposed by the new bill. II was made
imperative that lumber should be inspected
immediately upon its arrival in the city The
defect in the old law by which the penalties
for violation Of the law were divided between
buyer and seller and thus rendered inopera-
wv wa pIOpOccu W DS TeUlcuIeu DY IaSteQ-
ing the penalty upon either buyer or seller
In the course Of the debate which folio we'd,
and which was participated in by nearly every
member Of the Board, IL was stated that bun
dies Of laths ostensibly sold as containing one
hundred each, average only 50 to the bundle;
also, that sellers Of lumber were in the prac-
tice Of re sorting lumber brought to this city
and selling the medium qualities at a higher
grade than it was purchased by them.
Tne bill that ali lat s al all Re
put up in bundles of one hundred each and
that all lumber shall be marked agrseably to
the quality.
While the lumber bill was under considera-
ton, the committee Of conference with the
lower Board upon the appropriation bill. re-
turned with recommendation that the Board
OK Aldermen recede from its amendments
viz: those striking out the appropriations for
payment Of the salaries Of the Commissioners
If the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Wards,
and the Intendant and Physician Of the Asy.
lum- A protracted debate ensued upon the
amendments and various points of order, after
which the Board refused to recede, ami on a
motion to reconsider, re- afirmed that deci-
sion.
The lumber bill was then laid upon the
table and made the special order for Monday
next.
Bill making an appropriation Of S504 OF for
completing the Northern Liberties Market
Was passed.
On motion Of Mr.. Bassy, the nomination,
were taken up.
Hugh Dougherty and Joseph Mitchell were
rejected as police officers in the Fifth Ward; do
Joseph IL. Gill in the Seventh Ward
Joseph Z. Gill was rejected as wood, coal
and bran measurer.
Bill authorizing curb-stone to be set and
ioot-ray paved in front of market square ON
street north, between Seventh and Ninth,
was passed; also, bill for gravelling north
Capltol street from New Jersey avenue to o
street north
BIZ extending First street east to C street
north, and grading the same from the north
side OF street to north side Of A street. was
passed. ""'
And then the Board adjourned
OSEIrEcrED VIsIr Yesterday, two Of
hcers Of The fourth district police called a. AN
oyster house 10 direct the rrcp,;at.-. q