East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1864-12-21
Meeting for the Improvements of Sag
NAV River.


held. pursuant to notice, at Buena
Vista Hall, Wednesday, Dec. q, on
motion,
Hon. JAMRs BnSEY, Of Bay County,
was called to the Chair, and nj. JET
rERs, Esq, of East Saginaw, appoint
~ NJ NJ Jeffers, Esq, Committee appoint
ed at previous meeting to make as
sessments on Saw Mills and Salt
Works on the river, made the follow
ing report, which was accepted:
7. Il. Paine, Esq, President Dredging
association:
SIR-Tho undersigned, the commit
tee Of your association appointed to
mako and collect the assessment for
the purpose Of dredging the Saginaw
River above and including the Willow
Island bar, would respectfully report
that agreeable to your instructions, he
has personally visited the owners and
agents of saw mills and salt works
located within the limits above men
toned, for the purpose of obtaining an
accurate statement of the capacity Of
their respective works. Such state
ment was obtained and an assessment
made, as follows: For lumber manu-
featured ut and below Zilwaukie, 10
per Dbl. Above Zilwaukie, and below
the Merrill bar, 20 cts. per M. feet for
lumber, and 2 cts per Dbl. for salt
Above the Merrill bar, and below tho
Salina bar, 20 cts. per M. feet for lum-
Der, and % cts. per Dbl. for salt. And
above the Salina BAR 80 cts. for lum-
Der and 8 cts. per Dbl. for salt. This
assessment was made upon the manu-
featuring capacity Of the saw mills
md salt blocks for one year or season,
salt blocks being rated at 1000 bbls.
each. The number of mills between
and including the points mentioned is
p; manufacturing capacity, los, $780,
600. Number of salt blocks, 73; ca
pacity, $1,000 barrels. The total
assessment on mills is s25, 300, and on
salt blocks $1l,375. A contract has
been prepared and entered into with
various. parties, owners of saw mills
and salt blocks, as per the amount as
scssed to them, by which they have
become obligated to pay your ussocia-
ton the total sum of 81, 6S0-besides
the sum of $4,000 subscribed by Jesse
Hoyt, by his Agent, G. b. Mott, Esq
Total amount subscribed, $l9,6S0;
leaving the sums on assessment and
not subscribed, SlS,995. i have called
personally upon these parties, many
of them number of times, soliciting
them to sign the contract but have
been met with various excuses, while
in some cases parties positively refused
to contribute. My opinion, however,
is that most Of them, understanding
the great necessity for the work, will
come forward and sign the contract, if
no other general plan for raising the
funds is adopted. Your instructions
contemplated soliciting and receiving
subscriptions from others than those
interested in saw mills and salt blocks,
from which it was thought q consider
able sum could be raised. Mr.. Hoyt
is the only person Of this class who
has subscribed. L havo made some
effort in this direction, but have been
met with the argument that tho own
ers of mills and salt works, who are
most directly Interested, should first
subscribe. Conceiving that there was
some force in this reasoning, i did not
press the subscription. / have come
to the conclusion that unless some
moro compulsory course is adopted in
the way Of raising money than by
subscription, it will be some time be-
fore the improvement is made. Poo
pie either do not or will not see the
necessity of the case. The assessment
was made on the 26th day of July
last. Had the subscriptions been
promptly made, a large amount of the
work could have been done last sea-
son, and thousands Of dollars saved in
lighterage alone. If parties pay no
more attention to their interests the
coming season than they have the
past, not only will they continue to
pay largo sums for lighterage, but
thoy will find that other and more
serious consequences, not necessary to
enumerate, will inevitably follow
This subject requires no comment, as
it must be patent to all who have con-
sidered or even thought upon the sub
iect If time is no object, a sufficient
amount might be raised by subscrip-
ton to dredge temporary channel to
Bay City; but if it is designed to make
channel admitting the largest class
vessels, the entire length of the river,
including tho outside bar, the coming
season, or even i'll two seasons, from
my experience l. am strongly of the
opinion that tho funds necessary for
tho work can not be raised by sub
scription. Tho money can be raised
by taxation, which / believe is the
only just and equitable plan by which
to raise it. 1t is certainly, in my judg-
ment, tho only practicable mode by
which the work can be accomplished.
/ have been induced to offer somo
portion of these remarks in view of
this meeting being called to consider
the subject of how the funds shall DO
raised, which is my apology for step
ping outside of tho strict letter of the
report. Respectfully submitted,
M. JEFFERS.
II. NJ. Fitzhugh, Esq, of Bay Co,
offered the following resolutions, which