Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-03-13
Mr.. Stuart-Yes, expect 7 had better act


ing the opinion of the Attorney General upon
the right OF the City Council to exempt manu-
features from taxation, said that he had been
waited upon during the week by gentlemen
from the North, who proposed to erect an ex-
tenslve iron foundry here, and asked if the
Council would exempt the works from taxes
tor ten years 1t was, therefore, important
that some reliable information on the subject
of the power of Councilov this matter should
be promptly obtained. The resolution was
agreed to.
Mr.. Risheill introduced bill to continue the
pay of policemen while sick. Mr.. r said that
he hoped the bill would pass tonight One of
the most efficient of the police was now sick
with pneumonia and without means of support
The scant salary OF the police would not allow
them to save a cent. In this case the police
man had probably contracted the disease in the
discharge of his duty The bill was passed
unanimously.
The 9th annual report Of the Fire Wardens
was read and accepted with the thanks OF
| Council to the Wardens
A communication from g. W. Harrison was
received, praying that sign post erected by
him on King street,in front of his place Of bust
ness, be allowed to remain, inasmuch as there
| were siuIilar posts on the same street.
! Mrs +. Brocket applied for u further hear
ing in the case OF her application for refund
ing OF the taxes paid by her ON property occu-
pied by Y. 5. troops during the war.
MIR. Hughes was opposed to granting the
request. It had already been decided. The
parties had said hat if the request was not
granted the matter would be carried into the
Courts. Let it be carried there aud the ques
tion definitely settled
The Committee on the Poor reported that it
had become necessary to buy few cords of
wood additional for the poor during the recent
inclement weather 500 80 were appropriated
to cover all deficiencies in the appropriations Tor
wood
A new numbering bill being introduced from
the Board of Aldermen,
Mr. Hughes opposed the numbering of the
vacant lots 1t would be impossible to tell to-
night how much it would cost to put stakes over
all the vacant lots in the neighborhood Of the
town. He moved to strike ont that portion of
the BILL
Mr. Hopkins said that the stakes were to be
driven into the ground so as to expose but five
or six inches. The obect of them would be to
give the assessor better chance to make Il full
assessment
Mr. Hughes-The stake wont inform him.
Mr. Wheat saw much difficulty in the flu
ture if this plan was adopted. 1t could not
add to the value of squares to divide them into
twenty feet lots Would there be higher as
sessment on five lots Of 20 feet each than on
one lot of 100 feet. The matter had already
been decided by Council and vetoed by the
Mayor, and now here was the same bill back
again. The Influence of the Mayor was clearly
visible in it.
Mr. Pinu said there was man who had a
vacant lot near him for which he asked 1000
and yet he paid but So tax upon it. He favor
ed the bill whether it came from the Mayor or
not.
Mr.. Evans asked If numbers on the assessors
books would not be just as ntelligible as these
stakes.
Mr.. Henderson favored plat rather than
the stakes.
The motion to strike out the last two clauses
pasSed-ayeS, g. noes, /.
Mr. Hughes said that the murderer c1uld
not determine the boundaries OF lots. The city
Surveyor in laying out lot on Prince street Il
short time since, came only within three feet OF
it. Now if the city Surveyor could not deter
mine the exact location OF lots what could
others do.
Mr. Clagett expressed his views on the sub
ject
Mr. Hughes in dwelling upon the difficulty
of any one person determining the lines OF lots,
said that King street, the principal street OF
After further debate Mr.. Wheat moved to
strike out the word Mayor whenever it &C.
Cured in the bill The Mayor had nothing to
do with these matters. He had observed that
in every report of the Committee on Streets
the Mayor was always Introduced on al! com
missions This was a blending of functions
1t was the business of Council to pass laws and
Of the Mayor to execute them. The Mayor
should have no place on Council committees;
vet he seemed to do the work Of some of them
lie had, it appeared, bought wood without au-
thority, and now bill comes III to pay for It.
Mr. SMITH think the gentleman fails to
understand what he is talking about.
Mr. W heat said he had it from the chair.
man OF the committee that the Mayor had
purchased the wood himself
Mr. Shinn would like to vote for bill pro-
viding for proper numbering of the city, but
ne could not vote for this bil He thought
that the contractor for putting up the numbers
should be required to furnish plat Of the lots.
He favored, however, the plan Of numbering
vacant lots.
Mr.. Wheat said that the numbering Of va
can't lots could not remedy the want OF judg
ment on the part of the assessors, and that the
value of property in this city was not sufficient
to Justify such measure as this. 1t would III
volve a large expense
Mr. Beach knew that many houses and lots
in Alexandria needed numbering, and for the
purpose Of getting the bill through would move
to strike out all the sections relative to plats.
There were number of residences on which
there were no numbers, and 1t was important,
in order to collect the school tax that all resi-.
dences should be numbered. There was need
for a revisal of the assessment. He knew gen.
tlelnen who were assessed with lots at $4O0
and would not take Que thousand dollars cash
tor them.
Mr.. Pinn said he knew that lot in the up.
per section of the city had not been assessed
since 1860 until portion was sold, and then
the portion sold was assessed tor the first time
In ten years
A motion to recommit the bill having been
made, :,
MIR. Moore would like to know what commit
tee the bill came from He had never heard OF
that bill in the Committee on Streets :,