Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-06-28
10 n l. N &c :" -.

LOCAL N Is WIS.
COMMON CoUNcrL-Thc Common Council,
Immediately upon its opening last night, re-
sumcd the consideration of tho new street i'm
pruvcmcnt bill
MIR. Etcibcrg, in abiding to the provision
for separate tax bills for this fiscal year, said
that he desired that it should be understood
plainly that the commissions of the collectors
on this levy should be paid out of the levy.
MIR. Portncr and Mr.. Hopkins did not think
any change necessary; that was what was now
understood.
Mr.. Evans favored elcctng two members to
serve one year and two to serve two years, SO
us to keep q nucleus. He doubted whether the
charter allowed the Council to grant such cx-
tcllsivc powers to the proposed Board.
Mr. Hopkins thought that any change would
destroy the entire object of the bill.
MIR. Shinn mr. Hopkins in the chair did
nor think the provisions were obnoxious to the
restraints Of the charter. The Board of Public
Works wond be mere agents Of the City Coun-
Gil, i,ld what the City Council did by Its agents
it would do by itself:
Mr.. Evans said he had never voted for
reference to any committee with power to act;
for he did not believe Council had power to
delegate its functions TO q committee. iie
would not, however, be captious on the sui, jet.
Mr.. Eichbcrg held that if Council had a
right to make Il law to improve the streets, 1t
had right TO designate 4 Beard to improve
the streets.
Mr.. Evans thought that the bill gave the
whole subject Of street improv emcnts over out
oil their hands TO this Board and yet the char
ter required that this very power be retained
IN the hands of the City Council.
MIR. Hughes said that there were many
Il.l.-. i. H.
the bill was scut back it might be lost and he
wanted i beginning Ii would be four months
before anything was done, and III that time II
any change is needed it would be made
MIR. Beach moved to amend by making the
amount charged to the property binding on
the improved streets onc-third instead of one
sixth as required by the bill. He thought that
on the improved streets the prnpcrtyholdcrs
had already paid onc-third and it would be un
fair to burden them again in the general tax
with the onc-lhri which The property on the
new streets ought to pay.
Mr. HOPKINS cnntenicd that the out yng
lots had for Il century been paying for streets
in lii" centre oi the city, and 1t would not be
un ust that the centre should now pay Tor the
outskirts.
Mr. Evans said he lived on a lot on Majors
Hill which had bccu paying taxes Tor twenty
}
for all the work that had been done there Tor
twenty years.
Mr. Hughes said the gas works, or rather the
gas consumers, had paid for rcpavlng the streets
and keeping them clean. The taxes went to
pay interest on debt that he knew nothing
about, and few persons did.
The amendment OF, Mr. Beach was not
agreed to.
Other amendments having been proposed,
MIR. Hughes deprecated delay, aud hoped the
bill would he passed as 1t stood.
Mr. Evans was not in favor of allowing the
mcmbcrs of the Board $50 Il year as provided
in the bill; the coulmtle on streets had done as
much work as the Board of Public Works. yet
they received no pay He would not move to
amend.
Considerable discussion cnsucd upon the pro-
vision Which requires bills OF over $50 to be re-
Icrrcd to Council for approval or rejection, Mr..
F.ichbcrg saying that this provision should be
stricken out.
The questioned the pay Of tho engineer be-
lug under consideration,
MIR. Evans said that our City Surveyor Is
Just as good as any other land surveyor, but if
this is surveying, he did not know what cngi-
n"rrins meant. A surveyor was no more an
engineer than u shoemaker was 4 maker OF
hunllctS. You cant get Il competent engineer
II three dollars per day.
Mr.. Hopkins thought the City Surveyor
competent.
Mr.. Evans asked where had Mr.. Carter had
an opportunity 10 learn engineering. 1t must
be learned by experience, not by books.
When the bill came up on Its third reading,
MIR. Evans said it looked to him like job.
Every member of Council had announced HIM.
self opposed to some portion Of the bill, and
yet members wanted nothing changed.
MIR. Hughes was willing to take the bill as 1t
stood, because nothing better could be got now.
Mr.. Stnnn said that no one would deny that
The people Of the town were in favor of i'm
provcncnIS. This Board had shown itself more
practical IN matters of improvement than the
other Beard. He had himself, for three years,
proposed each time Il resolution for providing
map and grades, and it had as often been
lieu IN the other Board. He spoke zcalousy
III favor OF the bill as better, far better than no
III, at all, and as the beginning
:, Mr. Evans was ashamed of the bill, and as
'He,r We're numbers enough here to pass it
WITHOUT IN hlm lie would vote against it.
aI nc y, III, was passcd-aycs, 9; noes, /.
~ Hopkins withdrew his bill to prevent
, .n' sue Oh Intoxicating drinks, presented ut
"u ''S' meeting, on the Sabbath, saying that
wa" Impossible IN the present state OF the
'"n VI The Commonwealth for the City Coun-
VI. 90 pass an effective law for the preservation
"l the Sabbath.
The Board then adjourned sine die.
'lFf ScHooI BOARD. The Board met
promptly at o'clock last night, present, the
Superintendent aud Messrs. Addison, j. S.
beach, Hopkins Ncalc, Wheat Whiltington
and Wilmer. ln the absence Vi the Chairman,
VT. heat was elected Chairman pro tenn, and