The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-01-03
CITY AFFAIRS.
Monthly Meeting of City Council.

Monthiy Meeting of City Council
The January meeting of the City Council
was held last evening and the following bust
ness was transacted:
BOARD OF MAYOR AND ALDERMEN.
The committee on public buildings report
ed that the petition of E. e. Upham ct ais.
with reference to heating and ventilatng Park
street school, have considered said pc tition and
reported that some changes have been made in
the said school house under the direction of the
school agent and the committee are of the
opinion that nothing more is required with
reference to heating and ventilating said build
ing at the present time. The committee also
reported in the case of the petition from the
school committee that the condition of things
about the Park street and Bracket street
school buildings have been remedied and they
asked to be discharged, which was done.
The following resolutions were passed:
Res0tUed, That the existing laws which impose
upon cities and towns liability to action for dam
age by persons who have suffered injuries from al
legged defects in highways, burdensome to mu-
inequalities. expose them to unfounded and unjust
claims frequently compelling them to pay heavy
damages for causes beyond their CONTROL and that
such liabilities ought to be removed by the Legisla-
ture.
Resotced, That copy of this resolution be for
warded to the representatives from this city to the
approaching Legislature, and that they be requested
TO obtain an amendment to the present laws reliev-
ing the city of Portland from such liability from
such claims by its own citizens, and making the city
only liable to indictment and fine for defective ways.
The following resolutions were passed:
RESOLVED, That no exemption should be made I'M
der the Constitutional provision which declares that
all property should be taxed equally and according to
the just value thereof and that the laws of this state
which now exempt from taxation property held for
religious or charitable purposes should be repealed
ResotUed, That copies of this resolution be for
warded 10 the representatives from this city to the
next Legislature with the request that they will pro-
cure the enactment of law repeating all exemption
from taxation.
The following petitions for sewers were re-
ferred to the next city government: Of W. E.
Coleman ct ais on Lafayette street; of j. B.
Coyle on Newbury street; of Orlando Leighton
on Portland street; of Nehimiah Curtis on
Congress street; of Jerry Desmond on Fox
street; of w. 81. Holt on Federal street; of AL
bert E. Eaton on Middle street; of John w.
Low on Deer street; of Nathan Dyer on York
street; of Ell. M. Hart on Alder street.
The committee on drains and sewers submit
ted the report of the City Civil Engineer re-
lating to drains and sewers built during the
year and presented the following order:
Ordered, That the assessments contained in
thetforegoing report of the City Civil Engineer
be made upon the lots adjutant to the sewers
pense of constructing and completing the same
and that the City Clerk give legal notice of
such assessment returnaole at the Aidermen's
room in Portland on the 10th day of January
next and certify the same to the City Treasurer
for collection; and it is hereby determined that
the lots assessed aforesaid hnnaftfpd hv
such sewers in proportion to the rate of such
assessment, and that said assessments do not
exceed such benefit, nor do they exceed in the
whole two THIRDS Of the cost of Observers, and
we deem them just and reasonable.
The order was passed.
The following are the names eff the sewers
bnilt: Bracket street, Centre street, Congress
and Melen streets, Congress and, Chestnut
streets, Mayo and Cumberland streets Morn
ing and Promenade Streets Prospect, Casco
and Hanover streets, State and Cumberland
streets.
The Committee on Sewers reported that the
sewers petitoned for, f. G. Rollins ct ais, and
S. P. Getchell ct ais, on Congress and Port
land streets. had been built.
The Committee on Drains and Sewers re-
ported that they had settled with Nathan w.
Low, for damage to his scow and recommend
ed that Mary E. Bremen be paid $50 for a
cellar taken in laying out Island avenue
The Board passed the following resolution:
ReSoIUed, That an amendment to the city
charter of the city of Portland, prohibiting the
city from loaning money, loaning its credit or
increasing its Indebtedness until its existing
debts and liabilities are paid or largely reduced
would tend to maintain the credit and future
prosperity of the city, and with this object the
City Council would recommend the enactment
by the Legislature OF the following bill:
The bill is as follows:
STATE OF MAINE,
In THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1877.
AN ACT ADDITIONAL RELATING TO THE CITY OF
PORTLAND.
Be 1t enacted by the Senate and House of Represent
tatiOes in Legislature assembled:
SECTION 1 Neither the inhabitants of the City of
Portland, nor the City Council, nor any officer or
officers thereof shall hereafter create any debt or
which shall single in the aggregate with other
debts and liabilities hereinafter heretofore created
in behalf of said City exceeding five per of the
valuation of said city for the year in which it is
passed to create said debts liabilities, long as
The aggregate debts and abiitie of said city exceed
five per cent aforesaid; shall issue any notes.
bonds or any certificates evidnece of Indebtedness
for any such debt liability; shall the credit of
said city be directly indirectly loaned in any case
and existing statutes, whether public or private
shall be construed as vesting any authority 10 loan
such credit nor to create such debt liability
evidence
ness; shall any statute public private, here
after passed be construed vestng such authority,
unless express reference is made therein to the pro-
visions OF this act.
SECTIoN2. This act shall not apply to any fund
which said city may receive in trust. to any loan
for municipal purposes, for payment OF which pro-
vision is made by assessment of the amount in the
municipal tax during the municipal year in which
the same is incured nor to any loan issued for the
pupose OF renewing or paying the principal of exist
ing loans or liabilities
SEXTON 8. The Supreme Judicial Court shall
have Jurisdiction in equity to prevent violation of
bic inhabitants of said city.
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect on the
fifteenth day of March. 1871.
Petitions Presented and Referred-Of W,
Deehan to build dwelling house Oh Clark ST.;
of Moses A. Pennett to build a wooden dwell
ing on Congress street; of b. f. Whitney for
permission to erect an addition as stable on
Pine street.
Order Pdssed-That the sum of $3.50. rs be
paid to L. M. Lovejoy for the construction of a
sewer on Bracket street.
COMMON COUNCIL.
The papers from the upper Board were pass
ed in concurrence. After the adjournment of
the Board the Mayor ordered the Messenger to
notify the members OF a special meeting to be
held at once. They were SO notified and as
semhed, whereupon Councilman Cunningham
pronounced the meeting illegal upon the ground
that the members had not been notified accord
ing to law. The Council so voted and the
meeting was adjourned. Consequently the res
olution to tax church prop erty was not acted
upon in this Board, much to the joy of Coun-
Gilman Cunningham and others.
Music HALL.-Another good house greeted
the Schoolcraft & Goes Combination at Music
Hall last evening, and very pleasing enter
tainment was enjoyed. The programme was
somewhat changed from the previous evening