The Portland daily press., 1878-06-11
CITY AFFAIRS.
special Meeting of the City Council.

nouSe quoetiou ana tne fourtn OF d uly ceebra
tion, the two great questions which for some
time have disturbed the minds of the cit,
fathers. Both Of these great questions were
settled and now people can breathe easier.
The first question which came up was the
question of celebrating
| THE FOURTH OF JULY
The joint standing committee on the cale
bration OF the Fourth of July reported recon-
mendlng the following programme: Ringing OF
the bells and firing salute at sunrise and sun.
set, children's entertai nment in City Hall fore.
noon and AFTERNOON, band concerts forenoon
and evening, target practice in the afternoon
by the military companies, and game of base
ball, the whole expense not to exceed $1,000.
The reportw was accepted in the upper board
An order was presented appropriating $1,000
for that purpose Alderman Cushman wanted
to make it $4,000 instead of $1,000. Alderman
Haseltine wanted good celebration or none.
The amendment to make the appropriation
$4,000 was lost, to 2, as were amendments to
make it $2500, $4,000, $500 or indefinitely post.
pone it. The original order appropriating
$1,000 to be expended as indicated by the report
of the committee was finally passed, to 2,
Aldermen Cushman and Haseltine voting in
the negative. This settled the matter in this
board.
In the lower board the order as passed by
| the aldermen was red, whereupon Council
man SWEET moved to amend by making the
sum $4,000, to be placed at the disposal of a
joint special committee, giving them full power
to expend it IN the most judicious m amer pos
sible to appropriately celebrate our national
| anniversary. z----.---
| The amendment or order did not suit Coun-
| Gilman Andrews and he thought $500 would
| about answer the purpose unless there was to
be big celebration. He thought, however,
| that the city could we'll afford to appropriate
$4,000.
CJuucilman Libby said it was unwise to
make large appropriation this year and for
! $50 he could make more hearts glad BY buying
them bread than the city could in expending
$4,000.
Amendments to make the appropriation
$4,000, $4,000, $500, to indefinitely postpone, to
| lay on the table were lost and the original
order was passed in concurrence, 16 to 8, thns
| settling the celebration matter.
The next matter which came up was the
question of the
BRACKET STREET SCHOOL HOUSE.
On this subject the mayor presented the
following communication and order Ia the
upper board:
To the City Council:
In accordance with the provisions of the city
charter making it the duty Of the mayor from
time to time to give information and make
recommendations to the Council, would re-
spectfully call your attention to the fact, that
owing to the disagreement of the two branches
on the school house question, the financial
arrangements for carrying on the city govern
ment for the municipal year are not made, nor
the appropriations prepared, and that the whole
business of the city is nearly at stsnd-still.
The Brackett street school house in one sense
is nuisance, if it never was before.
think l have found way to break the
deadlock by way of compromise which ought
to satisfy all reasonable persons.
1. 1t will be recollected that amobg other
things, the Committee on Public Buildings
recommended the erection of moderate sized
school house for some 400 pupils on the lot oc-
cupied by the present building; that has been
objected to, and perhaps justly, as crowding
the lot too much. 1t was not then known by
the committee that another lot was obtainable.
But am enabled to report to you now, that an
arrangement can be made with the Hon. John
B. Brown whereby one Of the best lots in the
city for the purpose and net too near or too far
from the cid school house, fronting on two
streets with plenty of air and sunshine can be
procured on favorable TERMS that is to say, the
lot at the intersection of Pine and West streets,
at the rate of 45 cents per square foot Mr.
Brown being willing to wait the con venience
of the city for the payment Of the purchase
money, asking only interest thereon at the rate
CT 5 per cent [ recommend the procurement
of this lot.
2. Also, since the report of that committee
it has been ascertained that the number of
pupils to be provided for in the western part
Cf the city has been underestimated Casco
Park Straat SchOn1
street school houses are all overlooking,
the latter having already oveIlowed into
Vaughan street ward room. AT the beginning
of the next school year accommoda-
will be needed for at least 500 pupils exclusive
OF the Brackett street school house, and if that
is torn down $50 to 400 must be added to the
lumber to say nothing about making provision
for the future. 1t has been further conclusive
ly shown that it is impossible to put one build
ing on the Brackett street lot of size sufficient
to accommodate any such number of children
Hence the absolute necessity for another school
house whatever may be done with the old one,
and TINT the building of the same be commenc-
ed forthwith, so as to be ready early next season
for occupation l therefore recommend the
erection OF such school house on the Pine
an l West streets lot.
3. As to the disposal of that prolific source
of discord the old school house itself-the
Council already know my opinion that if it is
to be torn down for the causes alleged, not only
a large number Of our school houses, but of
dwelling houses in the city ought to meet the
same fate for the same causes. Personally and
in connection with the Committee on Pablic
Buildings, have spent any amount of time
in examining this building from bottom to top,
soil, walls, drainage, vault, ventilation and
warming, and have sought the advice of our
best mechanics ard builders as experts, and l
am fully convinced that at the small. expense
recommended by the committee, it can be made
a thoroughly healthful building With these
positive convictions the Council would hardly
@En Oh, Il
manipulated like clay in the potter's hands to
approve what he is convinced is predjudicial
to the bests interests of the city. Undoubtedly
there may be two sides to the question, and
different opinions honesty held. If am right
in mine, no good citizen would favor the tear
ing down the school house. If the proposed
repairs are made, it will surely be demonstra-
ted next fall and winter whether L am wrong,
and in that case will be among the first to
advocate the removal of the building. I there
fore recommend that it be allowed to stand for
the present, and the limited amount of repairs
advised be put upon it. and after the fall and
winter trial, if it does not prove to be in
satisfactory SANITARY condition, let it be levelled
with the ground, and replaced by new
structure, and let all the people say, amen
M. M. BUTLER, Mayor.
Ordered, That the committee on public
buildings be and they hereby are authorized
erecting school hous se thereon, the lot owned
by the Hon. j. b. Brown, at the Intersection of
Pine and West streets upon such terms and
conditions as will not under the advise of the
city solicitor, increase the permanent debt or
liabilities of the city, and at a rate not exceed
ing forty-ive cents per square feet; and there
upon cause to be prepared plans and specifca-
tions for good substantial two story brick
school house of size to accommodate not
more than 600 pupils to be of modern con-
struction, well warmed and ventilated, then
advertise for proposals for building such
structure and ia the name and behalf of the
city to contract with the lowest responsible
bidder to construct the same on said lot; he
giving adequate security for the performance
of his contract, and the building to be completed
at the earliest practical time consistent with
the healthful occupation of the same by the
pupils, the expense to be charged to the pro-
posed appropriation when made, and said com.
mittee are also authorized to repair the present
Brackett street school house as heretofore
recommended by them in their report under
date of May. 1878, the expense to be charged
to the proper appropriation when made.
Alderman Cushman spoke in opposition to
the order, as it did not provide what the people
in the Bracket street district needed He
quoted ex-Mayor Richardson as saying that
after a careful examination he considered the
old building worthless structure for school