Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-10
NUMBER p.
OUR PUBLIC WORKS.
I LIVELY BREEZE YESTERDAY
The Opening of Eighth Street makes a
Row--1ndignant Protests from Property
Owners--The st. Peter Street Sewer--A
Little Brusl, at the Council

Owners--The st. Peter Street sewer--A
Little Brush at the Council
lively session of the board of public
works was held yesterday morning, at which
were present President Timme and Messrs.
=. F. Drake and II. NJ. Rice. Parties own
lug and representing property on Eighth
street were in attendance in full force.
After the routine preliminaries, the ex-
tension of Eighth street through to Waba-
shaw was called up, when H. L. Williams,
Esq, said he appeared in behalf of parties
interested in Eighth street property. He
understood this extension had been inde-
tnltely postponed in 1875, in response to a
remonstrance signed by all but one of the
property owners on the thoroughfare.
Mr.. Drake commended the matter was prop
erly before the board on an order from the
Council directing the board to proceed in
the premises, and, further, on declaration
by the late board that the improvement was
important and necessary. The board had
no option 1t was simply executing an or
| der, and the revocation, or otherwise of that
order lay with the Council.
Mr.. Pennock Pussy followed in Mr.. Will
Jams track and characterized as an outrage
the assessment of property all the way along
Eighth street to open only one block, espe-
cially when nine-tenths of the owners pro-
| tested against it.
| President Timme said the real question at
ISSUE as far as the board was concerned, was
whether or not the assessment promulgat-
ed was open to censure for anything like un-
fairness within itself, and not as to the ad-
visibility or otherwise of the contemplated
improvement.
| Mr. j. S. Prince warmly affirmed that the
only benefits accruing from the opening
would revert.to only one block-the one to
be opened-and it only should pay for them
Mr.. William Lee had examined the prem
ises, and discovered that the OPEN
ing of Eighth street on Wabashaw
would be under fifty feet from Ninth street.
In his opinion, if any parties wanted to be
benefited by tn, creation of corner lots, they
alone ought to purchase the land necessary
| for the opening, and consecrate it to that
| purpose, as they alone would derive the ben
efts therefrom.
Messrs. Drake and Rice concurred in the
opinion that this board had no power to in
definitely postpone the matter, and both dis
claimed any personal influences or prefer
ences therein.
engaged in circulating among the numer-
GUS interested property holders pres
ent an emphatically protesting
petition which invariably received ready
signatures. The remonstrance was then
handed to the board and read, when the
matter was temporarily disposed of by laying
| it over for two weeks
HITCH WITH THE COUNCIL.
| A petition was presented from the proper
| ty owners on st. Peter and tenth streets, pro
testing against the structure of sewers under
| those thoroughfares, as unnecessary for the
present, and pleading poverty.
| The contract for this work had been retur-
ned by the council to the board as approved
and ordering it executed, although the board
had reported that the assessments would fail
to meet the obligation thereby to be incur
red. All this put little fat in the fire.
Mr.. Drake said the board, under this and
similar circumstances,was the mere cat's-paw
under the council, and the board should re-
fuse to execute this and the like contracts,
unless provisions are made by the council
for the deficits.
President Iimme commended that, when
the council ordered work entered upon,
wherein the possible assessments would not
cover the amount required therefor and
without providing for the balance, the board
should be invested with the power to post
pone the work, for time at least
The business was then disposed of. after a
little more informal talk, by referring the or
der back to the Council, with the informa-
ton that somewhere about 81 600 would be
deficient over the actual assessment for the
work specified, and informing the Council
that the board declined TO execute the CON
tract until the deficiency is provided for
A FAULTY CONTRACT.
The contract of Michael O'Brien for work
on Ohio street was taken up next. it having
been recommended by the Council for reas
ons unexplained. There appeared. however.
to be discrepancy between the bid and the
specifications, and the whole was committed
to the city engineer and city attorney. A
contractor present, claiming to be the next
bidder to O'Brien, hoped the board would
award the contract to him. as the only legal
competitor, instead of O'Brien.
PAYING THE STREET FORCE.
Mr.. Rice directed attention to the report
OF the city comptroller to the council respect
ing the payment of street laborers.
A conversation ensued in which the opin
ION was conincided in unanimously that the
bonds of street inspectors only covered their
duties as inspectors, and not as paymasters.
Circumstances might arise whereby the CITY
might be..the loser from irregularity of wages.
payments by the inspectors, or in other
ways, and there would be no redress.
What was demanded was an
authorized city paymaster-say the city
comptroller-who would be responsible for
all disbursements for all city labor. The
matter dropped after the determination to
call the attention of the council to the law
and the facts of the case.
The customary routine business followed,
and the board adjourned.
Those who will take the trouble to examine the
records in the offices of the probate courts. and
the statistics of bankruptcy, will discover that
during the past forty or fifty years, of the num-
Der of persons whol commence business in the
cities of this country, at least ninety-fpe pey
cent. die poor. In view of these facts who will
say that the comparatively small sums of
money paid by man who insnres his life with
the New England Mutualn tn secure coyn