The daily gazette., 1879-02-18
SECOND EDITION
The Marsh Bill.

report Approred.
| City Council held an adjourned meet
ing, last evening, for the purpose Of dis
! posing of the bill in relation to marsh
properly in the suburbs OF the city.
The bill as prepared by the City Coun-
| Gil Legislative Committee invested Coun-
Gil authority and jurisdiction over the
! marshes, banks, sluices and drains with
in tn, city limits and ha'fmle thereof
with power to make necessary repairs, in
case the owners fail to do so after being
| duly notified, and to collect the cost OF
said repairs. by the sale of the property
SO repaired. The last section provided
that Council should have authority, in
its discreet m, to exempt from city taxa
| ton all marsh lands used exclusively for
| Agricultural purposes and bordering on
he Brandywine, ChristiarN or Della
ware rivers.
Mr.. Paynter offered a substitute bill
which had beeu prepared by the marsh
owners. L. was the same, in effect, as
the first bill except that it gave Counc |
authority over over such marsh lands
as were not owned by the marsh compan-
les. The last section provided that all
manufacturing stablshments-rolliDg
mills, forges, factories aud grain eleva-
| tors-erected on these lands should be
exempt from tsxation for the space Of
ten years from the time they are put in
to operation.
Mr.. Taylor objected to this new bill,
as he thought Council should have juris-
diction over the marshes owned by the
marsh companies, so as to compel the
making of repairs when necessary for the
| safety of the city.
MIR. Paynter moved to adopt Section /
of the new bill, and Mr.. McGlinchey
moved to amend by substituting section
uf the original bill.
Mr.. PaynIer thought the new bill was
the best sort Of a compromis- that cou d
be arranged, as the original bill would
ne yer pass the Legislature, on account Of
the opposition of the marsh owners. 1t
| would be useless for Council to try to
| compel the marsh companies to repair the
banks, as the individual members could
not be reached, and the companies had
nothing to sue. One ofthom-the Cherry
Is and-wa, $4,000 in debt, and it would
be useless for Council to sue this indebt-
edntss.
President Lichtenstein took the floor
anu CdIltu d'ItutlOu " tuc idCl tudJ OeC-
ton provided that a lien made against
the marsh lands,o n account of repairs
done by the city, should have "priority
over all other liens and enum brances
whatever" This, he thought, was an
absurd provision, and moved to amend
by adding the words, "made subsequent
to the passage of this act" The amend
ment prevailed.
DIR. Walton failed to see why any legis-
lnet yt,af ii ,f
1; would would cost great deal of morey
to put the marsh banks in repair, and II
the marsh laoCs were sold in fee simple
they would not pay the expense of these
repairs.
After some further discussion Section
! of the original bill was adopted by the
following vote:
Ayes--M essrs. Adams, Chandler,
Downing, Evans, Guthrie, Hart, Huest-
ed, Knight, Lynch, NJ McGlinchey, M oore,
Norton, Rowe, Taylor, Wood, and MIR.
President-16.
Nays-Messrs. Jones, Paynter. Price
and Walton-4.
Absent-Mr. Townsend.
The other sections, which provide for
the mode Of entering the hens against,
and selling property for the cost of re-
pairs, were adopted.
The last secri IN. allowing Council to
exempt from taxation marsh lands used
exclusively for agricultural purposes,
gave rise to a protracted discussion.
Mr.. Norton thought it would be an alb
surdity, to exempt this land from t Xa-
ton when the poor mans houses were SO
heavily taxed.
Mr.. McGlinchey thought these agricul-
tural marsh lands We're more productive
aud better able 10 pay taxes Than many
of the sterile, uDproductive lots on the
Third Ward hills
Mr.. Lynch thought it would be no
harm to give Council this power, as it
might he advisable at some future time,
to exempt the property from taxation.
Mr.. Taylor objected to this section be-
cause il made Council Board of Revi-
sion-a burden they had just got rid of.
The Board of Revision can assess this
proper as they think just and right, ac-
cording to its value, and If the ASSESS
ment is low the taxes Will be low.
Mr.. Payhter said it should be remem-
bered that the marsh owners get nothing
for the taxes they pay, while other taxa
bis get light, police protection, paved
streets, SC.
A motion to strike out this section was
adopted by rising vote of 10 to z, after
which the section just Ost was subsiitu-
ted by the last section cf the marsh OWL
ers' bill, eXempting manufacturing estab-
ishments erected on the marsh lands
from taxation for ten years after they are
put in operation.
The bill, as a whole, was then approved
almost unanimously, DIR. Walton alone
voting In the negative.
Mr.. Paynter presented the report of
the committee of citizens u In relation to
the Water Department machinery (pub-
lished elsewbere) recommending The re-
newal of the water pumps, aud the appli-
cation of one-third of the net revenue OF
the Department each year to the exten-
sion and improvement of the machinery.
Mr.. Paynter moved that tue Lesi'la-
tive Committee be instructed to PREF are
bill cmbodying these recommended
tions.
Mr.. Chandler thought it would be best
to have authority to borrow $50, 900, or so
much thereof as would he necessary TO
renew the pumps.
Mr.. Paynrer presented AN after sugges-
ton from mem ber of the citizens COM
mittee, 10 the effect thal instead of ap-
preparation one-third of the net revenue
of the Department, the amount should be
specitied-S12,000a year.
Mr.. Taylor moved that the whole SUBJ
ject be referred to the Legislative Com
inittee, with instructions to report a bill
embodying the recommendations receiv-
ed, in which the amount set apart each
wear for extension and Improvement
shall not exceed $4,000. Adopted.
Council then adjourned until Wednes-
day night, at 8 O'clock, when the legisla-
tive business will be finished.