Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-03-02
CITY GOVERNMENT.


THE MARCH MEETING OF COUNCILS
Annual Reports Of the Depastments and
acted-The Tax Rate Fix-
ed at Nine Mills.
a stated meeting Of city councils was
held last evening.
Select Council.
Present-NIessrs. Barr, Berger, Doerr,
Franklin, Judith, G. W. Zecber, Philip
Zeeher and Evans, president.
The reading OF the minutes OF last meet
ing was dispensed with.
Finance Water and Law.
Mr.. G. W. Zecher presented an abstract
of the minutes OF the finance committee for
the past month, which was read also the
monthly report of the city treasurer and
receiver of taxes, from which it appeared
that last months receipts into the city
treasury were S1,155.14 payments,
| 81, 4,S41. .02 aud the balance in treasury on
the 1st of March, s1S,605.35.
Mr.. Berger presented al abstract OF the
minutes OF the water committee for the
past month. The committee name
Thursday, the Goth of April, as day Of ap
peal from water taxes, and authorize the
chairman to advertise for proposals for
laying go feet of pipe on Lime street
| above James.
The annual report of the city solicitor
was presented and read. 1t contains 4
statement of the disposition of several suits
in court to which the city was Il party.
| The amount collected on liens during the
year was s512 40.
Report OF the Lamp Committee.
Mr.. Barr presented the annual report of
the lamp committee, detailing at length
the operations of that department during
the past year. 1t shows that there are
five hundred and eight street lamps in the
city, the location of all of which is given
in an appendix to the report. During the
year seven lamps were put up IS follows
At the corner of Concord and Grant, at
the Park house on the New Holland turn
pike, in the centre of the new railroad
bridge on Shippen street, at the cOlored
school house near Strawberry street, Oh
Beaver street near COnestoga mills, on
New street near Market and on Marion
between Charlotte and Mary.
The lamps are all lit with gasolins and
the committee recite at length the circum-
stances which led to the adoption of this
method, the gas company having refused
to comply with the terms of the city Ord:-
nance governing tho matter, and their bid
being so much higher than the rates in
former years, that it was resolved rather
than yield to what the committee and
councils considered extortion to resort to
the expedient of lighting with oil. The
committee also relate the reductions
made upon the bills Of the gas company
last winter, when there was such u great
pnblic clamor about the inferiorty of the
light furnished. The total reductions
made upon the gas bills for tho quarters
ending respectively January l, 1881, and
April /, 1881, amounted to 5000. The
committee report that Of the S9,5 500 appro
priated for lighting the city all has been
spent but $227.17, which will Of course
cause a large deficiency, as the apprOpria-
ton is designed to run until the lst o
} July, thetime when the contract for light
: ing is made. The committee explain
this by pointing out that when the appro
priation WAS made the amount provided
, was based on tho rate paid for lighting
the preceding year, 31S per post, whils
the cost the present year is S23 per post To-
gasoline :; gas, the committee allegc, wouIt
, have cost the city $40 post on the terms
of the gas company's bid. This committe'
state that the sum of 81, ,619.2S is lyin!
idle Of fund that has been for some year
, accumulating as an appropriation 10
clamps and posts ~ there is no need o
, this money for tho object stated, and th
l committee recommend the transfer OF tni
= sum 81, ,G19.29 from the appropriation TO
: clamps and posts, y where it is not wanted
to the fund for "lighting city, y where
, is. This will pay the bills up to the frs
of April, but the committee state ther
| xr: I IoE, Of oh, 4
see the committee through to the first o
July, and recommend the Immediate adop
. ton of measures to supply the nccessar
funds.
Q The report concludes with I warm rcl
3 ommendation of the electric light, an
} thinks councils should take immediat
steps for securing the introduction of thi
illuminator for lighting the city. 1t point
out its great superiority over all othe
methods, and thinks that on the score o
: economy as we'll rs in the interest OF prog
; ress practicable measures should be adopt
, ed in this direction. Tho committee sug
gest that an unused ninety-horse powc
engine now at tho water works
could supply the power for operating th'
light, while, il feasible, the Old boilers at
5 the water works might be used in the SAM
service. The wires conld be strung on tn
t city telephone poles, making the cost 70
Q that item very small. Some communica
f tions from the Maxim Electric Light ant
. Power company, offering terms for light
ing the city, are transmitted as part of tn
report, from which it appears that tn
3 cost of forty. light plant would be abou
9 as follows:
Generating machines. es.............: .:......$ $to.
| Forty lamps per $50. 40
| Three miles OF No. wire ,............ "
se,79
t The cost of maintaining the plant ma
be approximated from the carefully KEEP
y record of the expenses of forty-ligh
. plant that has been in successful operation
t for several months.
4 Interest OH investment in plant, per
9 hour. .................. Il
| Carbons consumed per hOur............. :.
Power absorbed in machines per hour. :
| Depreciation, attendance, etc., per hour Z
81
5000 hours ut SLAP; cost OF plant for one
year 40 hours per day. ...............si.a
Mr.. G. w. Zecher presented a resolution
which was adopted, transferring an unex
.. pended balance 81 ,819.28 Of former az
propriations for lamps and posts, to til
appropriation for lighting the city Com
mon council concurred.
The Streets.
: A report was presented by the stree
committee of work done by them durin
the past two months. To the report wa
= appended :. detailed statement OF wor
!. done, and cost of same, by the street com
mittee from March 1st to December Is
1881. The report was received aud con