Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-09-24


since the City Council decided Lot 10
plank Con uuerclal and Froat streets.
bat - make them pzs-abts by removing
tie DEa ard dIlIaE az chuck holes xIsh
gravel. great deal of fanlt has been
foand ~ith their aston. In order TO
gss At the bottom facts Of this matter
= PosE-IxrELLGaKNcER reporter called
upon Mayor LeAry last evening. when
TIE following conversation took pla1e:
Reuor.er-~Mr. Lesry, there seems TO
- good deal Of dissatisfaction about
the manner IN ~hish tie CITY Coancgl
props TO improve Commercial, via
.ua Front streets TIE mere srave}Ing
Of the~e STREETS A. proposed dos n u
S<-~yu 70 sss4sfs th@ paosgc
Mzvor L~4rv - E3sr tire cIrcsu1-
stances xe cozsd 10 nothing sls~~ Ne
wwrs AwAre - ihe aecrsS4fy nj eat.1ne
tneS1 streets Is good ar.3er. aud n =
condition 50 asses th@ requirements af
tie lynna~u@@ t-Attsc ax~r tAssa. sSs7<~-s /
" a. Tt winter ~cA~au s..S csAsuGgaAs az.
oct to1ud tAat ge cs@si aAs psAak
then. rxc~pE Sc property eSgers@. ~
provads03 IN the esGy - srtes. Sasd tie
rr1nclpSl property esasr> AZ see Ene
II the rra=ss name ! AtsSAaais,y rssfa. ell
20 permit the work - - daur IN kAt
manner. or u cF1e- xssz.3S ieev tSesl red
they wOGid not pay fes fae s&AnSu If
done. The fact i there arr over : 81
0l0 IN grade scrip unpaid for wezS al
ready performed On streets srs id. and
contractors refuse 10 tender for faEiG
street improvements. unless the city will
guarantee the payment of the grs de
scrip, or issue city scrip therefor. which
OF coarse cannot be done under tie
charter We therefore had TO do the
best We could with the limited means
at band The road fund being already
heavily drawn upon, vs. found Ourselves
in the dilemma either - do nothing. or
to sxpend a reasonable san IN Temp
rarlly improving those principal thor
oas hfares, and making tAen passaOle
for the winter. The latter was consld
cred the most advisable course By the
Council"
Reporter-Nr. Leary, what il the con-
ditioB of the city in 1noes al sne present
time:
Mayor Leary-rne iudebts dness of
all fu d. to date Is ab)at 81 go. ex
elusive of street grade Indebtedness,
which amounts to about $4,000. For
the collection of this last named sum
the City Attorney has commenced about
twenty actions IN tue District Court
against the delinquent owners of prop
erty along the improved streets. To
meet this S3l, 900 Indebtedness and tie
additional amount required for the mu
nic1pal year ending August /, 1885, We
expect to REALMS from taxes and other
sources about So 1000, which only al
lows Us $4,000 10 run the city during
the Rext ten months, which sum must
be divided up among the various funds,
as follows City fund. road fund, fire
fund, gas fund, Water fund and Gene
terry fund. Iou are aware that the two
mill tax for city purposes heretofore
levIed has been discontinued, leaving a
shortage OH the city fund of about ST.,
COO so that the most rigid economy il
all the departments of the city govern
ment must he observed III order to
maintain the credit of the city and
bring its scrip to par, as already the
road and fire fund serip (which funds
have already been overdrawn) com
mands bat - cests on the dollar. A
city Is like an individual. If it issues
more scrip than is war; ,nted by its an
anal revenues, the scrip necessarily be
comes deprecated. 1t will be- seen
from what have STATE d that The city is
IN no condition financially To incur a
very heavy indebtedness. either for
street work or anything else, at the
present time, and the Cpnncii, IN decid-
ing as it did. merely took business
view of the situation an .c:g1 { ord
Iuyly -