The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-08-08
THE STREET WORK.
4 WILL POSTED CITIZEN GIVES HIS
0PfyI0s BaikFLr.
He Thinks the Bead Ordinasee VIII
Net st.na-Tbs Probable Action Of
the CsusciI-The Subject 10 be
Censfdersa at Once.

soon turn 70 and finish up their con
tracts.
sTArEmEsr % : FELL rosrrg crrrzEx
/ i geatleaaan who Is vel posted o.
city matters said yesterday 10 re
lparter. This trouble Is eause,4 in M,
estimation. largely BIZ one man. H
Is an attorney aud holds lot Of sersp,
purchased at % reEts. He worked ar
the scheme and got the contractors &c
4 git work by hclding OFT to them the
nesiet that the city uoglsi take tie mat
tef u hand and make some pFovssiasl
80 that tie script for the contract.
n9H IN existence may be ii0a;ed at par.
lhes. he could unload az 100 eeats ~,
TIE dSiisr and clean up nice litile
ptie- lie evidently does 40,
tractors quit and do rot iiafsh
their contracts, tie sr-irss viii
not be worth anything. An 81
those men entered inf9those contracts
with their eyes OPEN. TbeT kneg IN,
| what the conditions we're and / lex
TINT Il wouii oaiy be seryin. thea,
right, after their evident Effort 70 forre
the council 10 do something that Il has
a yery questionable right 10 DO, to jst
them stop work, II they will and hold
their hor3smen responsible. The
trouble with many Of them Is that they
10 not Use good business judgment.
Mr.. Orr. OF Parker & Orr, one Of The
unsuccessful bidders for the derot
street work. told Iae that before put
ting IN his bid he had a written agree
Ineni for the sale OF the script al 80
cents. Now, II they would all take
such precautions they would not be al
the mercy Of money lenders ana
brokers and good deal OF this diff
Guilty would BE obyiated.
QUESTIONABLE POWER.
For my part. and | have studied
this question pretty carefully, do not
see how the city can go back and
guarantee the interest on the script
already issued. In this matter, you
see. the city only acts as agent or col
lector for the property-owers. and |
think II viii he found that the orfi-
nance recently passed providing for
the issuance OF bonds win not hold
water. How Is the city going 10
guarantee the payment OF bonds n n
stated time? The charter provides
. los the mode Of collecting street grade
asse ssments. The city has no assur-
ance that the necessary money will be
in certain fund at -. NV, I'm
the OTIS asud, tie assessments may
nj, BE paid in within the time pre-
scribcd by the charter and fhensthe
money has 10 lie there while the city
pays interest on the bonds until they
become due. Ii IS q rather difficult
subject to deal with | am free to con-
fess Now let me show you the Sec
tons OF the city charter referring TO
/ the subject and see ii my position is
not correct.
THE CITY CHARTER.
The sections referred to are as fol-
lows:
sec. 3 The city OF seattle shall have
power 20 construct sidewalks. and 10 euro.
pave. grade. macadamize and gutter any
street or streets. highway or highways, al
! ley or alleys therein or any part thereof,
ard 70 levy aud collect special taxes or as
SeSsments on al lots and parcels OF land
I fronting on any such street or streets, al
Z ley or alleys, highway or highways 80 inn
I proved, or any part thereof, sufficient 70
Z pay the expense Of such improvement;
and for such purpose may establish assess
ment districts en- bracing Gil lots and par
I ceis 81 land subject TO assessment for such
/ purposes In al cases where any street
or highway 50 improved Is located In or
extends through plated land, all lots aud
/ parcels of land situated between the ter
mini OF such improvement and between
( the margins oi such street or highway and
: the middle Of each block adjoining the
same. and all unpiaifed land situated
within one hundred and swentY-eight feet
OF such improved street or highway ana
between t4e terynini Of such improvement,
( shall DC deemed b. front upon such street
= 80
fBent for such Improvement. and ia case
OF alleys, al lots and parcels OF laud In
. the block through which any such alley
extends, shall &c deemed to
( front on such alley, and shall be subject
TO assessment Tor improving the same
I provided, AoSSegSr, that in al cases Of
special asScssnents under the provisions
OF tsiis SECTION Improvements upon land,
/, whether afixed ~ the same or Dot, shall
not be taken % assessed as part OF the
+ land, nor assessed az al. Snd prugidcf
further. that all special assessments for
stree; Improvements heretofore, a. well as
hereafter levied, upon lands Of the United
States, the Territory Of Washington, the
territor al university. the eouaty of King,
the city of seattle, or any school district or
othcs uniaSabie property, shah he paid by
the city OF seattle out Of its general road
fand. AHsi pnpridsa fartAsr. that unless
the owners u more than oue-haif Of the
property subject 10 assessment for any i'm
prugemeat for which an assessment mas
Sc levied nader the proyisiors OF this see
ton, petition the council IA make such i'm
movement. The same shall not b. made
anlesS authorized at regular meeting OF
the council by vote OF al the members
present ia favor thereof.
Section 5 provides the mode by
which the costs and expenses OF al
public improvements shan be divided
apportioned, assessed and collected
iii provides that the special assess.
ments for street improvements shall
be liens upon the property subiecl
thereto. and the means OF eu!oTcina
the collection.
The section relating TO the issuance
of bonds. in which the question o
time limit Is provided for, Is prlntee
below IN fun
seS. u. The city Of Seattle has power Il
borrow money on the credit of the city 10
any purpose within its authority, ineiud
: lug the payment II any existing debts
J aud may issue negotiable bonds or negoii
able warrants on the city treasury, payabl'
I I az 4 specified tune, bearing Interest az !
rate 80 be thcFeiu named. uot exceeding !
pcr cent per annum. such bonds or war
gaats uaaSs specify the particular fund on
/ of which the same are % be paid. aud shsi
| be paid out Of the fund 50 specified. ans
| the city shall levy aad collect taxes within
, the l,mltstio1s prescribed by this act sun
/ Client % redeem all such beads or war
/ rants: prarisfns, thst the Indebtedness q
the city must not az any time exceed tn
Sum 81 t6o.oc. exclusive II indebtedness
FOR water works and street improvement
/. made under the provisions OF section o
, this set.
, THis CITY WILL ACT.
It's understood that the clty c9an
. ell will take immediate action concern
! ing The matter. aud IL j. believed tia
/ the ordinance providing for the iSsu
! ance of bonds Wil be repealed. In I;
: stead a measure will probably b
iadopte.l. providing for the issuance G
, warrants in much the same form 4
heretofore. except that they shall ceH
A tain a proyisioa guaranteeing the PAS
! m-nt ~ the interest semi-Annuaiiy
! The best Legal authorities seem {
agree that this i the only way !
, which the city can deal with the ma
, ter.
{, Another matter tina, viii probably q,
mand imme,Iiate consideration l. II
improvemsut Ok the ave streets n
: gently ordered, Including West an
: upper MIA streets Interviews Wit
. several coanci men DEVELOPS the TAI
p that the contracts VIII rot hc lcE uE
+ less the property cwners tcneiue