The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-12-24
THAT solid
nine AGAIN.
Mayor Ponds Vetaes Are Quietly
0Verrilden.
His Opinion Of the Printing
Steal.
=" It Is Both Illegal and Contrary to ANY
Decent Policy"
And Still the Shameless Nine
Awards the Contract.
The shag Rock Grab Described as Measure
Tia. Is Utterly Indeensib'e-AE.
other Street Commission.


Mayor Pond was absent from the meeting
of the Board OF Supervisors last night, and
Supervisor Boyd was chosen to preside.
Among the numerous visitors were noticed
several of the Supervisors-elect, who at
tended to take notes of how the Solid
Nine" conducted municipal affairs.
The first matter of Importance considered
was the Mayors Yetoes. In vetong the
resolution awarding the contract for the
city printing to the Stock Report the Mayor
said:
THE PRINTING STEAL.
Flrst-Tbe long and exhaustive opinion OF
Judge Hunt s, in my Judgment, conclusive as
TO the Illegally oil THIS contract. in case it
should bs made.
II would certainly seem to be but fair to prop.
erty-Omnefs, who are compelled To Improve The
streets in front OF their property, to have the
advantage OF competition In the cost of printing,
as well as in the cost OF material to be used on
the streets. In this particular tney are certainly
entitled 10 the same advantage as The city. and
ought not 10 be compelled, as they are by The
proposed contract, to pay indirectly for all
other city printing. which II is claimed is done
for nothing.
1t is done for nothing only on condition tnat
printing contractors $ shall be allowed 10 charge
their own prices Tor private work, and shall be
further allowed The privilege OF using the ma
enforce the collection OF their bills, no matter
how extravagant.
The unfortunate property owner has absolutely
no appeal from any extorlionate charges winch
may be made. de must pay the bills before his
work can be commenced.
am clearly of the opinion that this
contract should not br awarded, it is
both illegal and contrary to any decent
public policy.
THE STAG ROCK PURCHASE.
In expressing his disapproyal OF the Shag
Rock "steaf' the Mayor was unusually out
spoken and severe. Said he:
My reasons for returning this resolution are;
First, that l believe. for the use Intended the
property would be absolutely worthless. l am
Informed by reliable parties that 1t would cost
twice as much as has been estimated to put it in
the proposed shape for building, and further,
that II would be impracticable to laud smallpox
patients on the rock during much OF the winter,
and absolutely impossible during heavy SOUTH
easier, which blows a gale at times, during The
rainy season. During the prevalence Of such
gale, with tiie violence Of which we are all famil-
lar, the high waves would i'll all probability de-
molish any such bukhead as is proposed 10 be
be erected
The sea- even In q moderate Storm dashes
clear over tie rock, ana in heavy gale 1t would
be likely 10 shatter or destroy the Hospital
Building, not over twenty feet high, unless The
rock was built up with concrete or rock 10 such
height as would cost ten times The amount
contemplated.
Further, The expense OF transporting patients
(by steam launch, OF course) from the shore to
The rocn would be out of all reason, even If their
IN the attempt 10 land In cold and stormy weather.
But another thing which makes this purchase
both unwlse and unnecessary is that the city has,
on Its own property, as good a location for the
hospital as can be found on This peninsula.
havr called the attention Of members Of your
board TO this site.
1t Is situated on ora bout the northwest corner
OF the Industrial School Tract, at some distance
from The school, aud separated from 1t by hills.
Here the hospital would be far removed from
any habitation, and would be likely to continue
for years to come, as there is no ROAD near It,
In fact. 1t would be entirely Isolated and
would be obnoxious TO no one.
lu view OF The TACT that the city owns such a
property, and with The money on hand could
construct all the building. needed and EQUIP
them comfortably, and still have surplus out Of
the fund set aside for the hospital. 1t seems USE
less to purchase Shag Rock, even II 1t could be
utilized for hospital. am informed by parties
familiar with the bay that there are times, dur
Ing u gall, when 1t would be absolutely impossl.
BILE to transport ana land patients on the rock.
But In the best OF weather it would be much
safer. more profitable, and cost not One-thrd as
much 10 convey them to the site on the Indus
trial School tract.
During the height OF the smallpox epidemic
In 1SSS-S9slhere were twenty new cases day
conveyed TO the hospital. Suppose similar
gale, which sometimes RACES for days, in what a
lamentable condition would the patients be
placed, with no provision made to house tncm on
shore. Humanity would cry out against such
neglect aud lack Of foresight.
So strong are my convictions on this question
that l am impelled to say that in all my expert
ence have never been called upon 10 pass upon
measure SO utterly indefensible. Respectfully
submitted, (Signed) E. b. POND, Mayof.
THE OTHER VETOEs.
The Mayors objections to the proposed
change of the Market-street grade, between
Valencia and Seventeenth, were principally
because it will involve like change Of
many intersecting streets, resulting in great
damage to property, ana as no provision is
made for the compensation of persons thus
damaged the citizens at large would bs held
cftN In Vl,n ,f h,f,a
and consequent damages will be endless lit-
CATION and expense, all for the benefit of tue
few directly located on the line of Market
street.
In regard to the order granting Margaret
Callaghan permission to repair the damage
to her building on Davis street, so nearly
destroyed by the falling walls of the Wan
genheim Building, the Mayor says it is an
infiammable structure and would be o
monaco to adjoining property. "If this
privilege were granted to rebuild frame
building on this valuable property we had
better repeal all our fire ordinances at
once" he added.
Tie Syndicate Trust Company's fifty-year
franchise for street railway the Mayor
objected to because it provides for electric
motor power, clearly against the law. An
other objection is the zig-zag course, also the
ffty-year clause.
ovERRIDDEN BY THE SOLID NINE.
The five orders vetoed by the Mayor and
read before the board at the previous meet
ing were all passed over his veto by strict
vote of the .Solid Nine" with all the ease Of
rolling off a log.
The orders grant the Sutter-street Com
pany the right to extend its line on Polk
street; j. w. Hartzell and B. Joost a fran
chlse over score of streets from the fer
ries to the county line; three franchises to
Messrs. Reinstein, Moffat and Eisner run
ming on some twenty-five or thirty streets
from the ferries to the ocean.
When the resolution awarding to the Pa
clf1c FertiliZng Company the contract to
remove certain offal from the city for the
next twenty years came up, Ellert proposed
that 1t be sent back to the committee again,
as certain scavengers are dissatisfied with
Its terms and wanted to discuss it.
His motion was promptly voted down,
and the resolution finally passed. 1t was
ever. for Pescia asked to be excused from
voting. 1t being suggested that he did not
wish to incur the displeasure of the army
OF Italian scavengers by voting to remove
such soft snap as that contract will be
out of their reach for the next twenty years.
FAT POSITIONS FOR LAMBS.
The only other job of any significance per-
petrated at the session was the appointment
of three more "lambs to fat position.
created for their especial benefit
A resolution was submitted proposing to
extend Twenty-6fth avenue northerly 720
street, also to extend New street westerly to
Twenty-seventh avenue aud the latter
thoroughfare northerly to the ocean beach,
This, of c0uise, will involve the acquisition
OF certain property, and according to law
the work must be done by a commission.
The same resolution authorizing the exten-
sions appointed A. L. Spots, Johnny
Dougherty and Charles Il. Haswell as the
Commissioners.
Ellert asked two or three impertinent