Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-10
MORE STYLE NEEDED
The Lack of Dignity Which
Characterizes Councils.
PEANUTS AND TOBACCO
Play Too Prominent a Part 10 Suit
President Ford'S Ideas.
WORK DONE In BOTH BRANCHES

that our city Solons do not comport them
selves with sufficient dignity while in ses-
sion, The weather was warm, the Council
chambers were close, and there was not that
unhagging attention to business which
q body. The members leaned back in atti-
tudes which suggested comfort rather than
elegance, and toward the close of the session
the occasional scrunch of peanut was
heard, and then first one member lit cigar
or toby, and oneafter another followed suit,
until majority of the members were putting
away complscently.
President Ford, of Select Council, in
speaking of the matter later, said he thought
be would have to bring up his branch with
a round turn. He had on one or two oc-
casions heretofore called the attention of
the members of his branch to the peanut,
tobacco-chewIng and cigar nuisance, and
felt that it should be stopped. Internal
Revenue Collector Warmcastle, who is also
a member of Select Council, thoroughly
agreed with President Ford, and promised
his support in abating the nuisance. 1t is
probable that action on this matter will be
taken at the next meeting of Councils. by
the Select branch anyway.
SPENDING MONEY QUICKLY.
Another abuse that is causing more or less
trouble is the perfunctory manner in which
the reports of the Board of Awards granting
contracts for hundreds of thousands of dol
lars are accepted. The contracts are read
in hurried manner, the members, or most
of them, paying not the slightest attention,
but passing the time in social intercourse.
When the Presidents asks all those members
who favor the adoption of the report, few
scattered ayes are heard, but no one has
been known to answer the request for mega
tive notes. This, in the opinion of Messrs.
Ford and Warmcastle, is trusting too much
to the Board of Awards, not that these
gentlemen lack confidence in the ability of
the board, but they think Councils should
exercise its discretion in supervising the
award of contracts.
The report,ef the special committee on the
sale OF the Poor Farm was received and re-
ferred to the Committee on Charities, which
reported that it finally succeeded in organiz-
ing. With this report were two ordinances,
one for the sale of the present Poor Farm
property, and the other for the purchase of q
new site.
The ordinance providing for the sale of
the Poor Farm describes the present prop
erty, which was purchased in four tracts,
and provides the terms of sale as follows:
The sum OF $50, 900 down on the day OF sale,
the balance to bear per cent interest and
subject to call by the city at the rate of not
more than S100,0O0 per month, beginning
February 1, 1891, the city reserving the
right to continue the use of the building and
grounds free of charge or rent for three years
from July !, 1890.
A SERIOUS OMISSION.
Each proposal filed with the Controller
for the purchase OF the property must be ac-
companied by a certified check on Pitts
burg bank for $780, 600. Section provides
that the Department of Awards shall open
the bids in presence OF the bidders and
award the property to the highest responsible
bidder.
There is one serious omission in the
ordinance, which will probably be amended
in committee. It does not give the board
the power to reject any or all bids. As the
ordinance now reads it might be possible,
by collusion among the bidders, to obtain
the property for much less than its real
value.
The ordinance for the purchase of new
property provides for the advertisement for
proposals to sell to the city a tract or tracts
of land within % miles of the CITY, upon a
river and having sufficient railroad facilities,
the proposals to be accompanied by due
legal and binding agreements to sell at the
price offered. The Department OF Awards is
to open the bids and aiterward to visit and
inspect each tract offered and select those
best suited for the purpose, the selection not
to be binding until approved by City
Councils.
The ladies interested in the Webster ave-
nue. improvement were present again yester-
day in Common Council, when Mr.. Taggart,
of the Eleventh ward, presented at once a
petition for the repeal OF the Webster ave-
nue. ordinance, signed by representatives of
5000 feet front on Webster avenue and ], 800
feet front on the side streets interested. At
President Holidays suggestion, Mr.. Tag
gart also presented an ordinance repeating
the ordinance for the widening. Both were
referred.
A CoRKsCREw ROUTE.
Mr.. Shannon, in Common Council, pre-
eented an ordinance granting the right OF
way to the Postofice and Schenley Park
Railway Company, its route being as fol-
lows:
Beginning at point on Bellefield avenue, to
Joncaire street, TO -Boquet street. to Pierre
street. to Oakland avenue, TO DeSota street, to
Terrace street. to Robinson street, TO AllouIp-
pa street. to Soho street, to Wyandotte street,
to Colwell street, to Vine street. to Marion
street. to Locust street, to Shingss street, to
Hill street. to Fourth avenue, to Ross street,to
Third avenue, to Grant street, to Fourth ave-
nue.; thence returning along Fourth avenue, to
Watson street, to Shingiss street, to Locust
street, to Van Braam street. to Ann street, to
Jumonville street, to Wyandotte street, to Soho
street, to Alliquippa street. to Robinson street:
to Terrace street, to DeSota street. TO oakland
avenue, to Pierre street, TO Boquet street. TO
Joncaire street. to Neville street, to Belleheld
avenue, at the point of beginning.
Then, Tor the purposes of extension, the right
to lay branches as follows is provtded;
L From Locust and Van Braam streets along
Locust, GisJ and Ann Streets
2 From Wyandotte and Soho streets along
Soho. Wadsworth and Robinson streets.
8. From DeSota and Terrace streets along
Terrace and Boquet streets.
4 From Fourth avenue and Hill street along
Hill street, Third avenue and Ross street.
s From Gist and Tustin street along Tustin,
Stabo and Moultrie streets.
g. From Anderson avenue and Bayard street
along Anderson avenue, Dahlia street and
Akin avenue.
8. From Ann and Jumonville street along
Ann and Moultrie streets.
6 From DeSota and Bayard streets along
Bayard street and Anderson avenue.
8. From Alliquippa and Robinson streets
along Alliquippa, DeSota and Terrace streets.
The right is given to operate the road by
any power ''other than locomotive" and to
lease the property and franchises. The or
dinance was referred.
MEASURES PASSED FINALLY.
The ordinances passed yesterday by both
branches of Councils, were as follows:
Select Council-Vacat Canton street from
Commerce to Hudson streets; Commerce street
from John Robinson's property line Canton
street; vacating an alley between Vine and
TannehiI streets: sewer on Frazier street
from Lang to Homewood avenues; Howe
street from Denniston to Shady avenues;
paving and curbing Braddock avenue from
r.. n-....nn "a tho city line. CnlWall sfraaf