The record-union., 1891-09-26
THE GRAVEL WARFARE.
Interesting Meeting of the Street I'm
provement Company.
1t Talks of Disbanding in Disgust, but
Resolves to Stay in the Fight
Little Longer.

There was meeting of the stockholders
of the Street Improvement Company last
evening, the purpose being to discuss the
Sixteenth-street gravel agitation which is
now waging.
President G. A. Luhrs stated that there
had been considerable controversy of late
as to which kind of gravel should be used
on the street, and the stockholders had a
right to participate in the consideration of
the matter. He reviewed the action of
the City Board of Trustees, and claimed
that the company was not bound by the
specifications to use any particular kind
of gravel. The Trustees considered pc
tition asking for Folsom gravel, but when
later one was presented, signed by prop
erty owners, requesting that Sacramento
gravel be used, they ignored it.
Continuing, Mr.. Lunrs said the COM
pany could not afford to be annoyed in
this way. He made a proposition to sub
nit the matter to City Attorney Hart and
s. s. Holl, and one of the Trustees looked
faVorably on the proposition. The Mayor
had also admitted to him that the law was
on the side of the Improvement Com
pany. He (Luhrs) thought, however,
that If the board intended to enforce the
resolution passed after the contract had
been let, ordering that Folsom gravel be
used, the company had better disorganize
and quit work.
j. o. Coleman said that up to four
weeks ago there was some doubt as to
which was the better gravel, the Folsom
or the sacramento article, but now it was
generally conceded that the gravel OBJ
tanned from the Smith pit, near Sacra-
mento, was as good, if not superior to
that from the Folsom pit. The parties
interested III the Folsom gravel pit placed
the price at 81 20 per car when they heard
that the board had ordered their gravel
and the company could not afford to take
the contract and pay this price.
Mr.. Coleman further stated that he had
taken the Mayor for ride on P street.
and showed him that there was no dirt at
all IN the gravel on that street. The Mavor
thought several times that he saw lumps
OF earth, but upon examination he found
that it was all gravel. The CITY Engineer
had said that in measuring the gravel on
the streets he found that the Sacramento
pit gravel packed well, while that from
Folsom remained loose and unpacked
about an inch and half underneath the
surface.
D. A. Lindley said that in order to
ascertain what rights the company had in
the matter, he went to the City Engineers s
Office and made copy of the specifica-
Nrooman Act. under which Boards of
Trustees order streets improved. When
the resolution of intention was passed
and the notices posted, the property
owners had ten days within which to file
remonstrance, if they desired to do so.
II they did not, then the jurisdiction
passed into the hands of the Trustees
and he claimed that the property-own-
ers had no further rights. They did
not present their petition until the con-
tract was let, and they certainly had no
jurisdiction at that late day. The specifi-
cations stated that quality of gravel sat
isfactory to the Street Commissioner
should be used, and the company was
complying with this provision, because
Trustee Mclaughlin had stated last Mon
day, in open meeting, that personally he
had no choice between the two kinds of
gravel.
In conclusion, Mr.. Lindley suggested
that the company bid no more for con-
tracts for street work. If the Smith pit
was barred, the Folsom pit would have a
monopoly.
Mr.. Coleman stated that the company
could get the Smith gravel for l24 cents
per yard cheaper than the other article.
This would make difference of about
81 900 in the cost of improving the street
Sixteenth
P. E. Plat said that two important
points were involved in the question
under discussion. One was the matter of
saving 81 900 to the company, ,and the other
was the question as to whether or not the
Smith gravel pit was to be condemned.
1t looked to him as though it was bare
faced attempt on the part of the Street
commissioner to prevent competition
against the Folsom gravel. He (PIatt)
did not want to see the company embar-
rassed In any way, but he did not want it
frNI n -hpra II II IL
good idea for all the stockholders to 90
before the Board of Trustees and demand
their rights. He suggested that resolu-
ton be adopted approving the action of
the directors, and instructing them to 90
on and place the Sacramento gravel on
Sixteenth street.
DR.. Huntington thought such resolu-
ton was unnecessary. In his opinion the
proper thing would be to resolve that the
directors continue their work, and bid for
contracts as usual. He was tired of doing
charity work for the people of Sacramento.
They did not appreciate the efforts of the
company, and he believed that in future
the association should proceed in it's bust
ness with view to making all the money
1t could out of street work.
Mr.. Coleman thought that the only
action necessary on the part of the
stockholders was to adopt a reso-
luton directing the directors to merely
continue IN their work and do what they
thought was for the best interests of the
Street Improvement Company.
After reviewing the purposes for which
the company was organized, III. Vein
stock stated that serious question be-
fore the meeting was whether or not the
Board of City Trustees intended in the
future to hamper the company in its
work. The situation at present was dis
couraging, and he believed the only
thing for the stockholders to do was to go
down to the board in body and ask
that they rescind the resolution they
passed, which was causing all the trouble.
He did not think the Trustees could
afford to drive the company out of exist
ence when it had done so much good in
the, city OF Sacramento. He thought
every stockholder present should prom
Use to appear before the Board of Trustees
and hear what the members had to say
when the entire matter was laid plainly
before them.
e. r. Hamilton asked if the company
could not sell its contract.