Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-25

Decn printed In DrleI III LneSe Columns.
Bids for building the Pasadena-ave-
nue. bridge were read and referred to the
bridge committee.
Bids for repairing the city hall were
read, as follows: Anslyn, $735; Nc
Killihen & Morres, $775; Phelps, 500
Mulrein, $1475. Referred to the build
ing committee.
A motion was made by MIR. Summer
land that the Santa Fe be instructed to
strengthen its levee along the river bed
with rock and piles. Mr.. McGarry
brought up the question of the location
of the levee, stating that it was in the
river bed. The matter was referred to
the city engineer, who is already inves-
tigating the subject.
Mr.. Summerland moved that new
ordinance be prepared for the opening
of Mott alley, from Second to Third
street, as there was an error in the
former proceedings. Carried.
Mr.. Rees moved that the bridge COM
mittee arrange for conference between
themselves and the officials of the
Southern California and Southern Pa
cific railroads, with the object of arrang-
ing for the building Of joint bridge
across the Los Angeles river, thus doing
away with the dangerous wooden struc-
lures that are constant menace to all
the bridges below. Carried.
The report Of the city engineer was
read, as follows:
81 beg leave to call the attention of
your honorable body to the dangerous
state of the Santa Fe railroad bridge
over the Los Angeles river near Buena
Vista street. Two of the piers OF this
bridge, near the right bank of the river,
have tilted over to such an extent that
blocking had to be inserted within the
last twenty-four hours between the
bridge seat and the lower side of the
lower chord.
"The indications are that had the
food continued twen;y-four hours
longer these two piers would have been
carried away, and with them three spans
OF the bridge would have gone.
II respectfully request that your hon.
orable body inspect this bridge at once,
and you will then have better idea OF
it's dangerous state than you can learn
from any description of mine.
cat present sand, gravel and cobbles
are piled around the piers of the bridge,
but during food time this material was
not there. The bed of the river was
secured out below its present level, and
the piers had no material around them,
and as the bed of the river was secured
out below their depth the piers sank.
"Had the flood continued longer it
is likely that the bridge would have
been destroyed. The piers of this
bridge are located obliquely to the flow
of the river, and this tends to their des-
struction."
On motion OF Mr.. Tufts, it was agreed
to visit the Santa Fe bridge after the ad-
jonrnment of the council.
. The question of the city corral was
discussed at length and the report of
the nnance and land committees, recon-
mendihg the offer OF George P. McLain
OF a dwelling house and barn, at q
monthly rental of $25,was adopted, and
lease ordered drawn to extend over
two years.
Clerk Robinson appeared at this point
and read the following message from the
mayor:
To the Honorable Council of the City of Los
The only effect that the act of the city
treasurer in Withdrawing g,., the funds Of
will be to afford the bank pretext Tor
not paying the interest which is due to
the city by said bank for the use of the
public funds, and your honorable body
should by no means ratify said act, but
should disavow the same. On the 10th
of March the contract will expire by it's
own limitation, when the money would
be regularly repaid to the city, and to
anticipate the same by permitting the
withdrawal of the funds at this time to
the prejudice of the city, is very ill-ad-
vised. Originally the treasurer refused
to deposit the money in the City bank
until he afforded an opportunity to
those engaged in loaning the city moneys
in their own interest to test the right of
the city to loan it's own money. After
the lower court decided it was his duty
to deposit this money in the CITY
bank, he reluctantly did SO, and now
that the judgment is reversed,
before the arrival of the remittitur from
the supreme court, without advice from
the city or any of its officers, but again
acting in the interests of those who have
combined to defeat the right OF the peo-
pie to loan their own money, that they
might profit by the use thereof he has
Withdrawn it from the City bank and
placed it in other banks, and for what
PuipOcO. ~ Woo Juot dS bdic Ill Clc Olty
bank as In banks where now placed.
Under the terms Of the contract he
had no right to demand or receive this
money as the contract has not yet ex-
pired. Under the charter he is not au-
thorized to receive anymopey from anv
source, except on the certificate of the
auditor, which he did not obtain. In
neither event could he have come into
possession of this money legally, and
the reception by him of any money less
than the amount belonging to the city,
and after he was notified in writing by
the bank that his withdrawal OF the
same would be considered an act OF the
city excusing the bank from the pay
ment of interest due the city, can be
viewed in no other light than suspi-
cious circumstance on his part to assist
the City bank in defeating the city in
her just demand for the payment of this
interest.
No delay should, in my judgment, be
permitted in disavowing this act of the
city treasurer. This contract should be
permitted to stand until March 10, 1891,
when the City bank may be compelled
to pay the city the interest due it by the
terms OF the contract. Respectfully
yours, HENRY T. HAZARD, Mayor.
The message was referred to the
finance committee. a
Mr.. McGarry moved that the message
OF the mayor be declared as the senti-
ments OF the council. He did not like
k<~ m Ia zsk - 4 II .