The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-13

Street improvement fund .......... 4, 400 81
The FIRE and water funds are the funds which
have oyerrua the appropriation In the former
the principal items are: Horses, s53o93; repairs
to freboat, s5172S
In the water fund the bills for fuel alone ex-
coed the entire appropriation by more than
$3.50.
Special ordinance eppropriating the following
sums as partial payments were passed: s2S6.a7
from the street fund; s64s24 Decatur street;
$l.928zs, Twelfth street.
The committee on Judiciary of the charter re-
vision committee submitted proposed amend
ment TO give the park commissioners greater
powers in the matter of securing lands for park
purposes. 1t contains the same points es the
amendment heretofore published when the
charter revision committee was in session.
This amendment is not SO far-reaching was
originally proposed, but Mr.. Pontius, Mr.. Hall
and Mr.. Korn spoke on the subject and ex-
pressed the views that the park commissioners
powers would be too great.
Mr. Miller said that he had looked into the
matter and saw ..nigger in the fence" "The
scheme" said he, sis to purchase large tract
of land by Lake Washington now owned By one
OF the commissioners" and he hoped it would
not pass.
Mr.. Ingraham said the commissioners evil
IDENTIFY wanted to go into the real estate BUSH
ness.
The amendment was unanimously rejected.
Mayor White sent in the following message:
1t is rather late to make suggestion for
another proposed amendment to the city charter
but have hoped that so i'm portaut matter as
that TO which | desire to call your attention
would have suggested itself l am very reluct.
ant to intrude my opinion rs the charter re-
vision committee and Your honorable body are
both well equipped 10 complete the work you
have undertaken. | ask, however, that you in
corporate this proposition with those to be pub
lished in order that ii may be considered
Nnfl 4ra Qyg Pa har ma ri is in dahf
$50 eco for current expenses Tor whose funding
no legal method is available even if it were good
public policy to incur bonded debt for run
ming expenditures. Next year the city will have
no money whatever TO run on, except about
$4,000 derived from licenses, fines and fees
The tax levy in September will not be available
until the following March and so each succeed
ing year will carry heavy interest-beariuz load
calculate that by the proposed amendment
there will be raised, in addition to sufficient for
each ensuing years expenses, with levy of .
mills extra, $4,000, down to I mill extra, say
$4,000, even at the present valuation that in
five years by very easy stages the city will be
able to wipe out its floating Indebtedness.
You must not shirk this question longer. A
very serious danger is impending unless FORE
sight is followed by sagaeious action. Unless
some step 10 taken now, there is no remedy pos
sible until the state legislature meets in 1893,
and by that time the city scrip will have depre-
ciated to most misehievous degree, and an en-
barrassing condition will follow. You will not
overlook the fact that interests are not all one
way, and that there il powerful business iRfiu-
ence which would not suffer by your permitting
financial affairs to drift along in their present
listless way. The snrewd always profit at the
expense of the thriftless.
lam sorry you have not seen fit to make some
provision for the transient INDECENT burdens
with which We are al times afflicted. 1t seems
TO me that as you have approved an .appropria-
ton from licenses, fines and fees OF 10 per cent
to provide parks. and 10 per cent TO furnish peo-
pie with books, you could, with great propriety
the one being an absolute necessity, and the
two others luxuries-deyote 10 per cent of the
amount derived from the city's profits on the
sale OF liquors to Kidding ourselves of the vie
tins the traffic has made. The council now
gets rid of the annoyance of broken-down
drunkards and the discomfort of refusing bread
to the necessitious by sending them to me to
use my discretion. which means usually that
| am to dispense charity from my own purse, or
| apply to you to meet the demand by a course
| whose legality is doubtful. The care of the sick