St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-17
THE SPIRIT OF REFORM.
Some of Its Suggestions to the
Legislative Committee.


and offer suggestions: but the invita-
| ton was not generally responded to.
There were several prominent citizens
present, however, including Pat Gala
I han, Harry Breslauer. c. A. Quist and
| John Goodnow, who listened in wrapt
attention to the various propositions of
| reform. The first body to be heard from
was the board of education. Chairman
| Pratt, of the building committee of the
board. asked for an appropriation for
new South side building to be used ulti-
mately as high school. The board
also wants $4,000 expended on Yentila-
ton and $500 on plumbing. About
$500, 900 would satisfy that body. Supt.
Bradley, supplementing Mr.. Pratt's re-
marks, spoke of the great amount OF adj
veItiSing which the city had received
from the allowance of $3.50, 900 for school
buildings, made two years ago. and
hoped that the precedent would be fol-
| lowed. His further remarks were de-
voted to giving statistics on the increase
| in attendance, bearing out Mr..
Pratts request for more school
room. Luth Jaeger, new member
of the board of education. called special
attention to the need of high school
building on the South side. The North
| side high school is already Overti0wing,
| and there is no reason to expect that the
same would not be true of the South
| side, were high school built there.
There are now two branch or Seml-hlgh
schools, and two independent high
schools, the Central and the North side,
and yet the Central high school is
crowded.
A communication from the committee
on health and hospitals was read. Lit
fnr n nj n n
600 fol- the purpose of purchasing land
and paving the way for the erection OF
city hospital. DR.. Brozie, chair
man of the committee, spoke briefly
on that question. calling attention
to the preSe mt inadequate and danger
Gus hospital facilities for the care OF the
city's sick. The present building is a
fire trap. Chairman Bradish asked if a
site had not been offered to the commit
tee. Brace replied in the Affirmative,
and expressed himself as favorable to
lis acceptance, since a suitable site in
the heart of the city, where most people
want the hospital, cannot be purchased
for less than $4,000 This site is on
the University campus, the one about
which there has been so much talk.
Assistant City Engineer HuntresS, on
behalf of Engineer Rinker, brought up
the question of special assessments,
which has already been presented to.
and is beng considered by, the Henne
pin delegation. One recommendation
is for monthly settlement between the
city and county. There is now tri-
yearly settlement. Another has to do
with sidewalk building. At presentthe
charter provides that streets must be
graded before sidewalks shall be built.
Sidewalks are frequently ordered where
a H. al
assessments have been collected and
afterward had to be related, at consid-
cradle trouble. The charter should be
so amended as to annull the ordering of
sidewalks where the streets have
not been graded. Sidewalks should
also be built before special assessments
are LEVIED. The city engineer should
keep the rolls of special assessments
instead of the city clerk. Provision
should be made for the making of
special assessments at any time of the
year and collecting them within sixty
days, instead of being confined to one
portion of the year. All these recon-
mendationS are made with the under
standing that fund be established out
of which the city can pay for public
improvements, afterward assessing on
the actual cost, instead of OH the eSti-
mated cost as now,
Aid. Gray sent in communication
from the committee on markets, recon-
mending the issuance of $50, 600 in bonds
for the purpose of helping to pay for
market site, mortgage to be given as
security for the payment of the balance
of the cost, the whole to be paid in ten
annual installments. Aid. Gray sup
ported these recommendations in a little
speech which gave Harlow Gale the
worst of it.
In another communication Aid. Gray
asked that the south boundary of the
Eighth ward be extended from Thirty
fourth street in a straight line through
Lake Mendoza, and on Evergreen ave-
nue. to the west city limits, and do away
with Jog" Aid. Rand proposed that
the Eighth and Thirteenth wards be
consolidated.
The First ward aldermen asked for
bonds for bridge across the Mississippi
on Thirty-Sec0nd avenue north.
Aid. Barrows asked for more money
for the waterwOrkS department to meet
the expense of extending the 36-inch
main from Twentieth avenue north
down Second street to Fifth avenue
south.
Aid. Meltowan made recommends
ton designed to protect laborerS from
concerned. 1t provides for the retaining
by the city of 80 per cent of the amount
to be paid on any contract, so as to give
the laborers and others an opportunity
to file their claims, If they have any.
City Clerk Haney called up the Aus
tralian election law and spoke of some
proposed changes, including those re-
ferring to the marking of ballots, the
registration, the pay of judges and
clerks, etc. The committee did not
deem it advisable to consider that mat
ter, preferring to let the Hennepin del
egation wreStle with it alone.
Aid. BradiSh recommended that the
Hennepin delegation be requested to
not abolish ward and street funds and
consolidate those funds into one general
ward OF street fund. He thought such
change would initiate against
the outside wards. The proposition to
abolish the separate funds is to do away
with the street commissioners. Aid.
Grimes took issue with Bradish, he
holding that street funds should be
abolished and that one general fund
should be established, under the con-
troll of committee, as the water works
and sewer funds are handled. There
was some debate on this matter, but
nearly all the aldermen were against
Grimes, who couldn't see why owners
of property in the heart of the city
shouldn't be taxed for outside gra ding,
after having already paid for their own
Improvements. The committee will
meet again next Tuesday evening.
If ali the demands for money are
complied with. the limit of indebted
| ness will have to be raised. Only about
| $4,000 worth of bonds remain to be
| sold before reaching the per cent line.
HILTON KNEW HIS BUSINESS.
He Prophesied New Theater and
He Will Get 1t.