The Lamar register., 1892-07-16
OUR ST. LOUIS LETTER.
Proposed Extsnsion Of the City Linits-
a o.np.isn Against Small D.lries-

Proposed Extsnsion Of the City Limits-
a c.npaisn Agsinst Small Dairies-
\ Millioa Dollar Lawsuit.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, July 1.-THE ap-
proach of . city campaign has brought
| cial condition of St Louis. Money
is wanted for new public build
ings that are contemplated The
city cannot run into debt and
cannot increase its taxation with
out vote OF the people, and every
body understands that proposition to
do either of these things would be
beaten at the polls by the taxpayers.
So movement is on foot now to in
crease the city limits, and take in about
| twenty square miles of rich and popu-
lous suburban settlements to the West.
1t is claimed that the taxes from this
source would give the city all the reve-
nue. it needs to carry out its plan of
public Improvement The question will
be agitated vigorously from now till
the election, and it may be an issue in
the spring campaign for the election of
| u Mayor.
The big and little dairies of the city
! are fighting over a new milk law, the
most thorough ever proposed in this city,
| wnic h is now pending in the Assembly.
| bill contemplates is SO rigid that it will
drive out of business the many little
| dirty dairies in the city. that make
money by selling impure milk, and
| they are moving heaven and earth to
| kill the bill II the bill passes it will
| put into operation u complete system
| of food inspection that will include
every article of food nsed on the Ia bic.
Milk Inspector James Il. Sullivan
makes a telling argument for the bill
| by drawing from the records of infant
mortality in the health office. Chill
| dren fed on impure milk die of mar
| asmus most often. Inspector Sullivan
| shows that since milk inspection was
| begun here, five years ago, the deaths
from marasmus have decreased 50 per
cent He argues, of course, that the
better the inspection the life of more
| children will be saved. The great
| dairies of the city, whose reputation
| depends on the quality of their milk,
are doing all they can to pass the bill,
| and rid themselves of the comparatively
irresponsible competition of the smaller
| dairymen.
We are going to have very inter-
| esting million dollar suit here. When
| Thomas Smith sold Washington Park
to the city years ago for SIS, he
| stipulated that it was to be used for
| ever for the purposes of a public square.
| The city is now building city hall on
the site of the park, having cut down
the trees. and has already spent about
a quarter of a millioi. on the structure.
Now the heirs of Mr.. Smith, most -
whom live in Texas and Kentucky,
| come to the United States court claim
| ing not only large damages because the
city has diverted the park from the
use to which it agreed to put it, but
also the park itself The park is now
worth a million dollars. Good lawyers
say the heirs have an excellent case,
but the city's lawyers of course make
light of it While the suit goes on,
the building of the hall will proceed,
too. and by the time decision is OBJ
tanned the edifice will be finished.
Then, if the heirs win the suit, the
city will simply hand them over the
money the park is worth.
| Experiments in new kind OF
| weather signalling are to be tried soon
| in the agricultural country which de-
| pends on St Louis for its forecasts.
| Chief Signal Officer, Mark w. Harring
| ton. is not at all satisfied with the re-
| suits obtained from the system of dis
| tributing signals by means of manufac
tory and factory whistles. 1t seems
| that they are confounded with the
| whistles used for other purposes, aud
often pass unnoticed by the people
for whose benefit they are set out
The weather officers here have been
| informed that Chief Harrington intends
to introduce silver whistles for trans
| mitting the signals. He thinks they
give out purer. rounder tone, just as
| loud as the sound from the other whis-
ties, and easily distinguished from
them. The first experiments in this
part of the country with the silver
whistle will be made in the large farm
| ing towns of Missouri and Illinois.