San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-03-21
COUNCIL BUSINESS.

council indicate that the new boar
Of alderman intend to do business
| There is one suggestion in tn
city engineers report that cause
a little uneasiness; that which re
cOmmends a systematic regarding
Of streets. 1t has hitherto beef
the misfortune of this city tina
no engineer has been ready to tax,
the work at the hands of his pre-
deceSSOr, but as soon as in
Quoted into office would present
some plan for undOing the work
that had already been done, in
many cases at great expense and
Inconvenience to private parties.
New lines have been established
and boundaries fixed by one en-
gineer only to be changed by his
successor, and grades for side
walks established only to be
changed in the same way un--
til the matter has become mo
nOtOnous, and this report of the
present engineer seems to indicate
another change in street grades
with all the expense, Inconvenience
and irregularity connected there
with. The LIGHT does not desire
to interpOSe any objections to need
ed changes in any department of
city work, but it does suggest that
it would be wise at this day to
make no change in established
street grades, where streets have
been graded and walks construct
ed in uniformity with grade, unless
the most urgent reasons can be
shown for such changes. Other
matters in the report evidence a
care and oversight that if cOntin-
ually exercised will no doubt great
ly increase public confidence in the
administration of the department
of public works, as we'll as save
money to the city. The recon-
mendatiOn for enforcement Of
ordinances requiring the build
ing of sidewalks is timely,
While the business section Of the
city and some adjacent properties
are properly sidewalked in accOr-
dance with the ordinances, as a
rule the sidewalk regulations have
been largely neglected. Nothing
would more cOnduce to the comfort
o. the public than a strict enforce
ment of these regulations, and the
time for the city council to do that
work is now, at the opening of the
administration. The prompt issue
Of bonds for street improvement
and side walk construction is time
ly and the city will expect to
see as much substantial work
done for that 100000, as
has been accomplished by
the outlay of 100000 hereto
fore. The redistricting of the city
into ward divisions is matter
that the council does we'll to I'M
dertake. The recent elections are
convincing proof of the unrighte-
BUSINESS of the present ward diVi-
sion Of the city. Some wards have
double the voting population of
others, and while upon this subject
some provision should be made for
an increase of voting booths, as
under the new ballot law it is i'm
possible to poll the full vote of the
city at eight voting centers within
the hours that polls are opened.
The conclusion that the fire chief
need not, of necessity, be practi-
cal electrician is wise one, but he
must be man with brains enough
to understand, when he sees that
calls tail is sticking out of a
Knot hole that the calf has not Just
crawled through. At the next
meeting of the council the
people will expect some report
from the sanitary authorities and
some indications of what the coun-
Gil really intend to do in the mat
ter of q mora nnrfnnt nlon,,iO.