The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-06-28
TALKED OF At CITY HALL.
No Hearing Before the Electric Light
ArbitratoE To-Day.
CHANGES IN THE TAX LAWS.
A City Council Committee VIII Examine
into the Matter and Make Recon-
mendations-Tricky Vegetable Ven
ders Exposed by Pettis.s Assaiiay.

There were few reope In the city
hall this morning " no thought hear
ing was O be given by the arbitrators
chosen by the city and the Narragansett
Electric Lighting Company to fix the
billIw hich the city is To pay for illum-
mating It's streets. There was DO hear
ing and they were therefors disappointed.
City Solicitor Colwell said that some
how or other the report had gained cur
rency that he was not ready to present
the city's side OF the matter. The only
difficulty he had found. he said, was TO
End any one who was ready in the mat
ter. lie had asked for joint
special committee OF the City Coun-
Gil TO cou neil TO con psult With him In this
important matter and the common coun
Gil had already pass, d the resolution and
named the members from that branch.
AT the meeting Of the hoard OF aldermen
tomorrow this resolution would come
up and, as far as he was advised. would
probably be concurred In.
As TO the time when the hearing would
be given, Mr. Colwell said he could not
state definitely. There WAS disposition
to pos pone IL until the first week In
August and that might be the time
finally decided upon.
City Taxation.
Just now the subject of municipal tax
alton Is claiming a great deal OF atten-
tion. There Is no doubt that there 10 Ia
the city great deal OF personal
%son s0thns
II cannot be reduced on sccount Of the
peculiar provisions Of the statutes and
much ct ier property, which while liable
to assessment under the law cannot be
traced by the assessors. Bank deposits
furnish an instapcs. The assessors
ahf fuff m s.ln hA
or the amounts to the credit OF
the depositors. The bank pays tax to
the state on the to- al amount OF the de-
posits held by IL, but the ci y Is unable TO
reach the individual owners OF the
money.
taken which NAV be fruitful Of good
Results. Tue City Council has appointed
a committee consisting OF Aldermen Lit
tie, Fuller, Gilmartin and Ballou and
Councilmen Parkhurst, Barney and Dur
fee to IA quire into the whole matter Of
taxation and to make such recommen-
dation for changes and additions to the
present laws Ms will lead to more
equitable distr button of the burdens Of
mainta aiming the municipal government.
The result of the investigation or this
committee will undou btedl y be valuable,
aud Will poinL the Way Ga revision
which viii remove many existing
inequalities
Registration Small Vet.
Up to noon today just 2l0 cit zens had
qualified themselves AS voters by regis
terinR at the city clerks Office. or these
1873 were Of I r'ish birtl. This Is some
thing OF AN increa se over last week when
there was only forty.
Moreover, the citizsns OF foreign b rth
appear TO have taken the hint, ior out of
the 1873 who have registered sixty
have filed tLeir naturalization paper y.
or course the majority has failed to
comply with the law and will have
60 bring their papers before their names
are | assed b. the tanvassiug board
next year; lut even he small per
centage who have profited by
the expe rience OF last spring leads
those In the city clerks Office to believe
that there will he no such large number
In danger oi disqualification for neglect in
this matter as there was year ago. The
man " ho doesn't want to staid in line
three or four hours In the CLOSING DAYS of
the year Will take advantage of the dull
sesson to put his name on the registry
books.
Dishonest Vegetable Peddlers.
Captain George II. Pettis has added
several new specimens to his musuem oil
bogus measures which perambulating
bux ers are wont TO use to charm he
nimble psnny iro n the pockets OF the
unwary.
Yesterday afternoon the captains as.
sistant was on Superior street and saw
potatoe vender with measures whic
were sus iciously small. Tue assistant
tried to buy some potatoes but the vender
recognized him aud whipping up his
horse dashed away.
His sudden departure did not prevent
the capture of two measures from his
wagon. Wheh theae were taken to Capt
Psttis' office in the city hall and ex ini-
ined, this morning. IL was found that he
had reduced the peck measure in circun,-
ference from 10a inches to 9& inches
AID In depl h from ~ to 61S inches.
Three other measure, ,.uctored in the
same way were captured from another
street vel der. All the sealer can do In
such a case is to eonfseate the measures,
as All rbsolute sale must be proven In or
der o secure the convection and punish
ment Of the tricky vendors.
An effort will be made at the next
session Of the general assembly to secure
an amendi eut to the present law which
make it possible To use the fact OF the
posxession OF short measure as Urima