St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-01-03

The present bonded Indebtedness of the
city is G20)O, of which amount there were
issued i'll 1891 and 1892 bonds for the new
court house and city nall to the amount of
S39p.00o and bonds for permanent improve
ments to the amount of S4So,OO0. OF when
latter $4,000 were for parks and S25OOo for
city hospital. Dvring the same period bonds
TO the amount of S3S7,500 were paid or 5000
more than the whole amount 10 be PAID dur
ing the years 1893 TO 1910. inclusive, viz: In
1893, S22,000; in 1894, $1,000; i'll 1895, none;
i'll 1922 100000. and i'll 1850 $1,000. The total
valuation of the city for the purpose of taxa
ton, after deducting exempt property (pnh-
lie grounds and buildings. churches, schools
railroad property, etc }, OF the value OF over
S?l,00G0O0, is S49, 5j5,546 the real estate being
valued at nearly S2l. 000, 600, and the personal
property at nearly S20000.0U0. In lSS2 the
total valuation was So, 80 900.
Notwithstanding the drainage for payment
of bonds the sinking funds also in better
condition than ever, S3l2,33 IL having been
credited thereto i'll two years. 'of when
amount $4,000 was interest on the deferred
payments on account of the permanent I'M
provement revolving fund for the years 1873?
TO 1890 inclusive. previously overlooked. The
amounts due from this source for 1891 and
1892 are not yet credited The balance now
in the sinking fund is S6s4,59l.2n. of which
amount $632, 1908 is invested in the bonds OF
the city, and The balance of So, 59i.20 cash is
i'll the hands OF the city treasurer subject to
investment in bonds TO be loaned 10 our
school boards or as otherwise deemed advls-
able.
strucied, under the superintendent of its
engineering department, twelve miles of
cedar block, granite block and asphalt street
paving, twenty miles of stone and artificial
stone curbs and CUTTERS twenty. one miles OF
sewers, thirty-four miles of water mains and
nineteen miles of sidewalk, at an
expense of S75e.ooO. and expended
S!J0,C0) for construction. and repairs
lay for street sprinkling, cleaning of pave
ment and grading done by contract makes
total of l.014, 273. 10 for work done under the
supervision of that department The total
permanent improvements OF the same gem
eral character include lug miles OF sewer, ~!
miles of water mains, 43 miles of paving ana
1GS miles of curb and gutter. and cost the city
ST. 63S $50 So, to which should be added 81, $751;
349.01 expended on bridges, and an unknown
Total of grading etc. done by the respective
wards. When TO the foregoing is added the
value CT our magnificent system of public
parks. our school board and public library,
our ire department and water works. our
public buildings and other permanent i'm
provements. The tangible assets of the city
VIII be found 10 compare we'll with those OF
cities of far greater population and preten-
sions.
This general fund. being the one from
which The miscellaneous and running eX-
penses of the city are paid, discussed s2,0a2.
299 % during the TWO years. incidentally IT
may be stated that the disbursements OF the
board of education for the two years were
Sl,6>1. 1921; of the board of park commits
sioners. $50 $500, and of the library board.
Sl39, g..
The Various Departments.
The department of corrections and chart
ties commenced operations i'll July, 1891.
pursuant to the act OF the last legislature
providing tn erefor and the transfer of The
management of affairs pertaining 10 the re-
lief Of the poor, care of the sick and deten-
ton of petty offenders was made with but
little friction, largely owing to the watchtul-
ness and efficiency of Secretary Synder tn Ell
and now superintendent of the poor. The
disbursements which include items already
given and which were expended during the
first six months of the year 1891, aggregate
5 lila, 5S5.17, of which amount S2669S. IS was
on the city hospital account Sl3,OT. "a on &C
count of relief of poor and sick. and the bal
ance (St5,Sj8 49, tor workhouse, i'll each case
including salaries and expenses. and in each
case economically and judiciOusly expended.
While the city hospital. under the charge
of Dr. Chase, has been we'll managed, the
building itself is unit for such use. and re-
fleets discredit on our humanity. Although
the board has but $4,000 for building pur.
poses it should ut once secure a site ana
commence The erection OF Il suitable hospital
in the confident expectation that all addi-
tional funds needed therefor will be prompt
ly provided.
While the general legal business has IN
creased with the growth of the city, litigated
cases have not. The reports of the city at
torney show l0l civil actions against the city
during the two years, including 81 previously
commenced: u cases were disposed Of 30
being settled out of court or dismissed by
plaintiffs before trial.
These figures, Il successful management OF
the legal business of the city and the man
agement thereof, and the results in personal
injury cases, show that the city has observed
a reasonable degree of care TO avoid accl-
Ii 10 Cfatnt 1t-n n
cised in the manner of doing public work
and in the care of streets and Sidewalks to
the end that the chances for injury be re
duced 10 the minimum and the interests OF
the city and Its citizens alike be protected.
1t is proper TO state here that the city has
avoided business difficulties and controver-
sizes and that the city attorney has aided
therein. In the matter of bridging the tracks
of the Great Northern railway, after negota-
tlolIs covering some SIX months the city
council passed an ordinance i'll May last
which was duly approved and which VIII
eventually do away with every grade crossing
over the Great Northern right OF way on the
east side OF the river. The WORK is now III
progress for the construction OF twelve
bridges by the railway company over streets
that were used when the railway was built
and additional bridges are 10 be constructed
bv the city, as its necessities may demand.
No more valuable public improvement can
be made than in dispensing with the grade
crossing of railways, every one OF which is
menace to human life. The work should go
on until no grade crossing shall be found Ill
the city: as the city grows it will become
harder to change existing conditions. ana IL
will lee easier to arrange the matter at an
early date than in the not far distant future.
Miscellaneous NHatters.
The annual reports of the police depart
ment indicate that its work has been well
done.
The arrests numbered II ,022; the fines col
Ia tot, rod to
S3s 800 70: the property reclaimed was valued
at SITS 255. The reputation OF our fire de-
partment is too we'll established to call for
extended notice. We have been particularly
fortunate not only in having succession OF
| able and experienced chiefs, but in having
| force of capable men. The work OF the de-
| partment has been well done, even though
| the fire loss has been trifle over Sl.5OoCOO,
over two-thirds of which were caused by
| 1ireS in 1891. The manual force mas been IN
! creased to the extent of forty, and now num-
| bers 266 The apparatus is in tirst-class order
! and considerable additions have been made
| thereto. Of the total amount expended during
the two years. nearly four-hfths, or S45l,-
| 747 S. was for salaries of officers and men.
! In no city in the United States are the water
works managed on better business principles,
| and in few if any, are the people supplied
! with water on more favorable terms The re-
! ceipts for water rents for two years were
| Sy12 OS327, and the operating expenses, not
| including cost of laying new mains, ETC.,
| $751;. 1880. III other words, the receipts nave
exceeded expenses over $4,000 year, being
nearly double the amount required 10 pay in
terest Oh all bondsissued III connection with
our water supply, and this notwithstanding
the fact that no charge is made for the i'm
mense supply furnished for street sprlnkling,
public buildings and fire service. Compar-
| alively few have yet discovered the saving in
cost TO be made in water meters. only l.23i
being i'll use. The total amount of water
pumped was 9,OOl,O2NO00 gallons, or over
l.. 0C0000 gallons per day.
Our energetic building inspector reports
Sl0.225 sg4 expended in the construction and
repair of buildings in 1891 and 1872, and adds
that the outlook for 1893 is quite flattering.
The report of our commissioner of health
shows that the sanitary interests of the city
have been well cared for and it is Il source
of qualification that our city is at least as well
prepared rs any other to receive a visit from
the terrible cholera scourge which has been
creating so great panic i'll foreign lands
and on the eastern shores of our own coun-
try While in some instances | have quoted
salient features from the annual reports Of
the officers of the city. l have made no at
tempt to give even synopsis of such re.
| ,ut,iob 6acarva ond in MANY oocas will