The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-29
EXPENSE OF A CITY.
Report of the Tacoma Board of
Public Works
COMPARISON WITH SEATTLE.
O0elal Yigures - - Taeona's Manici-
pal Work-The Revenue In Zach
City About the Same.

The report Of the department Of public
works of Tacoma has just been published
in pamphlet form. and as IL is an Official
document il affords the basis for an inter-
esting comparison with Seattle. The
population OF Tacoma is pat st q, s6i that
of Seattle proper is estimated at %. 0s0.
The assessed valuation Of property there
is Just about the same as that of this city,
Tacoma having $ss.074.l47. while that of
Seattle is $as. So. .i6. difference of only
SIS. 569. The tax levy was Il mills,
slightly under ours. Tacoma has ~ miles
of street car lines. while SEATTLE has %. o.
miles. The death rate il about the same.
namely. Tacoma 80 per 100; Seattle. 7.45
per loo.
coma includes buildings. plumbing and
drainage and che following is q COMPARE
son Of the amount Of building done in the
two cities. Tacoma dating to October 81,
and Seattle TO December 81. 1892:
D,rsilfsqs 0.h<r buildings. Total rulus
Tacoma. SO 2s9 $i.6si.a,1
eeas:le. i.2s "a l.s71,ss3
Tacorna's list includes SIS. 2S5 for school
buildings. library. ETC.. and Seattle's does
not include the Dexter Horton building
t$l3s,OO0 or any school or public build
ings.
In one thing. street grading, Tacoma
was ahead of Seattle during the year. with
So miles, while Seattle had but about ten
miles. Besides this, Tacoma has laid over
two miles Of pavement and l.s7o lineal feet
of bituminous rock upon concrete. The
cost OF street Improvements IN Tacoma
was $osa.095. In Seattle it was $i67. 796.
but in addition to this the city spent $6a,-
500, making for Seattle, $2S2, 4a5.
The sewer work of the two cities shows
decided advantage to Seattle. Tacoma
laid l. 40 miles at a cost of S25, a9l. while
Seattle laid al6l miles at cost of only
$a3. rs. The total cost for Tacoma was
$s5. 30, but of this $ol. los was paid by
assessment. In Tacoma the pipe is nearly
all s-inch, while in Seattle about one-half
only was that size. the remainder inc,ud-
ing I. 2o7 feet Of a0-inch pipe Our neigh
Dor finds it necessary to adopt at an early
date thorough sewerage system.
Tacoma has adopted a thorough system
for the board Of public works. It includes
the feeding of prisoners at the city Jail at
q cost of Is cents meal.
The harbor is part of the departments
domain, and the report As to it is interest
ing. 1t says: "The growth of the ship
ping interest Of Tacoma has been so great
as to necessitatc additional harbor facili-
ties. We have, during the year, built six
new buoys for ships moorlngs, and have
cast five mushroom sinker anchors for
same, one of l., 600 pounds and four Of 49,
600 pounds each. using also one English
anchor already owned by the city. We
secured the United States steamship Man
zanita to set these buoys, thus saving the
city considerable expense. The cost Of
the buoys. anchors and chains was ap-
proximately $500"
A contract has been made for removing
the city's garbage and dumping it in the
bay at a cost of 1913 per month from No
vember l to July /. 1892, and $ol9 per
month from July 1, isg2. to July l. 1893.
The accounts Of the departments for sup
plies are kept by the board. and they show
a total expenditure in this direction of
<7s,5is: but in addition to this are the
items. light, water and hydrants. 81, 273;
advertising. SIS. 2is; rent, $7,M3. The fire
department required for supplies $i9s9s,
while Seattle spent 20,63O, but deducting
interest on warrants it was only $lS,6
There is q great difference in the police de-
par;ments. namely: Seattle, 14.44l; Ia
coma, $3.50; but Seattle spent $7,925 on
the telephone and signal service.
A comparison of the expenses Of the 20
lice and fire departments will be of inter-
est when the statistics are avaiiable