The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-29
NO LET UP IN CITY TAXES.
The Contemplated Improvements
During Next Year.

/ $3.50, OOO-Thls Amount to be Dis
I trfbutsd over Several Years-The
Sinking Fund to be Increased Next
Year s15,ooo-The Other Contem-
/ plated Expenses.
/ There is not likely 70 be any decrease
/ in city taxes next year. The bringing in
I Of the annexed sections south Of Ander-
son street and east Of the Savannah
( Florida and Western railway viii cost
/ the city a good round sum in opening
/ streets and supplying water, light and
/ police protection.
/ The amount Of the sinking fund is re-
/ quired by the act providing for it to be
/ increased from $4,000 10 $40 600 Rext
| year. an in crease Of 81. 600 in the budget.
I Besides this council mas about decided
1 to make a beginning of the house
/ drainage system and will probably ex-
I pend about $4,000 next year on this line.
A member Of council who was discuss
ing this subject yesterday estimated that
/ the expense upon the items named would
/ be increased in the budget by from $780,
600 TO SI50.00O. If the city goes into the
electric lighting business an expenditure
of 100000 more may be estimated.
/ Whether this will come out Of next years
taxes or will be provided for otherwise is
/ uncertain.
THE RATE THE sAMB.
It is not intended to increase the tax
rate, however. as the members Of council
are thoroughly aware of the financial
situation and are not disposed TO add to the
public burdens a such an untimely season.
! There will be considera bic money availa-
/ bic for these objects. however, without in
creasing the tax rate. The new water
works have been paid for, and the money
which has been appropriated 10 that
all, i
can be applied TO house drainage and
opening streets. A considerable amount
will be received in taxes from the an
neXed sections. The amount usually de-
voted to street paving will probably be
applied to opening streets. Altogether by
good management the council will be able
to expend large amount of money upon
needed Improvements without increasing
the tax burden.
THE HOUSE DRAINAGE.
The question of house drainage has
been brought to the attention of council
thus early in order that there may be
plenty Of time to discuss the subject, re
view the various plans that
will DE offered and decide
upon some plan in time to begin work in
January. Even then there will be only
four months in which to conduct the
work, as the ordinance against upturning
goes into effect on May l.
In round numbers it is estimated that
a complete system of house drainage will
cost the city in the neigh borhood of $780,
600. By distributing this work over sew
eral years the burden upon the tax payers
viii be light. To do the work in this
manner il will require, after the system
has been decided upon, to take up one
section of the city at time, dividing it
into sections and completing section
every year
THE DRAINAGE OUTLET.
One of the most important questions in
connection with the house drainage is the
location of the sewage outlet. The
sewer outlet will be the costliest item of
the work, as it will be necessary to carry
the sewage several miles from the
system.
All the sanitary authorities are agreed
that it is out Of the question to use the
Bilbo canal as that would empty the
whole sewage of the city into the Sa-
vannah river inside the city limits. where
it would be brought up by the tides in
front of the city and prove a constant
source of disease. Fort Oglethorpe and
Timber Landing creek are the two points
most prominently mentioned for the
sewer terminus.
Either location would necessitate the
building Of several miles of sewer, and
then there is the question of securing
rights of way from the land owners along
the route it will take considerable dis
cussion to decide upon location for the
outlet, as every available locality has its
supporters.
THE PRESENT SYSTEM.
The idea of the house-drainage system,
in brief, is to do away with the present
incomplete and unsatisfactory combina-
ton system Of sewerage and storm drains
and TO provide an entirely separa te system
for the carrying of all house sewage to a
sufficient distance from the city to pre-
vent any danger TO health from this
cause. 1t is well known that not half the
dwellings in the city are provided with
sewer connections, many of them because
there are no connections available, the
result of which makes it impossible to
put the city in first-class sanitary condi-
ton.
The only house sewerage now is by a
miscellaneous connection of pipes, many
Of them put down by private citizens
with the old storm drains
| The consequence is that as the
city grows this system or lack of
system grows more complicated and un-
satisfactory The object now is to decide
upon some plan that can be followed here
after In all sewerage work, SO that when
1t is complete the whole will be systematic
and satisfactory and according to the
most approved ideas upon sanitary work.
NECESSARY WORK.
The necessity of a house sewerage sys-
! TEN for the city has been recognized for
a number of years. The first decisive ac-
| ton looking to the work was taken during
the latter part of Mayor Testers admins
tration, when the city engineer was sent
| to Norfolk and other cities to investigate
| the various systems in use A
| lengthy report was made and a system
| of sewerage was decided upon. Mayor
| Testers administration concluded about
| this time and Mayor Schwarz came in
| with a new board of aldermen. Dr. Fail
| ligant and other members of the new
| board differed with the plan adopted by
! the last administration, and the subject
| again came in for lengthy discussion The
/ result was so much time was wasted in
| discussion that the city had committed
1 itself to the new watermorks system before
1 any conclusion was reached. This of course
1 precluded the taking up of house
/ drainage until the completion of the new
| wafer works. The subject was brought
! up again about year ago and a resolu-
! ton was passed instructing the mayor to
/ appoint a drainage commission to consist
| OF two aldermen and three citizens with
! the mayor as an eX-ofiicio member and
/ chairman, which was done.
AR poYGr aCs' eT-rc rerrDN-