Evening journal., 1894-12-14
THE MINORITY KICKS.
The Democratic Members OBJ
ject to Being Ignored.
LEFT OUT WHEN BILLS ARE MADE
They Claim That ths Majority Has Gone
out of the Way to snub the Minority.
Smith and Tyre Argue the Point-rhs
City solons In Session.

| CITY boions In session.
At the meeting OF City Council last
night resolution for the refunding Of
| So 2S overpaid to Michael McCarty, was
reported favorsbly by the finance COM
mittee. The city treasurer reported
that the balance in the Union National
Bank was $55,354 80; received Of II. Il.
Bilany $3.50; Edmund Mitchell, Jr,
$500; Eugene NJ Sayers, 1875
The city auditors sent a communica-
tion to Council stating that check
drawn in favor of John Bowers has
remained in the city treasurer's office
since 1884 and has been q source of
annoyance to the city treasurer Ia bal
ancing his accounts The auditor asked
that the matter be referred to the proper
persons In order that the check may be
cancelled. The matter was referred to
the proper persons
Mr.. O'Neill presented petition signed
by residents Of the First ward asking
Council to have the buildings known as
Arcade row declared nuisances and
that they be torn down, as they are eye
sores and hre-traps
Mr.. 0Nelll moved taat the petition be
referred to the building inspector with
power to act. The buildings had already
Board OF Health
Mr. Tyre-"The Board of Health can
| inspect end declare any building
nuisance, but neither the board nor the
building inspector can order a building
torn down unless It Is in danger Of falliog.
notsimply bscause IL is afrRme.struoture y
Mr. O'Neill-'I think the building
inspector can be trusted to act inside the
law. He Is already given the power to
act but he wants authorization from
Council
Ar Tyre-"If he had power he could
order any building torn down whether 1t
was dangerous or not, / think 1t better
to refer the matter to the building inspsc
tor to report at the next meeting. | move
this as an amendment"
The third reading Of the ordinance for
the transfer Of 81, 900 from the miscel-
laneous appropriation to the Public
/ Buildings Committee WAS made
Mr. Donahos-' Il would like to ask the
chairman of the Public Buildings Com
mittee to explain how it comes that
although but about six months has
slapsed, more money is needed "
Mr. Kirby-"This appropriation has
been eaten up by bills which were neces-
sary. The repairs of the tower, and
other bills have taken away considerable
money. All the fund has been spent on
| public buildings and none unnecessarily
| The tower cost more than was expected.
1t must also be remembered that the ap
| preparation this year is 81, 500 leas than
last year
Mr. Smith, would ike to ask the
chairman of the Public Buildings Com
mittee II be was not aware Of the con
/ - a. 1.
/ tion was NADER IL strikes me very
forcibly that he had the tower inspected
i by both a contractor and the building
infps ctor, both of whom gave him their
| opinion as TO It's condition he knew
what was needed. The work was not
done by contract Rs required by the
ordinances It was simply 20 ahead and
then pay for IT, The committee knew
when two or three boards had been
removed Just what the repairs were
likely to cost, but they didn't stop to
compute cost or ask for bids,
| but went right ahead The ex,
penditures were not jud ciously made.
If they had been the committee would
not now be where 1t is This applies
not only to the tower. but to other bills
| am opposed to the transfer, at this
time and under these circumstances, of
| any money from another committees
| funds. The ordinance says that we
mustn't override the appropriation
There are a number Of bills out now for
which there Is no money to pay"
Mr. StaAts-"Every member Of the com
mittee knows Just how every cent of
this fund has been expended. There was
l quite a good deal of 1t spent on the
tower. We asked contractors TO bid
and they refused to do so. II the gentle
man from the Eleventh will remember
some two or three years ago, when an
examination was made by a prominent
contractor the tower was pronounced
In condition to stand for twenty
years Notwithstanding this another
examination made when the tower began
leaking, showed that the pilssters or
pillars we're rotten and the whole tower
in bad condition. Contractors would not
bid on the work The gentleman Knows
that no bills were unjust Last year
We had So 500 In this fund, and this year
It was So COO We didn't expect any
extraordinary expenses, and did not
expect to have to furnish any Offices
Even with this 81 200 transfer, which
is ample to carry the committee through
we will still have expanded less than last
year. | believe the Public Buildings
Committee has tried to ksep the expen-
oitures down. All the appropriations Of
COulcil have been shaved down to a
beggarly limit, and we have been com
PEELED to 60 slow IN order TO make them
reach out. The commissions on the
other band have been permitted to
expend lsvishly whenever they wished
We are careful and claim that these
extraordinary expenses are necessary and
compulsory II we had not done as we
did, the expenses might have been much
greater. There Is no reason to complain.
Il had to be done There are one or two
bills outstanding One Of them was
necessary In order TO heat the building
If It had not keen incurred the health OF
the officials would have been endangered.
Mr.. Smith-'Don't the ordinance SAY
that when the appropriation Is expended
ali expenditures must cesse2 Wasn't the
committee aware that there was nc
money to pay bills2 Oar friend of ths
, Eighth says that a contractor gusran-
teed the tower for number of years
, Isn't this the same contractor who
, afterwards was given the job and con-
! demned the tower so as to pile up this
= biQ bill whiah Afterwards came in IL