The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-12-17
LAST CHANGES ARE MADE
BoIRD or FALDERMEN SETTLE UPoN
 APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1896.

Einance-Ihe Provision for Supervisor of
 Street sprlnkling Killed-The Only Inn
 portant Changes Were Made in the Ap-
 propriations for the Maintenance of Elec-
 trio Lights and Napltha Lamps.
 The report of the board of finance on the estimated expenses for running the city government during the year 1896 was tal1en up last night at special meeting of the board of aldermen called for that purpose. Mayor Hendrick pre- sided over the session, at which thirteen aldermen were present. The board jumped right at the estimates without the least hesitation, and went through them with the apparent determination | of getting the entire matter out of the way as soon as possible.
 There was very little cutting done, | the majority of the estimates passing with the unanimous approval of the board. In some instances there were | transfers of various amounts from one department to another. The first hitch arose when the sprinklng of streets came up. Alderman Blakeslee moved that the S13,500 estimated expenses for this purpose under sundry accounts be | transferred to the board of public works to be used in like manner. AL derman Connor offered vigorous objection to this and wound up with an amendment providing $12,500 only for sprinlsling. He thought the other 900 could be used to advantage in hardening streets and mentioned James street as one. He did not object to the transfer, however. His amendment was adopted by a vote of to s, and thus the $1,0O0 mentioned in the sprnklirg account for clerk whose duty it would be to supervise the springling was knocked out, and the proposed clerk went with it.
 The next halt made in the estimates under the board of public works was at the item for spraying the elm trees to kill the elm tree beetle. The entire sum was demolished. Alderman Mac donald assumed the responsibility of this. He thought that any money spent to destroy the beetle in question would JC IlIIUNIl away anu Ie IllONeu that lllt s3,0O0 be transferred to the account of the fire department and that 5000 of it be used for the purchase of a lot in the Tenth ward for the purpose of new \ engine house. Alderman Blakeslea stood by the beetles, but finally MT. Macdon- aids motion was carried. Nothing daunted the former gentleman moved that $500 be taken from the sum of S1 ,000 appropriated for the removal of dan gerous trees and placed to the $100O left for the murder of beetles. The l motion was lost.
 Here Alderman Smith moved that the remaining $1,000 to the account of the beetles be appropriated for a bell tower ct No 5's engine house on East Pearl street, and it was passed, Aldermen Blakeslee and Belden voting against it. This consumed the entire $3,000 recom- mended for the destruction of the bee ties.
 A motion by Alderman Connor that the $1,000 taken from the account of street sprinkling be transferred to the account recommended for repairing pavements and that it be used for the hardening of James street, was passed. These constituted the only changes in the estimates of the board of public works.
 The estimates for the police depart ment were approved without a single change as were also those of the health department.
 There were several changes in the es- inmates for the lamp department. AL derman Smith did not understand why the board of finance lowered the esti- | mates for electric lights and increased that for gas lamps over last year. Alderman Skiff fell into sympathy with Alderman Smith, and moved that $6000 be taken from the sum recommended for the maintenance of gas lamps and place it to the credit of electric lights. Alderman Macdonald favored this,stat- ing that the people in his ward de- pended to a large extent on the electric lights for police protection. Alderman Parish stated that the city would not be made dark by taking away the electric lights. He thought it was the intention of the committee on lamps to replace the electric lights with gas lamp posts equipped with "Wellsbach' burners. He understood that two of these burners could give the same amount of light as one electric light, and would be considerably cheaper. The chairman of the committee on lamps was not present. Several other aldermen spoke favorably of the ''Wisllsbach" burner, but MT. Skiff' s motion finally prevailed, and the appro- priations for electric lights and gas lamps were consequently made about the same as last year-S41, ,5S7. 50, and s17,700, respectively. From $500 recom- mended for setting and resetting gas lamp posts S150 Was taken and from S2,250 recommended for the putting in of "Wellsbach'' burners in the streets of the city $1.250 was taken and both sums were added to $9, GOO recommended for the maintenance of naphtha lamps. This crushed the supporters of the "Wellsbach' burners.
 Under sundry accounts the only change made outside of that already mentioned was s, 300 recommended to meet the probable. expense arising from injury to persons and damage to prop erty other than land. This was made on the motion of Alderman Smith, who wanted $500 more for his bell tower. After the various changes were made the reorganization of the appropria tions