The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-18
PHILIP KIRST'S DEAS|
They Were Read for the Enlighten.
ment of the Board Of Trade.
THE PLAN THAT HE SUGGESTS
Thinks That q Board of Public Works
Would Insure Moro Satisfactory Ex'
pcnditurc OF Money on the Streets.
Business Before tho Board.

Street Commissioner Phillip Kirst de-
livered a long distance speech at the
board Of trade meeting last night, his
subject being. 1.-THE Difficulty of Main
tanning the Streets of the CITY," AT
the end OF the remarks the street COM
missioner was TO have delivered vote
Of thanks was rendered to him.
Secretary ID. b A.therton stated to
the members that Mr.. Kirst had been
unexpectedly called out of the city on
business of pressing Importance. ana
the gentleman had collected his ideas
ON paper and sent them to be read at
the meeting. There was also letter
of regret from MIR. Kirst on account OF
his inability to be present
Mr.. Atherton read the speech elo-
quently, sounding every sentence with
perfect intonation. In the beginning
the speech confessed that the present
system of expending the ward appropri-
ations Is failure, for obvious reasons.
The remedy, according to the street
commissioner, is in the creation or
board of public works. such as Is out
lined in the Chittenden ordinance now
before select council.
Mr. Kirst urged upon the board TO
endorse the ordinance, so that councils
may not disregard 1t, but on the con-
trary make a law OF Ut. The citizens
were blamed a good deal for the con-
dition Of the streets. Councilmen are
afraid to bring any improvements TO
pass for fear of certain taxpayers who
are waiting for a chance to sue the city
for damages.
Spoke OF Election Whisky.
Mr.. Dale, ,eX-prothonotary, agreed that
the present system of street repairing
is failure and that a board of pubic
works ought to be created. Mr.. Chit
tenden spoke regarding the ordinance
providing for the creation of a board.
but he made the doleful prophecy that
1t will hardly live through its struggle
to become a law.
II. Z. Paine said that the ordinance
has too many good provisions to pass
the councils; it changes the method or
expending the ward appropriation
which has been often used in the past
to pay for election whiskey. The street
commissioner told him, he said, that
in certain ward running along the
river. (and the speaker pointed his fin
ger toward the South Side the ward ap-
propriation of 5000 or $500 had been dis
tributed among $50 or more men, where
there are not enough of picks and shov-
els in the same ward to keep twenty
men going. 1t was the sense of the
board that the Chittenden ordinance
should become a law.
VIII lie No Summer Sessions.
Luther Keller chairman of the manu-
factures committee, recommended
that the July and August meetings Of
the board be dispensed with, and that
special meetings, IL any, be subject to
the call of the president, and that the
secretary be given a vacation of ten
days during the month of July.
The committee on public safety re-
ported that the fire marshal bill, intro
duced by Senator Vaughan, of this dis
trict, was passed by the late legisla-
ture and that the secretary has writ
ten to the governor respectfully calling
his attention to it. and soliciting him
to give it his official sanction.
The committee on streets and high
ways reported that through the efforts
of our representatives the late legis-
lature passed a road bill for the better
ment of our public highways, also
wide tire bill, which provides that all
parties using tires of not less than
four inches in width shall be exonerated
20 per cent. of their road tax. The
latter bill originally provided that If
three inch tires We're used. a deduc-
tion of SO per cent. of road taxes would
be allowed, but was amended as above
upon resolution passed by this board.
Both of these bills now await the sigma
ture of the governor.