The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-09
The Lively Expectations OF a
Crowded Lobby Not
Realized.
THE MAYORS VETO MESSAGE
His Reasons for Not Signing the
Bltuminous-RoCk Monopoly
Order.

Board of Supervisors yesterday and as an
evidence the lobby and the gallery were
crowded long before the hour for the meet
ing.
The word was passed in the shuttle of the
clerks office, which for an hour precedes
the call to order on every meeting day, that
there was to be a general reorganization OF
the board through resolution to be intro
duced by some one not named; that Adolph
Spreckels was to be removed from the
Craftsmanship of the street committee, and
G. C. Hughes put in his place, and that
other members of the big four were to be
robbed of their special honors and reduced
to the ranks by the votes of the solid eight,
so far as that were possible.
The trouble out of which the gossip grew
has. as is known, all or nearly all grown
out of the bituminous rock Southern Pa
cifc order. 1t was known the Mayor had
vetoed this, and the message concerning it
was among the anticipations of the meet
ing together with a row, possibly, over
that.
1t was known to a few that Supervisor
Hughes and some others Of the solid eight,
which includes-this should not be for
moment forgotten-King, Scully, Benja-
min, Hirsch. bunker, Morgenstern and
Wagner, had been around to the Grand
Jury room at the last meeting of that body
TO ask what they had against them. :"
Perhaps some reference would be made to
the subject of Supervisor Dimond's visit to
the Grand Jury rooms, and the questions
which were put to him about the bitumin-
Gus rock votes of the solid eight.
But all this anticipation was off its feet
Nothing could have been more mild-man-
nered and less sensational than the meet
ing of the Board of Supervisors yesterday
afternoon.
No man raised his voice above the level
of the polite conversational tone nor used
his power of speech for aught save the ex-
act requirements of parliamentary usage
in disposing of the routine business which
had been cut to measure by Clerk Russell
and his men.
II move you, Mr.. President, that the re-
port be adopted" was the longest speech
made during the afternoon.
In most cases this was abbreviated to
read, 81 move the adoption of the
report, that the resolution be passed to
print, +" or however the case might be. The
big audience in the lobby and in the
gallery, much of which had to stand up,
waited with wonderful patience for the
bomb to be thrown, but it was not thrown.
The greatest surprise of the meeting was
when, at the end of a short session of
straight routine and about the time the
excitement usually begins, a motion to
adjourn was put and passed and the Mayor
and the others rose to their feet and
walked out.
To be sure, Mayor Sutro's message of
the bituminous rock monopoly order was
read, but the motion instantly followed
that it take the regular order, and this was
agreed to. The message reads:
Gentlemen: After listening carefully to the
arguments presented to me in regard to order
No. 1851, passed "April u last, l have arrived
at the conclusion that said order should not re-
ceive my approval for the following reasons:
First-That it would practically exclude the
shipment of bituminous rock byvessels, as 1t has
been shown that the rock thus shipped, IN the
transit often melts into one mass and would
have TO be mined out of the ship again. except
it is first melted into sacks, which this ordi-
nance in fact prohibits.
Second-That for the reason just stated many
mines at a distance would thereby be excluded
from competition, on account OF the higher
rates of freight charged by the railroads.
Third-It would substantially create
monopoly in favor of the Santa Cruz mines,
which are located nearest to San Francisco,
and also asmonopoly in the transportation
thereof in favor OF the Southern Pacific OF Ken
lucky.
Fourth-That this ordinance contains
clause as follows: "And the material must be
clean and free from all stone pebbles mica,
earthly, graFelly or vegetable matters"
This would prohibit the further use of btu
minous rock for street pavements, as none ex-
lists free from some OF the material enumerated.
The order is therefore returned unsigned. Re-
spectfully submitted,
ADoLPH sUTRo, Mayor
OF the other business transacted reso-
luton was passed asking for the opinion
of the City. Attorney in the matter of the
assessments to be made under the new
law. The law repeats the law of 1873,
which postpones the assessment from July
to October, and leaves a hiatus of three
months in the matter of revenue, Just as
though the city was not already badly
enough circumstance in the matter of
funds.
A resolution presented by Chairman
Spreckels of the Street Committee TO the
effect that Elm avenue had never been
dedicated to the city and ordering that it
be eXpunged from the city maps and
records was adopted.
A resolution was also offered setting
forth that inasmuch as the park known as
South Park is claimed as private property
and, therefore, subject to taxation by the
city and county and State, that the AS
SCISSOR be directed to assess the same in
future and for the years past in which it
has escaped taxation. 1t was adopted.
Supervisor Wagner introduced an amen
datory order fixing the license fees for
"astroIogers, seers, fortune-tellers, trance
mediums, test and business mediums
GIN SASsA- W. eeAANO 81 pAO pei
quarter.
a resolution was adopted to the effect
that no free licenses to peddle flowers upon
the streets be granted and that the Chief
of Police be required to keep the flower
and other peddlers moving.
The contract for paving with bituminous
rock the crossing sof Fifteenth and Guer-
zero streets was let to the City Street I'm
provement Company; for paving Park
Lane North, between Second and Third
streets, with basalt blocks, to NJ. F. Sulli-
van; for laying granite curbs on Fifteenth
street, between Valencia and Guerrero,
where not already laid and for paving the
roadway with bituminous rock, to c. S.
Hurley; for laying granite curbs on Jack
son street, between Baker and Lyon, and
for paving the roadway with bituminous
rock, to the Jordan Bituminous Rock and
Paving Company; for paving with btu
minous rock Zoe place, from Folsom street
TO its southeasterly termination, to the
same contractors.
A petition was presented from Mary
Block to expunge Theodore alley, between
Stockton street and Church avenue, from
the map; another from the Sportsman
Protective Association recommending Mr.
Aull to the position of Fish and Game
Warden; and another from Maurice Dore
for the closing of Stanton street at It's
junction with Douglass.