Birmingham age-herald., 1895-08-22
M'CARTIN THREW A BOMB Sensational Charges Against Poll
 Tax Collector Harris. DOCUMENTS IN THE CASE Two Letters Which Are Said 10 Have Been FG, lowed by Wholesale 6arnishments,
 Council Proceedings.
DOCUMENTS IN THE CASI


 monthly session last night. with the fol- l lowing members of the board present:
 Mayor VanHoo and Aldermen Harring- ton, Duncan, Enslen, Jackson. West. Kettg. McCartin, Gillespie. Meade and 1 Jones. The mayor submitted a petition from | Chief of Police Mcdonald asking the re- mttance of certain fine imposed on | the police and requested that it be re- 1 ferred To the street committee, with the | mayor added, with power to act So or | dered.
 Mayor VanHoose submitted his semi
 annual report, which was as follows: | Mayors Report. | He said the present fire department was
 inadequa te to the city's needs and recom- | mended the purchase of a steamer of
 larger capacity for the fire department and the placing of one near Fountain | Heights and one near the Baxter Stove l works; also the sale of a certain lot and
 one of the engines now owned by the
 city to pay for the new engine. Police l He said marked improvement had I been made in the service since the pres
 ent board took charge, and new head | quarters had been established, with l wards set apart to be used by the city | physician. He recommended putting in an l electric police alarm system and the l Keeping of horses at the police station, so
 the police can make quick responses to calls.
 l City Jail. l lie said improvements had been made | in the city jail and shower baths had
 been added and recommended the build | ing of another story to the market house, | which will give additional prison room. Cemetery. He said all except very few lots in | Oak Hill cemetery had been sold He | said the cemetery was maintained at | great expense and when all these lots l shall have been sold there will be no in- | come from the cemetery to defray the expenses of keeping 1t up. He recom- l mended using part of Red Mountain cemetery.
 Reformatory. | He recommended the establishment of l reformatory and work house for the younger and less depraVed of those con | victed in the inferior court. He said the land purchased for the Red Mountain cemetery contained 199 acres and sug- | gest that part of this could be utilized | for the reformatory.
 Public Schools He recommended the maintaining of the public schools at the present high | standard.
 Street Improvement He referred to the local assessment plan authorized by the last legislature | and expressed his regret that if had nnt 1 been adopted earlier. He hoped the board would not recede from the stand taken recently in deciding to build storm | sewers.
 Markets. | He said an excellent change in the mar l kets had been effected and the fruit and | vegetables were kept in one department l and the meats in another. Sewers. He said that owing to the high pressure l maintained since the Caldwell hotel fire | and the severe winter the sewers had l been overtaxed. He wanted proper drain- age provided,
 Public Lighting. l He said the city lights had not been paid for since November, and that more | lights are needed. He thought the rate l too high, and said he would soon recom- | mend that the city own it's own lights. Office Matters. l He said great many valuable papers, l such as deeds and contracts, were miss
 ing and recommended that a portion of | the tax collectors office be fixed for filing l away and preserving such papers. | Legal Matters.
 He recommended that the city ordi- | nances be revised and recodified, as a great many changes had been made since l the last code was gotten out. He said
 forty-eight suits against the city were l pending in the courts, six of which were l damage suits, and the amounts claimed l aggregated s11,000
 Water Works. l He said the proposition recently sub | mitted to the board by the water works l company had not been acted upon yet, as | the committee and company had so far h fn I
 that the new company be permitted to | come in the city. He thought the city l.should own it's water works. | Finance. | He said the large issues of bonds for | public improvements by former adminis-
 trations had saddled large fixed charge on the city. He hoped the arrangements
 recently made for paying interest on debt
 would allow the city a breathing spell | He still desired economy, but favored l keeping the public schools and other city
 departments up to their high standard 1 He stated that the total receipts from
 January 1 to June 30, 1895, from all | sources were $126,S44.19. Total disburse- | ments, $122 113.54
 Estimated receipts from July to De- l cember 31, 4,500.
 Sanitation.
 He said the sanitary condition of the
 city had been improved since the present l | that property owners be required to keep
 the street and sidewalk in front of their | property. clear of weeds and grass.
 Petition of J. B. Cotton & Co. of Ches- | ter, Pa., for exemption from taxes of | the cotton mill under construction by | them at First avenue and Eighth street | was submitted to the board, and Capt | James E. Webb addressed the board In l the interest of the petition. He told of
 the effort in the last legislature to pass | a law exempting such property from | taxation. He said the county commis-
 sIoners had exempted the mill from tax | ation. and if the city would do so then | only state taxes would have to be paid.
 Alderman McCartin moved that the petition be granted and the judiciary | committee be instructed to bring in an | ordinance exempting the mill from taxa | tion in accordance with the request.
 Alderman Enseln was in f"vnr of ex- | empting the mill but wanted il limited | to the time the mill was in operation. The motion to grant the petition pre- | vailed without dissenting vote. | Mr J. F. Martin, attorney for the new | telephone company asked for a four s... II. .t.1.t |.