The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-06
Solid Eight in Court Again
for Argument To-
Day.
BIG RISE IN THE TAX RATE.
Old City Hall to Be Rebuilt-Other
Reconsideration for
Month.

Hunt. Department OF the superior
Court, yesterday morning, General Dick
inson, the attorney, being well up in
front, standing with his broad shoulders
and his answer and his demurrer directly
between them and justice-that is to say,
the Judge.
General Dickinson stated the situation
to Judge Hunt-about the conflict between
the order of the court which sent the case
to Department 10 and the stamp on the
complaint which consigned it to Depart
ment 5. Judge Slack had refused to hear
the case, and so here they WERE
r. M. Smith, who brought the accusa-
ton, took the ground that the case be-
longed to Department 10, and after some
discussion Judge Hunt made an order
sending it back to Judge Slack.
The whole party walked down the
corridor to Department 10, and stated the
case to Judge Slack. VERY well. :" said
his Honor, ~ will hear the case. Mr..
Smith. understand you want to file an
amended complaint
"But would like to argue that matter"
said General Dickinson.
Not as to his amending his complaints"
eyes. 1 think can show your Honor
that he has no right to and so end this
case"
"But I can't hear any argument until
the complaint is satisfactory to the COM
pIainant."
''But if 1 can show your Honor that he
has no right to amend the complaint"
81 cannot hear an argument until there
is complaint"
General Dickinson has got his criminal
and civil law tangled. But | am willing
that he should argue the matter if he
Wishes" said Smith
The court would not, however, and
Smith filed his new complaint. 1t is
different from the other only IN the
strength of legal form and technlcalities.
General Dickinson will file his demurrer
to this. and it will be argued probably this
morning.
The meeting of the board which took
place yesterday afternoon was character
lied by discussion of the resolution fix
ing the rate of the tax levy and very ma
terial amendment and lifting of that rate.
The rate, according to the provisions in
the report of the Finance Committee and
the resolution based on the same, was
fraction above 81 AZ on the 500 property
valuation. The estimated valuation, as
stated in the committees report is $780,
100000 The total expenditures as the
committee reported upon them were
Sc, 093,5S3, but of this $1,386,000 will be
raised from other sources, the amount to
be raised by taxation being 81, 707,583.
When the resolution based on this re-
port came up for passage Supervisor Wag-
ner called attention to the appropriation
for Golden Gate Park, $256, 600. He moved
that it be raised to 100000. The park, he
said, was the peoples playground, and the
money was necessary to carry out the
work in progress.
Il ~
wanted the question to go over until the
meeting in September, but the motion to
make the appropriation 100000 passed
Dimond, Taylor and Hobbs voting mo"
Then Wagner called attention to the
appropriation for the Kearny-street City
Hall.
As provided by the resolution it is but
$4S, 600 to pay for the lots now owned by
private parties, which will have to be Sc
cured by condemnation proceedings, it
says, and which proceedings will doubtless
consume great part of the present fiscal
year
Wagner moved that it be raised to the
full amount permitted by the act of the Leg
islature-S300, 600.
rimond opposed this warmly. He
thought all tinkering with the resolutions
should be stopped for the present and I'M
til the September meeting, when the judg-
ment OF the people might be learned.
Supervisor Taylor, who had been called
to preside by Mayor Sutro, who had re-
tired some time before now, called
Dimond to the chair. Taking his place on
the floor he made a long argument against
the increase. He reminded the members
of their party pledges to keep the appro-
priations down. The building of new
City Hall downtown at this time was alb
surd, he said. 1t was in the interest Of
few people and against that of the people.
But the rise was favored by the Solid
Eight, and they voted solidly for it.
Hirsch now called attention to the item
for the Dipsomaniac Hospital, $25, 900, and
moved that it be lifted to $685. 600.
Even bunker couldn't stand this, and he
forsook the eight when it came to vote,
and the result was to 4-Spreckels being
absent.
Now the committee had reported in
favor of the levy of 10 cents provided in
the act of the Legislature for completing
the new City Hall, and also for the salaries
OF the seventy-tive new men for the police
force, left Folsom streets $4,000 regret
fully out, and held the $4,000 for the pay
ment of the City's back debts in allowance
until the Supreme Court decision.
King now started in on new tack. He
wanted to cut out the $500 900 for the work
on the new City Hall.
City and County Attorney Creswell asked
III iCoNS W Spcdh 70 IlilS, anu III ali cdTHeSC
talk called attention to the great danger of
leaving the attic with its forest of timber
to threaten the destruction of the costly
building; cited Fresno Courthouse as an
example of that danger; said that little
crossing of electric wires up there might
cost the City Million and finally, that
the law which permitted the Supervi-
sors to levy taxes for the purpose was
really mandatory, and if the board failed
in this it would be required to meet the
City Hall Commission in the courts. This,
Mr.. Creswell said. would put him in an
embarrassing position, as in everything
except his duty as City Hall Commissioner
he was at the service of the Supervisors.
No action was taken on Kings motion.
A resolution had been introduced earlier
and passed to print fixing the number of
the police force at 4S5 men, captains, 5
lieutenants, 80 sergeants and II detectives
This left off the seventy-fve new men and
simply created five lieutenants. Benjamin
moved that the appropriation of $704 ,44S
for the Police Department be cut 1914, AS
the amount provided for the extra seventy
five and this, of course, was adopted with
out discussion.
With these amendments-which raise