The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-03
ON MORTGAGE TAXATION,
Able Debate by Members of the
Federated Improvement
Clubs.
The Board of Health's Request for a
Sanitary Appropriation Also
Discussed.

The San Francisco Federation OF I'M
provement Clubs met at B'nai Birth Hall
last evening. Several important PROPOSE
lions came up before the organization
and were discussed in very lively man
ner.
The report of the committee on creden-
tiaIs recommending the admission of the
following delegates from the Mission Five
mile improvement Club was presented by
F. w. Van Reynegom and adopted: Fran
els Feely, H. E. Doyal, E. N. Toreblo,
Charles Luttringer and NJ. II. Levy. The
recommendation that Messrs Sullivan,
King, Laid, Nolan and Hammond be adj
mitted from the Fourth-street club was
also approved.
A motion laid over from the last meet
ing that the organization meet twice
month instead of once month evoked a
warm debate.
The majority favored the idea, as this
was near election time, and the motion
was adopted. Hereafter the Federated
Improvement Clubs will meet on the first
and third Wednesdays of every month.
The report of the committee on public
works, presented by DR.. A. Rottanzi,
stated that the principal matter under
consideration was the Pesthouse.
eWe believe" said DR.. Ro ttanzi, that
the condition of the present Pesthouse is
such that it should be torn down. San
Francisco should certainly take charge of
its own Iepers, bat should not be made
the dumping ground for all the lepers of
the State"
The secretary of the Board of Health
hn hnh ant lsaO ffRoo LII
givinE certain statistics in regard to the
! Pesthouse, in which it was stated that the
| number of lepers was few, but that the
present Pesthouse was not built for anv
but contagious diseases. The Board of
| Health condemns the entire quarters, and
lays the blame upon the Board of Super
visors.
The committee recommended that the
inhabitants of the Pesthouse should be
removed to temporary quarters suitable
for their maintenance until a proper in
stitution could be built for them.
| The committee further recommended
| that memorial be presented to the Gov
eminent, asking that work on the new
Postoffice be begun at once, in order to
give honest men who are out of employ
ment chance to earn bread for them
selves and families. The present Post
Office the report declared to be totally
inadequate apd commodious quarters were
absolutely necessary. DR.. Salfield moved
an amendment that a $4,000 appropria-
ton be asked for to build pesthouse on
the Almshouse Tract This idea created
such Juror from those opposed to that
location that the matter was laid on the
table.
motion was presented that no club be
admitted into the organization until
ninety days after its organization. An
| amendment to this reduced the time to
sixty days, and an amendment to the
amendment reduced the time to thirty
DAYS The question excited heated de-
bate and DR.. Salheld finally moved as
substitute for the whole that the matter
be laid over for two weeks, which motion
was carried.
This was done in order to permit num-
Der OF clubs who are eager to enter imme-
diately the privilege of so doing. There
fore, it is probable that after the meeting
! of September 16 no club will be admitted
until it has been in existence thirty days.
The question that excited the most in
terest during the evening was whether
the report of the committee on law and
legislation condemning the adoption
the first amendment to the constitution
exempting mortgages from taxation
should be adopted.
President Phelan was vigorous in his
obje ction to the clubs putting itself on
record against the amendment. John r
Aitken and DIR. Salheld were as stron civ
/ In favor OF III. IL y. OWYeE LOOK Inc same
! position as Phelan.
The general argument of those in favo
| of the amendment was that if mortgage
be exempted from taxation the bank
would lower their rates of interest: tina
they now not only add the tax to the inf
terest, but fraction more to cover the I'm
certainty of the tax rate. 1t was claimed
that this fraction is an injustice 10 the
borrower.
Against this it was argued that interest,"
was higher before the new constitutions
was adopted than it is now. Several argu-1
ments to prove this method of reasoning
fallacious were made by the other side
1t was finally found necessary to postpone-
the consideration of the proposition for
two weeks, the various delegates being in
vited in the meantime TO bring the matter
before their clubs.
The following resolution was brought
before the body and adopted unanim-
ously:
Rescued, That the eommitte on parks be in
! structed 10 confer with the Board of Super-
| visors and the Board of Park Commission
! ers with view OF making proper provision
/ by the City and Com m iSsioners for planting
| ornamental trees on the line of the only boule-
| ward from the park to the City-Golden Gate
avenue.
The committee on public utilities rec
commended that the organization give its
hearty support and cooperation to the
Board OF Health in securing an extra APP
preparation by the Board of Supervisors
] for inonr0Vino he of