The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-02-02

| W. McEwen, l. Schwartz, G.. L. Center
and DR.. L. a. RottanZI, constitu ting a
majority of the executive committee of the
Improvement Clubs, met in DR.. Rottanzi's
office to discuss the situation. The fol-
lowing communication was given for pub
LEGATION:
Strange how the smallness of human nature
crops out even in high places. Our Mayor, for
instance, shows his shallow and small nature
in spite of his desire to shine es a Pbilan-
thropist and great man before the people.
While he presents to the public whole column
declaring the injustice of placing the Pest
house on the Almsh Ouse Tract, because OF the
injury it would do the occupants Of the Aims
house and the people OF the Mission and South
San Francisco districts, still he is in favor OF
leaving the Pesthouse where 1t is and let the
people of the Mission and South San Francisco
suffer for the next twenty-five years, as they
have in the PAST.
Tract is about the geographical center OF the
City. If the Pesthouse is placed there 1t viii
scatter disease over the thickly populated por-
tions of the Mission and South San Francisco
showing as it were q great solicitude for these
sections.
The value of the taxable property on the
South Side out as far as Twenty-sixtb street, ac-
cording to the Assessors books, Is $96, OOOOOO
The location of the Pesthouse on the Aims
house Tract will depreciate property values in
this district at least per cent, which would
be a loss to the City of S4S0,O00.
His fifth point is that ambulances carrying
patients to the Pesthonse must pass for several
miles through some of the best parts of the
City and along Golden Gate Park and the chill
drens Fairgrounds.
He takes the pains to write whole column
OF matter denouncing the Pesthouse being
placed on the 5Almshouse Tracti and still is de-
sirous to expend $500 on the old tumble-down
rookery that has been rotting for a quarter of
century and is unfit for hogs. He svmpa-
th1zes with the unfortunate inmates of the
AImshouse, but is satisfied to leave the old
rookery for the. unfortunates. He has no re-
spect or sympathy for the taxpayers on $780,
600, 900 who reside in the South Side or Mis-
sion districts. II is all wrong for the property
TO depreciate per cent if the Pesthouse goes
on the Almshouse Tract, but it does not trouble
MIN If it deprecates 20 per cent with the Hos
pltal and Pesthouse where they have been for
the last twenty-five years, with the ambu-
lances of both institutions passing the very
doors of that district for a distance of two ana
a nall or three miles, where we have ABOUT
10000 children passing TO and fro at all hours
of the day.
Such sympathy, such philanthropy deserves
contempt, especially when it is taken into
consideration that his Honor the Mayor owns
the property surrounding the Almshouse Tract.
He shows his sympathy fol-. the South Side
and Mission districts by Yeto1ng the only ap-
preparation made for their benefit. He thinks
$35, 900 too much to be spent in bitumin1Zing
Folsom street, but he is in favor OF spending
$4,000 in surveying the sand dunes Fhere
there are not more than dozen houses in the
whole district. He did not object to spending
So, 900 in illuminating Oak and Fell streets,
adjoining the panhandle. There is little travel
on these streets, the traffic being nearly all
within the park.
lie IdlKS ABOUT the pJOtOOO,OUU assessed va
uation of the South Side and Mission districts,
which yielded in taxes over So, 100000. What
have they got out of this? Our good City Fathers
allowed us $4,000 for sewer on Fifteenth
street, built to carry the overflow from the
park district; also $500 for the improvement
OF South Park, making $4,000 in all.
Nine months ago the property-owners real
lied that Folsom street must be repaired from
Nineteenth to the wharf, on account of the
settling of the roadbed and the changing OF
the horsecar line to a trolley system. Hence
clubs were organized and committees APP
pointed to wait on the Board of Supervisors to
induce them to provide for the repaving CT
Folsom street in the tax levy. Part of this
street has been paved with cobblestones for
forty years and a portion with basalt blocks
for twenty-five years. No portion of ii has
been repaired to any extent during that period.
No appropriation for this work was made.
Efforts were then made to have part of the
100000 set aside for the maintenance of
streets appropriated TO Folsom street. The
Supervisors unanimously agreed to spend $780,
COO IN illuminating the street, and if it had
not been for the action of our philanthrOpic
Mayor, the work would have been started
within twenty days.
We now appeal 10 the Honorable Board of
Supervisors to stand by the South Side and
Mission districts, and override the unwise ac-
ton of the Mayor.
Another meeting of the executive COM
mittee will be held Tuesday evening. ss..a