St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-06
MAKEUP OF CITY LIGHTING
DISTRICTS.
BIDS FOR THE OLD MARKET.
ASSEMBLY PASSES A RESOLUTION
TO ADVERTISE FOR THEM AT
ONCE.
a Large Amount of Routine Pertain
Ing to Election Details, Etc,
Is Cleared Up.

When the resolutions Of the board Of
aldermen accepting the city lighting
proposals Of the st. Paul Gas Light
company, came before the assembly
last night, Mr.. Arosin discovered a Sc
rious oversight. Seventh street was
not included in District No. 2, which is
the only district to be lighted with
electricity.
The resolution accepting the bid for
lighting District No. with electricity
at $6S.50 per arc per year was taken
up hrst. Mr.. Arosin at once called at
tent1on to the fact that Seventh street
was not included in the Second district,
which is bounded on the north by a line
midway between Sixth and Seventh
streets, and declared that he would
not vote for the resolution unless pro-
vision was made for lighting Seventh
street with electricity at the price Of
$69.5O per arc per year
Th1s statement elected from George
=. Squlres, one Of the attorneys of the
gas company, the assurance that in
case the company secure the lighting
contracts, 1T would maintain arc lights
on Seventh street. The specifications
call for ninety arcs in the Second dis
tr1ct and provide for an additional
number of arcs to the extent Of 10 per
cent OF the total number in the district,
thus giving the board of public works
the right to order ninety-nine arcs in
the Second district.
Supt. Ellison, Of the gas company,
assured the assembly that the company
could and would so distribute the nine
ty-nine arcs so as to light the entire
business district and include Seventh
street.
On the strength of this promise
MeSsrs. Arosin and Lewis consented
to vote for the resolutions, provided,
however, that at the next meeting of
the assembly the gas company would
sign written agreement to light Sew
enth street with electricity at the price
of their bid for the Second district. It
was conceded that such an agreement
could not be legally Incorporated in
the contract, which must be in accord
with the specifications, but the assem-
bly, were disposed to agree with Mr..
Parker, who said he felt confident that
the gas company would do what it
promised
The resolution accepting the proposal
of the gas company to light the Sec
ond district with electricity beginning
May 10, at the rate of $6950 per arc
per year, was then adopted, as was
the other resolution accepting the pro-
posal for all gas lighting to begin
April 1.
The remainder of the evening was
chiefly devoted to the transaction of a
large amount of routine business.
Mr.. Johnson introduced a resolution
instructing the city clerk to advertise
for bids for the purchase of the mar
ket house property for cash, or part
cash, and the balance in a purchase
money mortgage.
Mr.. Van Slyke offered as an amend
ment that each bidder be required to
accompany his bid with a. certified
check for s., ,000
In support Of his resolution. Mr.
Johnson said that the recent vote on
the question of selling the market
mouse property was not fair test, in
asmuch as the question, "Are YOU in
faYor OF selling the market house prop
erty at fair price?" was misleading.
fair price" did not mean the in
trinsic worth of the property, or the
price that it would have brought in
1887, or may bring in 1900 Mr.. John
son said he introduced the resolution
in order to ascertain what price the
property would bring today. The res
olution was adopted
The committee on streets reported adverse
~ Oh the final order from the board of pub
Tic works to pave Fifth street from Wabasha
70 Wacouta streets with asphalt and brick
chairman Arosin moved that the assembly do
not concur with the report of the committee
as the majority of the property owners want
ed exactly the kind of pavement recommend
ed by the board of public works. After some
discussion, Mr.. Arosin's motion prevailed by
vote of to 4, Messrs Van Slyke john
SON. Robb and Reardon voting in the negative.
Mr.. Lewis then moved the adoption of the
final order recommended by the board of pub
lie works. The vote was precisely the same
and the final order was therefore defeated as
1t required two-thirds vote. On motion of
Mr.. Arosin, the vote was reconsidered and
the whole matter was referred back to the
committee on streets, and this time it is like
ly that the property owners will appear and
prove to the committee as they did to the
board of public works that the majority of
them are in favor of asphalt pavement and
brick pavement on the block between Wa
basha and Cedar streets.
Subsequently Mr.. Van Slyke introduced a
preliminary order for paving from Wabasha
street to Broadway with brick. The preIim-
may order passed by a vote of 6 to g.
Messrs. Arosin, Lewis and Parker voting in
the negative
The application of Oscar Tankenoff for H.
cense to conduct saloon at Eighth and Rob-
ert streets was granted, after hearing Rev
David Morgan in opposition thereto.
Mr. Arosin introduced an ordinance regu-
lating pawnbrokers. 1t was referred to the
committee on license. The ordinance limits
the rate of interest and storage rate and is
aimed at the chattel mortgage sharks. 1t pro-
vides that the monthly interest in goods worth
$50 or less shall not exceed 4 per, cent, and in
case the value is in excess Of $50 the rate of in
teIest is limited to per cent per month
IHc OIulHdilCe uldhluS IL Iue uuIy OF JQe
building inspectors department to inspect and
regulate the wirings of all buildings in the
city was referred to the committee on streets
An ordinance redistrcting the First, Sew
enth and Eleventh wards for election purposes
was passed. the object being to comply with
the election law which provides that no pre-
cinct shall contain more than 400 voters In
the First ward the matter is adjusted by
changing the boundaries of certain precincts
In the Seventh ward it was necessary to add
one precinct by dividing the Seventh precinct
into two. The western portion of the old Sew
enth will be called the Ninth precinct
The usual ordinance fixing the location of
the various polling places was also passed.
The communication from the mayor an
nouncing that he had removed Detective
Thomas Horan ''for the good of the service''
was at first referred to the committee on po-
lice, but later in the evening was recalled
and the mayors action sustained by a vote
of 6 to 8, Messrs. Arosin, Lewis and Robb
voting in the negative.
Aid. Bradys resolution referring to the
city comptroller the controversy between
himself and the fire board as to the amount
OF money in the fire department fund, was
not concurred in, all the assemblymen voting
against the resolution.