The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-01

members did not have then to spend
all their time. His idea was to have
the board continued with a president
and four members, all to be appointed
have fair salary and devote
all his time to the Office, the
other members to be only paid nomi-
nal salary and called in only when an
assessment was to be made.
c. R. Smith thought one man at ST.,
800 per year and four at 800 per year
would not be the proper thing. He
favored a board as now, constituted
with the same salary and each member
to devote their entire time to the work.
Last year there had been 5000, coo of as
sessments made. The board was one
of the best departments in the city
and should be continued as it was.
Moritz Helm said at the last cleo
ton the people passed a verdict on
the board of public works. The peo-
pie had lost confidence in the board
their property by reason of reckless
assessments. He favored having the
council do the work of the board in
committee under the direction of the
city engineer. The board as now con-
stituted, in his opinion, were not ex-
perts, the body being a semi-political
one. He prophesied that. if the new
charter contained a provision coEtin-
uing board of publ works of more
than one member the charter would
not carry. Popular opinion was
against the board of public works.
He suggested that the city should take
care of the taxes on all certificates
issued on delinquent assessments.
This would, he said, make this class
Of paper marketable.
Mr.. Sander said Mr.. Helm had cor
rectly stated the idea that the people
were opposed to the board of public
works The question was how could
the board be abolished. Mr.. Lusk
asked how it would do to make the
mayor and the heads of three or four
departments the board. Mr.. Sander
though this plan might work all right
until the novelty wore off. Mr.. Dean
thought the unpopularity of the board
of public works was largely due to
a misunderstanding Of the duties Of
the board. The board was simply the
clerks Of the council and acted only
when ordered by the council.
Quinby, an ex-member of the board
Of public works. said there had been
no grading or sidewalks since the Bell
charter went into effect, except after
the improvement had been asked for
by one-third of the property owners.
The city was not level like Chicago
and other cities, and numerous grades
had been made by the board of public
works on orders from the council. st.
Paul was billy city, and the grading
Of streets was very different as COM
pared with other cities.
N. P Langford thought the board
Of public works had been charged with
many things as q matter Of fact the
council was responsible for
j. l. Jeliett thought the mayor
should not appoint the members Of the
beard. In his opinion the appoint
ments were made largely from a poll
teal point Of view. Much better satis2
beard elected by the people instead of
appointed by the mayor or the council.
He favored the fnstallment plan of
paying assessments.
Mr.. Lusk said the plan of having the
city stand behind the certificates issued
on delinquent assessments, was not a
good one. He had been informed that
the installment plan had been tried
in Omaha and had turned out most
disastrously.
]. A. Wheelock said the trouble with
Omaha was that the plan there had
been to have the installment plan run
for period of ten years. Under this
plan wooden pavements were put down
which lasted only five years. The
correct way to do was to make the as
sessment run only as long as the life
of the Improvement. In Des Moines
the plan of extending assessments over
a period Of seven years had proved
very satisfactory. The assessments in
certain cities in Indiana and Illinois OF
the installment plan, provided that If
any of the assessments were default
ed in the entire assessment became due
and payable at once. The unpopularity
of the board of public works was due
to the idea that the board was respon-
sible for the Improvement. Under all
assessments nine-tenths of the property
owners will imagine they have been
Disseminated against. He favored,
when it came to assessments spread
over a large territory, that the assess
ments should be made by a board ap-
pointed by the courts.