Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-04-21
SOME OBSERVATIONS.

Has the average citizen and taxpayer
. realizing sense OF just how MUCH
money il takes to run the city govern
ment of Wheeling? l am AFRAID hot.
He sees the figures in the papers, " "
SIRE and concludes, IN general way
that If is a lot of money, and then as
misses the subject from his mlnd. Let
figure at it a little. contrasting the eA-
nenses of 1896 with the estimates, Just
made. for 1897. In 1896 the Original
appropriation by Council was STA
656S2. AS a matter Of fact, something
like s440.O00 was spent, the difference
heinc pigeon-hoed. For the present
wear s41S, 626. 50 has been appropriated.
How much does it cost a day, an hour
and a minute? Let's see;
Day. Hour. Minute
1896 iSpent) .........$1,2O5 10 $50 q 50 IS
1875 appropriately. 1,l6$ u IS 90 ~
1897 appropriately. l'l1" - 20 90 n
in other words, it costs between
cent and two mills and fraction and
a cent and a half per second, to run the
city government of Wheeling, counting
twenty-four hours to a day and three
hundred and sixty-fve days to a year,
and to run this community, counting
schools. city and county government,
takes about 81. 25 per minute for every
minute in the year. Costs money, don't
it?
And by the way, this little exhibit
shows the difference between a Council
pledged to reform" and a Council
which is not. The late Republican
reform" Council cost the taxpayers
about SO cents per minute; the present
Council appropriation calls for only Il
cents per minute. The total difference
between 1896 and 1897 is about $27,-
OC0. to say nothing Of that cela-
brated year 1895, when taxes were in
creased from soc per 800 TO $t4 per
S1C0. Reform" is great and glorious
thing-for the reformers.
watched some city employees work
ing yesterday. 1t was funny. They
were making some slight repairs on the
street. There were four of them. and
the net result was about bushel and a
half Of dirt, removed and replaced.
First there was the boss, who watched
the operation with concentrated inter-
est and made suggestions from time to
time. A second man had pick, the
third q shovel and the fourth crow
bar. The man with the pick would
strike a few ticks. and then got out Of
the way for the shoveler. While the
latter was removing the loosened earth
the man with the crow-bar would trim
down the sides of the hole little, from
time TO time, and then these three would
watch the man with the pick some
more. And so it ran along. Finally
they filled the hole up and went else
where, to repeat the operation. It was
an instructive exhibition.
The Market street bridge is another
case in point. 1t cost originally about
S65 200. Like all other city improve
ments, it received a wonderfully small
amount Of care, and went to destruction
rs fast as gross neglect would allow it
to go. The other city bridges Except
the stone bridge. which, fortunately,
needs no care) are going the same way.
An examination was ordered, and 1t
has dragged over several weeks, to the
great discomfort and Inconvenience Of
the travelling public. It is announced
that about $4,000 will be required to
put it in shape. That means another
month or two Of Inconvenience. The
whole of the trouble and most Of the
expense could have been averted by ex-
ercising some of the care that a private
corporation would give to a like struct-
ure. Why is this thus? Is not public
property as worthy Of attention as the
property Of an individual, firm or cor
poration? Or doesn't it make any ODDS
whether the dear public is humbugged
or not?
The brick pavements afford like
lesson. IT. the first place, they are put
down imperfectly. In the second place,
they get absolutely no attention after
they are down until they become so bad
that the entire population cries out in
protest Then repairs are made, and the
process of neglect is repeated. ~ the
paved streets were kept clean, or rea-
sonably clean; if they were given a
coating of tar once a year or so; II
proper precautions to ensure n GOOD
foundation and good work in the first
instance were ODserYed-tnen money
nut into streets at the expense of the
people would be a good deal more like
a permanent investment. Members of
the Board of Public Works and the
Superintendent of streets should learn
and remember that dirt on the surface
of a street is a very bad thing for the
street. Every grain of sand coming
between a wagon tire or horses hoof
and the surface of brick results in
cutting the brick, and once the surface
of the brick is broken the rest goes
quickly. Possibly in time we shall do
these things differently. but as matters
on nj nresent gross neglect is the I'M