The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-03
QUESTIONS BEFORE COUNCIL.
HOUSE DRAINAGE, LIGHTING AND
STREET RAILWAYS.

Committee on Clty Li=htihS
Plant May Want More Time-Strect
Railway Revision One of the Main
Topics-CouncII Likely TO Exact
Requirements of the Company to
Insure Good Service.
The city council will have sew
eral important subjects to consider to-
night, the most important being the re-
port of the committee on streets and lanes
upon the proposed revision of the street
railway system, the report of the drain
age committee embodying the plans pre-
pared by Warning, Chapman & Farquhar
for the system of house drainage and the
report OF the committee on city lighting,
appointed at a special meeting of council
last week to consider this Question and re-
port at as early date as possible.
All three Of these committees have been
hard at work. The city lighting commit
tee has had several conferences with rep
resentatives of large manufacturing con-
Germs which desire the contract of sup
plying the city with an electric light plant
and estimates have been secured as to the
cost of the work. The committee has also
secured such information as it could from
other sources.
The probability is that 1t will not be able
20 make a final report, as it has not been
able to secure definite estimates from the
representatives of the companies. The
committeeman themselves are unable to
give exact specifications as to what Is
wanted, and can only inform the agents
that a plant capable of furnishing a GER
tain number of arc and incandescent
lights is desired. If such plant is put
in it will hardly be for less than 600 arc
lights and three to five times that number
of incandescent lights.
The plans and specifications for house
drainage have been completed and print
ed proofs will probably be ready to sub
nit to council The plans and specifica-
lions were to have been ready by Nov. !,
but the decision to print them for the
convenience of all concerned cause some
delay. A number of contractors are eX-
pected here within the next few days to
bid for the drainage contract.
las already stated in the Morning News,
plans for two systems will be submitted
by the engineers, one system providing
for a single outlet emptying into Winning
ton river, and the other for two outlets
emptying into the Savannah river The
council may secure bids on both systems
before making its decision, though the
Savannah river plan seems to be gener-
ally preferred.
The committee appointed at the prop
erty owners meeting, in opposition to the
plan about two weeks ago, has received
an invitation to appear before the COM
mittee of the whole, and state the objec-
ton which its members may have to the
,Nfa af 6Y~ai nQ no
A member of the drainage committee of
council, in speaking OF this matter, said
that he thought the Directing property
owners committee had acted very queerly.
Although requested, both by the chairman
of the committee and the mayor, he said,
and by personal solicitation as well, to
name a time when they would meet
the drainage committee to discuss this
question, they had failed to do so, The
property owners committee will prob
ably appear before the committee of the
whole of council tonight, however.
Mayor Meldnm has several times stated
the situation very clearly in reference to
house drainage. 1t has been decided that
IT IS necessity and this necessity is to be
provided for without further delay, he
said. There are only three ways in which
it can be paid for; first, and preferably,
by deferred payments, giving the city's
notes falling due over a period of years;
taxation of about "A of l per cent, which
would enable the city to pay for
the system in one year; and
thirdly, by assessing the cost of laying
the mains against the abutting property
owners. The last would fall heavily upon
small property owners and the second
would very seriously affect all property
owners. 1t is clear to all intelligent per-
sons Mayor Meldrim holds, that the first
is the more desirable plan. both for the
taxpayers and the city.
The street and lane committee, which
has been wrestling with the problem of
street railway revision all summer, in the
effort 10 arrive at a plan mutually to the
interest of the street railway company
and the city, has at last done this to the
satisfaction of the committee, and will
make its report The members of the COM
mittee feel that the city's interests are
well served in the plan which they will
present. The revised street railway sys-
TEN, if carried out, they are satisfied,
will give better service than the present
tumble and criss-cross of tracks, result
ing from the combination of three or four
separate systems and the city will be
a further gamer by the agreement of the
street railway company to open up, at its
own expense, several streets or parts of
streets through which it desires to extend
its lines. A maximum fare OF cents,
with transfers to all parts of the city is
part Of the proposition made by the street
railway company, which will be favorably
reported upon by the committee. Other
agreements as to service and schedules
will be included.
Unless the proposition of the railway
company covers fully all matters relating
to the maintenance and operation of the
system so far as they relate to the COM
fort and convenience of the public an or
dinance covering these points will be intro
duced At present there are ordinances
regulating the speed of cars, schedules
and other matters pertaining to the street
railway service, but they have been prac-
tically dead letters for some time and
the street railway companies have been
allowed to do pretty much as they pleased.
A business man called the attention of
the Morning News yesterday to a matter
of interest to many patrons of the street
railway. He said he was at the corner of
Congress and Whitaker streets the day be-
fore about clock when the south bound
car on the Whitaker line passed. THE
car was packed and damned" he said $50
that not even another foot could have been
placed upon the platform and crowds of
ladies who had expected to take the car
were left standing in the rain at the street