The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-05-23

Bills pzszed BY your honorable BODY -
tiess s'. reports esr fsle1 iarfzg year. -
Registration OF voters for municipal
~i-ctson of March. ssss ..--...-.-.-.-... s.s1s
Registration for state eleeSion n No
Tne asfzu,nissrsfiors Of me cierIczI. IL
c-nse and accounting branches CT tne city ;
bushes n The office o. TIE conptrolse-
and cserk has BEEN marked BY puncta-
atty. ekn<aency aVa courtesy.
STATISTICAL
The following statistical items viii fur
usSh some idea OF our municipal progress
and OF our commercial position:
upon recent registration. school census
and directory nguresl, 81 esss
ASSESSED valuation, s.. ssa,ss:
Area within city limits. 81 square miles.
Municipal water mains, le4 miles.
Graded streets. 1000 miles
Cable and electric railways. " miles
Concrete and brick pavenenfs. is.ss4
franscontinentai railways now here
Great Northern. Northern Pacific. Cana
dian Pacific.
Sewers s. 81 miles.
TranscontinentaI railways handling
business here. chicago; burlington q
Local roads. Seattle & International.
Columbia a. Puget Sound
Steamship lines, Nippon Iusen kaishas
10 Japan, China. India and Hawaiian ISL
ands: Central American lire. TO Central
America: Pacific Coast Steamship Com
pany. to California and Alaska.
Banks 3. banking capital, 81. spe Co., bank
ciearings 1885. So eo.9os
LEGAL DEPARTMENT.
The legal department Of the city Is con-
stifuted follows. John X. Brown ESQ.
corporation counsel. elected by popular
vote; r 8. Upton Esq. assistant corpora
counsel. and z. b Rawson Esq, City At
forney. also appointed BY the Corporation
Counsel.
The annual legal business of the city is
extensive. involving every variety Of sub
Ject matter and heavy interests and re-
responsibilities. The report Of the Corpora
cases have come into the charge OF his
Office between March Is, 1895. and the end
Of that year.
That eleven cases have been brought
against the city for negligence on the
ground of its failure TO provide funds with
which 10 pay warrants on street Crane
x5oso.
That there have been six proceedings Of
injunction, three OF mandamus and one
of Quo Warranfo. Eleven suits Tor per-
soual injuries have been brought against
the city whose claims aggregate about
$1,000. A few judgments have been rem
dered against the City in these suits from
all of which appeals have been taken TO
the Supreme Court of the State. While
several cases have been compromised upon
terms approved by your Honorable Body.
Nine cases have been brought against the
City TO recover money paid upon street
assessments which were thereafter de-
clared Illegal. Five suits have been brought
TO set aside tax assessments upon tide
lands. and two suits 10 recover money upon
contracts.
THE CITY has been made a party defend
ant in the suit CT the Puget Sound Ma
tional Bank, as trustee, ct ais, Vs. the
Spring Hin Water Company for the fore
closure of $4,000 of old water bonds herein
elsewhere referred TO. on account OF the
same transaction the City has brought
suit against the spring Hill Water Com
pany. has secured the appointment Of
receiver therefore, and Is proceeding
against its stockholders upon unpaid stock
subscriptions.
A condemnation suit for the right of way
on the Cedar River extension between
Cedar River and swan Lake was COM
menced about the middle of the year. On
account of subsequent changes IN route
are now in course of preparation Tor new
condemnation proceeding.
The Corporation Counsel went 20 Wash
ington City a few weeks ago for the argu-
snent before the Supreme Court OF the
United States OF the bank tax cases.
brought BY q number OF local banks
the collection of certain taxes, which cases
have been pending in the courts Tor
number OF years through several aomin i,s
trations- The legal representatives OF the
City and County succeeded In securing
favorable Judgment. and the city Is ex-
pecting soon TO receive about $1,000 as its
About 200 ordinances were prepared dur
ing 1886 for your Honorable Body by the
legal department.. The limitations OF tins
items of allegations conducted by this de-
partment. Some general observations con-
corning the department are made at the
close of this report to which reference Is
hereby made.
MUNICIPAL COURT.
] take great pleasure in advising your
Honorable Body of the fair. efficient and
able manner In which the business OF the
Municipal Court of the City Is now con-
Quoted by its presiding Judge, Hon. G.. +.
Bogue. The present administration OF that
Court Is a great encouragement ana as
surance to the public and 10 the officers or
the law, that, when infractions of tie law
are prosecuted under sufficient evidence,
reasonable punishment Will follow. IL
also gives Issuance ,haa se rs, o.
hurSement for the cost or ferreting out
and prosecuting crime.
The action of the Legislature of the State
In providing for tho adjustment of this
court at the end of the present year is to
be regretted so far as Seattle Is concerned.
no matter how sincere the motives or the
legislators may have been.
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT.
on account of preliminary engineering
work Instituted upon the proposed Cedar
River water extension, the work OF the
engineers office for 1885 has been contin-
The general work OF the office in the
CITY has been light, the total improve
ments for the year being as follows:
A. For construction of f,i9s lineal feet
of sewers.
lB Grading of I.ss miles of streets. not
including four blocks on Terry Avenue.
under construction at close OF year.
&. Replanking of 1888 lineal feet Of
streets.
brick pavement on First and Second Ave-
nues under construction ut close OF 1856;
also the construction of 30 ineal feet OF
wood block pavement.
OF the principal improvements. the City
has the following totals:
Graded Streets-loo.4 - miles.
SewerS-5S.57 miles.
Permanent payementS-is.sst square
yards.
The engineer report shows among other
awkward street joys. by the securing of
real estate for the rounding of or corners
where streets fail to meet. $50 the fur
nishing Of engineering data for the pro-
posed drive and parkway upon the Queen
. Anne Hillside under direction OF your
This project Immediately commends itself
10 public favor and should serve a slim
ulus for like improvements In other por-
tons of our beautiful city.
beg 20 call your attention to the finan-
cial statement of the City engineers office.
as contained in the report Of the engineer
herewith. which shows the total net cost
OF that ofice for the year iSiS 10 be S.
6Sia2. IN view Of the large amount Of
work accomplished this Is indeed a re-
markahle showing,
WATER pEPARTMEsNT-MET
I beg 10 urge a large and steady increase
Of meters IN the sale Of water by the city.
water 50 Wen nor distribute IL So fairly
As meter system. When all have to pay