The herald., 1897-01-12

and / would respectfully request your
honorable body to make an examina-
tion of this gravel, and, IL found salts
factory, purchase the same for the use
of the street department.
"Fifth-With but few exceptions the
gravel which is now being used In the
Improvement of our public streets Is tar
from being up to the quality which is
demanded for q first-class gravel thor
oughfare; in fact, most OF the gravel, or
alleged gravel, being used is not gravel
at all. l find upon investigation that
very shortly decomposed granite, which
would make the best kind Of surface COW
ering for a public street, can be pur-
chased and loaded in wagons at from so
to 55 cents per cubic yard, which is
about the price which it now costs the
contractors to purchase the so-caned
gravel now in use, and 1 would request
your honorable body to make an inves-
tigation of this matter, and if the same
agrees with your ideas, to so amend the
specifications for the grading and grav-
cling of public streets and sidewalks as
to require the use of decomposed gran
lite for surface covering.
"Sixth--In reference to the paved
streets of the city, / find that most of
them are entirely worn out. This Is par
ticularly the case on Spring street be-
tween Temple and Ninth streets, and
streets, and in many cases 1t is a waste
of money to endeavor to repair them,
the surface being so thin that proper
bond cannot be obtained between the
present covering and the new material.
i would respectfully ask your honorable
body to make an investigation of this
matter at your earliest convenience in
order that the proper steps may be taken
without delay to place the streets in the
center of our metropolitan city in a con-
dition that they are not subjected to just
criticism, not only of our own residents,
but of the vast number of visitors who
are with us continually.
Seventh beg leave to call your at
tention to the condition of the fire hy-
drants throughout the city; many OF
them are leaking so badly that pools of
water stand in the public streets around
them. or that the cutters for several
blocks below are continually running
I with water. 1t is impossible for me to
put a street in condition where this con-
dtion of facts exist, and l would ask
your honorable body to take immediate
action to remedy this difficulty.
"Eighth-Thare are now about 400 flush
tanks on the public sewers of the city
that should be flushed daily find that
about one third Of these have never been
opened or flushed since their construc-
ton; this Is a sanitary measure which
will not permit of negligence and have
placed eight of the employees of my de-
partment as sewer flushers, instead of
four, as heretofore thus reducing the
force for street work to ten men, as now
provided by ordinance. These four adj
dtional sewer fiushers are included in
The additional men which l have asked
for in section one of this report, and l
make this statement in order that your
honorable body may not only know the
condition of the sewer system, but also
that you may know where the men in my
department are at work.
Ninth also desire to call the atten-
ton of your honorable body to the neces-
sity of giving more attention to the
sweeping of the paved streets of the city
and of prohibiting the sprinkIing of the
same. Street sprinkling is great in
jury to asphaltum pavements, and the
same result can be accomplished by the
proper sweeping of the same.
"Tenth--A large section of our city Is
entirely without signs at street inter-
sections; this is particularly noticeable
in the center and business portion of the
city, and it is a difficult matter for our
own residents to locate the public streets,
and much more so for the large number
of visitors who are constantly with us.
To properly designate the streets by
signs at the intersections would not be
very large expense and if done prop
erly, would be a permanent improve
ment
"Eleventh-Among the supplies of the
street department there should be a
Remington typewriter, which is neces-
sary in the work of the department. In
the inventory of the office, this machine
was noted, but, as it was missing, have
refused to receipt for the same. have
made a thorough search of the building
| and inquiries among different ones wlo
were supposed to have used this ma
chine. but can find no trace of the same,
and therefore present the matter to your
| honorable body for such action as you
may deem proper
I'm presenting the foregoing reports
to your honorable body I beg leave to
say that CD not desire to be understood
| as wishing to be extrayagant or to spend
| any money unnecessarily On the con-
| trary. it is my desire to give to the peo-
, pie of this city competent and econom-
! ical administration of the affairs of my
| department, but it is useless to spend
! money where no results can be accom-
| plished, and good work cannot be done
| without proper foundation upon which
to builGl
| Il beg leave further to say that I de-
| sire that my department should work in
harmony with the city engineer and of
| each anGi all of the members of your
|
| fully ask that the individual members
Of the council will, from time to time
| present such matters as he believes
need attention from my department, and
l will be glad to attend to them as rap
| idly as the force at my command and
| the requirements of the public service
| VIII permit"
FINANCE COMMITTEE.
The finance committee presented the
following report which was adopted:
| Recommend that the report of the
| city auditor on the condition of the
! funds for the week ending Saturday,
| December 26, 1896, be filed.
| Recommend that the report of j F..
| Chambers clerk of the police court,
showing the transactions in department
| No for part of the month of December,
| 1896, be referred to the city auditor.
Recommend that the petty cash re-
| port of the city clerk for the month of
December, 1896, be referred to the city
| auGitor.
Recommend that the report of the
city clerk on the issuance of licenses
for the month of December, 1885, be
referred to the city auditor
Recommend that the report of the
city tax and license collector on the col
lection of licenses for the month of De-
cember, 1896, be referred to the city
| auditor.
Recommend that the report of the
city tax and license collector on the
| collection of delinquent taxes for the
month of November, 1896, be referred to
the city auditor
In the matter of the report of the
city clerk recommending that tax sale
| certificate No 12Q5 ha ordare6I M pool cd