The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-08
WANT FACTS AND FIGURES.
COMMITTEE TO INQUIRE INTO THE
COST OF HOUSE DRAINAGE.


VIII send Committee of Five Be
fore CounciI-Thcy Want to Arrive
Mt the Cost to the Property own
ers-Mr. McndeI says the Cost Is
Going to BE SOme1hIng Enormous.
Alderman Dnvis. Who Was Pres
ent rs Spectator, says the Infor-
nation Desired Is Not Vet Obtain
abIe-VigorouS Kick May BE Made.
The meeting OF citizens and taxpayers
held in the odd Fellows hall last night
for the purpose Of considering the action
of council in adopting the Waring sys-
TEN of house drainage, was attended 10y
some fifty or seventy-iive citizens.
After the meeting was called to order
bv Mr.. Selig Mendel, who is understood
TO be the prime mover in contesting the
action Of council in the matter OF provid-
ing a system Of house drainage, a motion
was made by Mr.. A. r. Fawcett that Mr..
Mendel be made chairman. This motion
was carried, together with another motion
which made Mr. William Guerard secre-
tary of the meeting. The object of the
meeting was then stated 10y MIR. Mendel,
who said
I'VE have called this meeting for the
purpose of discussing and presenting a
few facts in connection with the proposed
Warning system Of house drain
age. The present movement,
so hurriedly rushed through
council, appears to me to be leap in the
dark. If any idea has been advanced as
to how every little house is TO be connected
with the new drains, and the cost of same,
know of no one who has the informal
ton.
There are thousands of dwellings in our
city with sewer connections already, some
of these connecting pipes running hun
dreds of feet. which have been put down
at a tremendous expense to the property
owners, all of which will have to be done
away with and property owners forced 70
make new connections. Then the smaller
property owners in the Fort, in Yama-
craw, Robertsville, Currytown and the
other thickly populated sections, which
have no connections at present Will be
forced to connect with the new drains
Such an outlay to the poor Will mean a
confiscation of their property and will be
q tremendous hardship, even TO the better
class of them.
Gentlemen, have you given this ques-
ton much thOught2 Have you stopped 10
consider what this proposed system OF
house drainage means? We are dong
away with the system of sewers which
we already have in the city. Beside paying
our pro rata of taxes into the city treas
ury for laying pipes, we will have TO run
our hands down deep into our pockets ana
raise thousands of dollars to pay out Tor
other expenses in connection with the
drainage system Yes, at least halt
million dollars for the purpose of connect
ing each little house with the NarnS
system of drainage. Gentlemen, it means
ruin for every poor man and hardship
for even the wealthy.
'TThe engineer says that the probable
cost of the system will be 100000 l am
satisfied that the cost, including flush
tanks and an outlet for the system, will
be 100000, and l stand prepared to sub
stantiate my figures. Are not our bur
dens getting too heavy? 1t now requires
90 per cent of the gross income Of the
city to provide for the sinking fund and
pay the interest on its bonded debt It
will take $4,000 per aunum for ten years,
to pay the principal and interest of the
debt which this Waring system of drain
age viii entail upon the property hold
ors.
The board of mayor and aldermen pro-
pose to give the city's notes TO cover this
debt. What per cent of this debt will be
paid by our present board, who are 50
quick to fasten this debt upon us? 1t is
very easy for these gentlemen to create
this debt, but real estate will have to bear
the burden"
At this juncture MIR. Mendel began to
read the amounts assessed to each mem
Der of council, according TO figures, which
he said he had obtained from the digest
9sTv Of
members of council had been read out
when the name of Alderman T. J. Davis
was reached. Mr. Mendel stated that Mr.
Davis was assessed at 5000. Mr.. Davis
was sitting in the rear part Of the han,
and when this statement was read he
arose and informed Mr.. Mendel that the
figures were Incorrect, as he was assessed
more than that amount on his private res
idence.
The chairman called for the further
pleasure of the meeting, whereupon Mr..
A. r. Fawcett arose and stated that it
was his opinion that the expense In con-
structing the Waring system of drainage
would be more than the citizens would
want TO bear. He stated that he had
just finished paying out a large amount
for sewerage connections, and that if the
proposed system necessitated much addi-
tional expenditure of money, he intended
TO kick"
Mr. Fawcett then made a motion, which
was seconded by Mr.. John Juchter that
committee of five be appointed by the
chairman, to go before the mayor and adj
dermen and ascertain the exact work
about TO be done, the cost of same, and
the probable cost to property owners, and
report back TO another meeting"
Before this motion was put by the chair
man, Mr.. J. 7. Cohen Obtained recogni-
ton and said that he did not favor the
idea of bringing foreign 1rop-o tn Sa,yaD