The herald., 1897-01-12
THEY WERE HUNG Up
A GratuitOus Slap at the
Mayor
The REPUBLICAN C0ONC|LMEN
Refuse TO Confirm the Board of
Health Appointees
POSTPONED FOR ONE WEEK
4 Lengthy Report From the Superinten.
dent Of Streets
POSTPONED FOR ONE WEEK
4 Lengthy Report From the Superinten.
dent Of Streets
~. Drain Outlines the Pressing Necessities s
Of His Department
More Men and Teams Needed at Once.
Reports of officers and Commit
tees-Routine Business of
the Council

Liz SOuHNl
President Silver and the majority of
the members of the city council evident
ly did not know that the hour for con-
Vening was 3 o'clock, for at that time,
Notwithstanding the presidents admo-
milton that the councilmen would be
expected to be promptly in their seats
on time, neither that gentleman nor any
of the others were present. Ten minutes
later Courclmen Grider and Hutchison
came in. followed by Councilman Ash
man. They sat around for few min
utes, discussed the advisability of chang
ing the meeting hour to 10 o'clock and
then retired to the committee room. At
$3.50 o'clock the big sergeant-at-arms ap-
peared and took his position al the rail
At 9:45 Councilman Toll came in, fol-
lowed by Councilmen Mathuss and Ba-
Ner. At 9:15 President Silver ar
rived and after a short conference
with Councilman Toll and one or two
other members took the chair and called
the council to order. The other me mberS
had also come in during the last quar-
ter of an hour, and the roll call showed
that all were present. The proceedings
opened with the reading of the minutes,
which were duly approved. There was
the usual large crowd in the lobby and
gallery.
The action OF the council in refusing
to confirm Mayor Snyder's appoint
ments as members of the board of
health was also in very bad taste, and
is characteristic of the high-handed
manner in which the Republican ma
iority has utterly ignored the rights of
the minority.
BOARD OF HEALTH APPOINTEES.
A message was read from the mayor,
announcing that he had appointed Drs.
John r. Colburn, ]. e. Cowles, NJ. l..
Moore and S. S. Salisbury as members
of the board of health. and asked their
confirmation by the council
Councilman Toll said that as there
was some controversy over these ap-
pointments. owing to the conflict in the
charter he thought that the matter
should go over until an amicable ar
rangement could be arrived at He
therefore moved that acton be deferred
for one week.
Councilmen Nickel and Grider op
posed the motion. saying that as the
council had been working under the pro-
visions of the charter allowing these ap
pointments to the mayor, they could see
no reason for making a change at this
time. The appointments should be con-
firmed out of respect to the mayor.
Councilman Toll said that he had al
ways understood that these appoint
ments had been made by agreement be-
tween the mayor and council, and steps
were in progress now to that end. but
there had not been enough time to COM
plete it.
Councilman Hutchison favored the
postponement while Councilman Ash
man opposed it.
A vote was taken and the appoint
ments went overfor one week.
STREET SUPERINTENDENT
Superintendent of Streets John II.
Drain sert in a lengthy report which
was read and the various recommends
tions referred to the proper committees.
Mr.. Drain in his report says:
In assuming the duties of the office
of street superintendent / find that the
ordinance of the city provides for eight
cen laborerA and seven teams to per-
form the work upon the public streets
of a city of 100000 inhabitants.
Upon an examination of the records
I find that during the years of 1S93-9f
the street superintendent was allowed
eighty laborers and twenty-five teams
to care for much less street and sewer
improvement and cover considersjly
less area than the city limits now in
Ciuuc Al lHdt tllllt tHt pdNOQ otiNSto VI
our city We're in good condition, while
now. to say the least, they are in con-
dition which merits the criticism and
censure of the public 1t will be utterly
impossible for me to properly keep the
streets and sewers in condition with the
help at present provided, and l there
fore ask you to allow me seventy five
men and twenty-five teams, this num-
ber to include sewer flushers necessary.
"Second-The ordinance at present
provides for one sewer inspector, whose
duty it is to locate Y's for sewer con-
nections and to generally inspect sew
ers. 1t is impossible for one man to
perform this work; the property owners
who desire their property connected with
the public sewers should not be COM
PEELED to wait for number of days un-
til they can be reached in proper turn,
but should be given the information and
the location of their US without delay
! therefore ask that you allow me one
additional sewer inspector The pres
ent inspector is carried on requisitlon,
instead of by ordinance; in this way an
impression is gained by the public that
additional help is being allowed each
time requisltion Is passed, and thus
a wrong impression prevails. l would
ask that all of the help of my depart
ment be provided regularly by ordin-
ance, in order to avoid any misunder-
standing in this way.
Third find that the official records
of the sewer connections are more than
six months behind, and the only record
now In the office are memorandas on
slips, which are liable to be misplaced
or lost, and thus the record DESTROYED
With the large amount of street i'm
provement being made at the present
time, 1t Is impossible for me to work up
these records with my present force. and
1 therefore request that you allow me
copyist for one month at a salary of
SIS to complete this record; after this
work is done 1 anticipate no trouble in
keeping the record up to date by per-
forming the work regularly and not al
lowing it to accumulate
"Fourth-I find upon investigat tion
that the city owns no gravel for use upon
its public streets, except that on Tru-
man street in East Los Angeles wi ere
there is about 1000 cubic yards; 1t would
be, however, a waste of money and time
to endeavor to haul this gravel from
Truman street to the west side OF the
Stvsr. There are about 1900 yards OF