The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-17
TO FINISH UP THE BUDGET.
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE WILL
PROBABLY SETTLE 1T TONIGHT.

| Council Is Feeling Poor and Commits
siOns VIII DO Wen TO Get the Same
Amounts Allowed Them This Year.
Water Commission VIII Get More
Money For Extension of Mains.
Opposition in the Board 10 the
| Military ApprOpriatiOn-BIcy
Tax Not Likely to BE Made Spec
iaI Fund.
The committee of the whole of council
will meet tonight for the purpose of per-
fecting the tax ordinance and budget for
1893 There are number of things yet
to be discussed. In fact nothing has been
positively settled yet. The aldermen have
their minds made up, however, on most of
the matters in this connection which have
attracted the attention of the public.
One thing can be put down as tolerably
certain and that is that the commissions
Will have to get along next year without
any increase in their budgets. The water
commission may be an exception to this as
council realizes the necessity of extending
the water mains on account of the house
drainage system and the increase, which it
is probable will be allowed the water COM
mission, will be on this account.
The police commission will probably get
the same appropriation as for this year,
$4,000 The members of council recognize
the need of new station and an allowance
may be made for this purpose, but this is
not likely as the more the aldermen study
the situation the more poverty stricken
they feel.
The fire commission may as we'll make
up it's mind to get along with the same al
lowance as that enjoyed by it this year,
$4,000, and in this will probably be includ-
ed the requirement that the amount fall
ing due for the purchase of the new en-
CINE house at West Broad and Indian
streets shall come out of the commissions
budget and not out of any other appropri-
alton.
There are no indications of liberal
spirit toward the park and tree commits
sion, and that commission will doubtless
have to content itself with the amount es-
timated as necessary simply for the main
tenance of the parks and squares as based
upon the experience of previous years.
The question Of an appropriation to the
military is one that interests a great
many people in Savannah The appropria-
ton is in doubt. Several aldermen have
expressed themselves as decidedly opposed
to It, The military have friends on the
board, however, and an effort viii be made
to continue the appropriation. The Off
GERS Of the military will doubtless request
permission to be heard by the committee
Of the whole in advocacy of the appropria-
ton.
The bicycle tax may be regarded as GER
tain, though there are some members of
the board who do not favor it, Acting
Mayor Hamilton said yesterday ii had
not been decided yet how such a tax
should be enforced. He did not think it
likely, he said, that the tax would be set
aside as a separate fund to be used sole
ly for the benefit of the bicyclists. In
fact, he hardly thought this would be con-
sttutiOnal II would simply be a part of
the general tax receipts of the city, he
said, and it would devolve upon council TO
provide methods of enforcing it,
The bieyclists are generally of the be
lief that such a tax can be proved to be
unconstitutional. City Attorney Adams,
however, is understood to have expressed
the opinion to the committee of the whole
that there is no doubt of the constitution
ality of such tax. It Is probable if il
should be understood that the fun
amount raised by the tax would be ex-
pended for the benefit of the bicyclists
that there would be no concerted opposi-
ton on their part. on the contrary, il
there is no such unders landing, it is like
ly that the aid of the League of American
Wheelmen will be invoked and one of the
results would be to bring about a rapid
Increase of the membership of that order
here. The League of American Wheel
men has a little book, containing the de
cisions which have been secured from the
supreme courts of various states vindicat-
ing the rights of bicyclists and this viii
doubtless be called into requisltion
In France" said a well-known bicy-
clist yesterday, "a person is required 10
take out a license before he is allowed to
ride wheel, and the number of the
license is required to be plainly fixed upon
the riders Wheel so that the wheel can
always be identified as that of the party
to whom the license was issued. If any
damage is done by a wheel it is the owner
who is held responsible for the damage.
and not the party who happened to ride
the wheel when the damage was caused"
The bicyclists, however, are generally
inclined to hold that a bicycle is no more
liable TO special taxation than a carriage
or buggy or any other pleasure vehicle.
If the ordinance is adopted it will certainly
not add TO the popularity of the present
NNuiINiAs uiAA VIII iS9uat III Il nNely legal
fight. A general meeting of blcyclists will
be called in a few days to take action in
regard TO the proposed lax.
IF the tax is decided on" said one BIZ
cyclist yesterday, "the city fathers may
as well dig their graves. There isn't one
of them who could be elected constable
of justices court after
that. About everything is tax
ed now that the city can think OF.
suppose they figure on the bicycles
about paying the 1920 salary bill of the
board of assessors"
1t is understood the members of council.
who favor the tax have been talking with
the local officers of the L. A. w. with a
view to evading opposition.