The San Francisco call., 1897-01-05

| the board next month Mayor Phelan said
| 1t had been suggested in public discussions
that per cent interest is enough to allow
the company on its bonds and capital
stock in addition TO its operating expenses,
and that 5 per cent is lfair and reasona BILE,
especially in view of the belief that the
| company is overca pitaliZed and that
much of its property is held for specuta-
tion instead OF use in supplying water or
| to exclude com petition. He recommended
! that the board at once take steps to IN
quire into the real value of the Spring
| Valley Water Company's property and
fix the rates accordingly, as the water
rates in San Francisco, compared with
those of other cities, are numerically
high. He continued:
The suburbs of the City should have the fos-
tertng care OF the municipal authorities, Tor
! the benefit of any part OF the City is the bene'
fl of all. By making the suburban and resi-
! Dental districts attractive we can recover our
| lost population from the bay counties and
other parts OF the State, which was driven
away by bad and unclean streets, neglected
parks and uusanitary conditions. By attract
! ing population to the suburbs, the assessed
wealth of the City, which comes from the
| presence of population, will materially in
crease and compensate us for any unusual out
/ lay.
! In regard to the closing of cemeteries he
! said it is unfortunate tnat as the law now
/ stands there is no restrictions on burials
! in the City limits, although the City doubt
! less has power to forbid burials as a
measure Tor the preservation of the public
health. Also large cemeteries retard the
growth ard development Of the City. He
| recommended the passage OF an ordinance
fixing term after which burials IN the
| City limits shall cease.
He supported practical trades and tech
nical education in the public schools and
/ said:
There has been extravaganza in the School
/ Department as was recently evidenced by the
/ Grand jury report, which concluded thus. and
TO which / ca YOUR attention: In 1SS3-S4
there were 31,578 pupils average attendance,
/ with TIA teachers with salaries OF 1861, ,824 !;
! in 1886. with 80, 436 average attendance
| there were 928 teachers, with salaries of 1872.
! 311-that is, an increase OF S58 pupils had
| been attended by an increase OF PA teachers
and an increased expense OF $2l4, ,487 for
/ teachers salaries.
He commended the Merchants Associa-
| tion for its work in assisting City officials
IN the direction of the use of public mou-
! eys for the improvement and cleaning OF
streets. The new plan of re paving streets,
| the City to pay half the expense and the
property-own the other. should be en-
couraged.
There has been general demand for the re-
| pavement oil Market street and you will have
! to give this subj your careful consideration.
! The pavement should be at once durable,
! smooth and possibly no seless. AS mere
/ suggestion l call your attention to the fact
! that many Eastern cities have laid wooden
! pavements OF yellow pine blocks, treated with
! cTeosote oil, upon concrete foundation. This
| pavement offers an apparent advantage over
! asphalt or bitumen, inasmuch as il has been
! demonstrated TO be durable, smooth and noise
less and, at the same time, 1t prevents the slip
! ping of horses and reduces the wear and tear
OF vehicles. European cities have recently
| given preference to such wooden pavements.
! | would in this connection call your attention
! to section II OF general orders of the Super
! visors No. 1887, regulating the width of the
! tires of wheels, for it is useless TO put down
fine pave ment unless every means is employed
! to preserve ii.
| use in this City, and the introduction OF this
means of conveyance has made 1t even more
! incumbent upon the Supervisors to provide
! the streets with smooth surfaces be tween the
| homes of the people and their workshops
! ana between the parks and residen tial see
! tions and the center OF the City. Certain
! streets should be maintained as boulevards
| for the safety and pleasure of the people. In
! order 10 enhance the beauty of the streets
tree Planting in the suburbs should be gem
orally encouraged on the sidewalks.
He recommended that the telegraph
/ and telephone com panies be required to
remove the poles from downtown side
| walks, put the wires in subways, as has
! been done in most Eastern cities. and
! that iron bins sunk in the edge of side
walks take the place OF the present un-
! slightly bins for street sweepings.
! He recommended, in the matter of
granting street railway franchises, that
| new measures should be enacted by the
Legislature, and also recommended the
underground trolley system, the economy
and perfection of which has been demon
straled in New York.
He took strong stand against adulte-
rated and diseased food and milk. The
public health is a matter of first considera-
ton in cities.
He recommended that while the one
company bond system for City officials
has much to recon mend If, the law
be amended so as to require two panies
TO qualify.
The completion of the new City Hall is
promised this year by the Board OF Commits
sioners, and 1t IS a matter OF congratulation
that the new Board OF Supervisors will 1t
length occupy completed building. The
money saved in this direction VIII, among
other things. enc bic the Supervisors to keep
down the tax levy, which has grown progress
sively in the last ten years until the total rate
per 100 for City, County and State purposes
reached So 20, yielding the enormous sum of
$6, S96. .S72. This year the amount which will
be raised by taxation for the same purposes of
$5, ,901 900. Last year the assessed valuation
OF the City's property. upon which the rate is
So % was levied, was 1927 ,S05. .l47.
This year, in addition to an increase of
about $50 100000 made by the Assessor, the
State Board Of Equaliza ton added 20 per
cent. increasing the total assessment to $422,
069 900, gross injustice to the city at large
and which, if permitted again, should be
stubbornly resisted by the Board of Super
visors. The tax levy upon this basis Will pro-
duce this year for CITY and County purposes
Sd 090 600, and for State purposes ST. ,S1O,0 900,
or an exact total OF So, ,901, 600. In addition
10 the revenue derived TO the City from direct
taxat on, amounting, as above, to 81 ,090, 900,
the City is in receipt of revenue from other
sources amounting to 81 $50, ,513 and from
railroad taxation of 1914, making a grand
total OF the revenues of the City for the fiscal
year OF 1896-97 of $5, ,722, 1856.
The City property, including the parks lots