The herald., 1897-07-20
Business Men Urge Long
Felt Wants
THE COUNCIL is POWERLEsS
CONTRACTS MUST RUN THEIR
COURSE
Health Officer Recommends Extensive
Sewer Construction-Much Rou-
tine Business Transacted

All the members of the council were
present yesterday when President Silver
took the chair.
The session was short and except for
the presence of three representatives
each from the board of trade, the cham
Der of commerce and the Merchants and
Manufacturers association little matter
of moment occurred.
Before the council was called to order
Deputy Clerk Haskins announced that
the members would, act as board of
equalization, their duties to commence
this morning, and that the selection of
one of their number as chairman was
pertinent at that time.
Upon motion of Councilman Nickel,
Mr.. Silver was elected to fill the position,
and the board thereupon adjourned to
meet this morning at 10 o'clock
President Silver called the council to-
gether Immediately after rendering the
board his thanks for the additional hon
or thus conferred.
The report of Health officer Dr. L. NJ
Powers was received and approved.
The usual routine reports were pre-
sented and referred.
The park commissioners recommend
that music fund in the sum of $4,000 be
created and placed in the hands of the
park board for future use, and also that
fund to the amount of $2500 for the i'm
provement of Sunset park be appropri-
ated.
Park Commissioner McLain was
\ -
for thirty days.
FOR BETTER STREETS
Judge J. W. Mckinley, on behalf of
the committee from the board of trade
chamber of commerce and Merchants
and Manufacturers association, was
given permission to address the council
on the subject of better systems for
sprinkling the streets and lighting the
city.
Judge Mckinley expressed the belief
briefly that in view of the fact that a
large number of extremely critical peo-
pie annually visited the city from the
east, where the work of which he spoke
was reduced to a fine art, and cleanli-
ness was the great desideratum, the
citizens whose organizations he had the
honor to represent had become alive to
the fact that Los Angeles needed both
and needed them badly.
The committee presented the follow
ing suggestions:
The specifications for sweeping the
paved streets should provide that each
street shall be sprayed or sprinkled be-
fore sweeping, but under no circum-
stances should more water be used in
spraying or sprinkling than is required
to prevent the dust from rising While
the sweeping is being done. When too
much water is used it makes the street
muddy and the brooms or machines will
not sweep up the mud. Also that all
paved streets in the business portion of
the city, say, between Alameda street
on the east and Hill street on the west,
and between the Plaza on the north and
Seventh street on the south, be swept by
hand, a man with small hand cart for
receiving the sweepings, taking up the
droppings and other debris, keeping the
street clean at all times.
The street sweeping, as we'll as sprink-
ling, should be under the supervision of
the street superintendent.
''The specifications for sprinkling the
graveled streets should require the dust
to be kept thoroughly well laid, so well
that at no time would a carriage driven
over any street be enveloped in cloud
of dust, as is often the case now. They
should also provide against flooding the
streets, as is often done now.
The contractors should be required to
so regulate the flow of the water from