The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-03-16


mond's Letter Gets II Chilly Well
come from the Board.
For nearly an hour and a half last
night the board of trade was in regular
session and engaged in the consdera-
tion of several matters of moment
About forty members were present.
A letter was read from machine tool
company of Massachusetts that wishes
to change its location and would es-
tablish "a plant in Scranton. under GER
tain conditions. The company values
its present plant at 100000 and asks a
first mortgage bond subscription of $l5,-
600 The matter was referred to the
manufactures COMMITTEES.
The telephone franchise "hold-up"
bugaboo was quickly disposed Of Con-
cerning A. w. Dickson's charge at
former meeting that the Lackawanna
Telephone company's application for
franchise from councils had been pur-
posely pigeon-h holed and that influence
to block its passage had been made,
| a report was submitted by the legis-
| lation and taxes committee, of which
II. r. Paine is chairman
| After reviewing the work of the com
mittee i'm investigating the charge and
| the testimony heard the report con-
| cluded with this paragraph There
| fore, in view of all the evidence, We beg
| to report that the rumor referred to by
| Mr.. Dickson seems to be without
| foundation in fact. and we believe that
| no attempt has been made to interfere
with the passage of the ordinance of
| the LaCkawanna Telephone company"
| In discussing the report Mr. Dickson
| eXonerated j. A. Lansing, chairman of
| select councils Judiciary committee
| from any blame, hut took occasion to
| criticise the present operating telephone
| company.
CONDITION OF COURTS.
The unpaved surfaces and unhealth-
| fuI surroundings of certain alleys, or
| courts, as they are officially known.
was brought to the notice of the board
in an unexpected report from the com
mttee on streets and highways, one of
the strongest committee in its personnel
attached to the board. Its members are
| r. H. Watkins. chairman; Major Ever
EFT Warren and Colonel f. l.. Hitch
cock. The report follows:
| The committee on streets and highways
| would respectfully call the attention of
| the board TO the conditions of the courts
| in the central part of our city. Ray
mond, Oakford, Forest Breck and Dix
courts, bi-sect the several blocks north of
| Lackawanna avenue between Franklin
| and Adams avenues. South of Gibson
| street these blocks are nearly all Soldly
| built up. comprising the business portion
| of our busy city. With the exception
| of two blocks on Dix court from Nul-
| berry to Vine and from Olive to Pine
these courts are unpaved and during
| winter and spring, indeed during most
of the year, they are u slough of almost
| impossible stencil and disease breeding
| filth. They are the natural receptacleS
| of barn and backyard filth of every
kind.
With good pavements it would be diff
| cult to keep these courts clean and
| healthy, but with mud surface and no
| drainage. cleanliness is an impossibiity.
| generation of this disease breeding
filth has already accumulated upon the
surface of these courts. 1t is constant
| ly accommodating. The melting ice and
SHOWS Of winter keep it is a condition
of nauseating nastiness, whilst from
every summer shower there arises from
it noXiouS vapors and stenches that pol
son the air breed disease and makes
the abutting properties almost uninhab-
liable. They are a menace to the health
of our city, a detriment to her business
prosperity and a disgrace and reproach
10 her enterprise. We therefore submit
the following resolutions, viz:
COUNCILS ASKED TO ACT
Resolved. BY the Scranton board OF
trade, That the attention of the city
councils be called to the condition of
| Raymond, Forest, Oakford. Breck and
Dix courts between Lackawanna avenue
and Gibson street, and other like courts
and places in the central part of our
| city; and that they be requested in the
interests of the city health as well as her
business. to take immediate steps to have
said courts substantially paved.
| Resolved, That the attention of the
board of health be called to the condi-
ton of said courts, and that they be
| requested to have an immediate inspec-
ton made and report thereon to said
| councils to the necessity for said
pavements from sanitary point of view.
The report was adopted.
w. l.. Henwood, chairman, submitted
! the report Of the special good roads
committee appointed at the preceding
meeting to confer with similar commit
tees from the Scranton Engineers clul
and the Scranton Bicycle club for the
| purpose of perfecting an organization
and forwarding the Good Roads league
The report indicated the formation o.
the league, an adoption of a constitu
tion and bylaws and the election o
| these officers at a meeting February
26 in the board rooms: A. h. Dunning
ir., president; w. l.. Henwood, J. w
Miller and $. b. Price, vice presidents
ID. b. Atherton, secretary and treas
urer; II. A, Knapp, chairman of the eX
ecutiVe committee.
NEW MEMBERS ELECTED
Secretary Atherton made a report
which was adopted, as chairman of
special committee appointed at the pre-
ceding meeting to suggest "a plan 70
increasing the boards membership
The committee suggested that a specla
committee of ten be appointed to ac
with the standing membership com
mittee; that list be made of the name
of business men who are not member
and that the work of soliciting applica
tions for membership among the mel
| whose names are on the list be divide,
; among the committee. 1t was believe,
, that at least fifty new members coul
. be secured in this way.
Thomas Flitcroft and George Weave
, | were elected members and application
received from the following and lai
l over, according to rule, until the mex
, meeting: George b. Smith, j. w. Gar
ney, John w. Dusenbury, Sol Oettingel
julius Traugott and l.. j. Siebecker.
Secretary Atherton read a summar
of the boards recent census of compar
| a,tf t,at hA I o,,lya