The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-23
THE HOUSE DRAINAGE PUZZLE.
ALDERMEN STILL IN THE DARK AS
TO JUST WHAT TO DO.

A Suggestion That a Part of the
work BE Done Each Year and That
1t BE Paid for by Direct Taxation,
May BE FavorabIy Considered.
y More Than Eighty Applications
for Plans and Specifications Re-
ceived and the Competition win
Probably De Live1y-Question to BE
Discussed at Tomorrow Nights
Meeting.
There are only few days now before
Council WIFI have to tackle the house
drainage problem.
The time for receiving bids closes on
Sept. l. and though no bids have been re-
ceived yet, more than eighty firms and
individuals from all parts of the coun-
try have written to Clerk of Council
Bailey for plans and specifications. These
have all been furnished from the Office of
City Engineer w. ]. VIM, and it appears
from the numerous requests and the let
ters received that there is going to be
some lively competition.
The regular meeting of council will be
held tomorrow night So far, however,
the city is still without Mayor. Moth
ing definite is known as to when Mayor
Meldrim will return, and the same is
true of Vice Chairman Charlton. Chair
man of Council w. w. Owens is expected
to return to the city this morning, and
| Savannah will again have an official head.
Unless Mayor Meldrim should return to-
morrow Alderman Owens will take charge
of the reins of the city government, and
will preside at the Council meeting to-
morrow night.
AT the meeting it is more than likely
that the house drainage problem, which
| apears to be most perplexing one, will
be discussed at some length. The puzzle
which Council has to solye now is the
provision of some means Tor paying for
the construction of the house drainage
system. This will have to be done before
the contract for the work is awarded.
| There have been several suggestions with
! regard to the matter, none of which have
so tar fully ment the issue. With the fail
ure of the plan to mortgage the city's in
| terests with the ground rent lots, the
! question became more perplexing one
! comes forward and offers TO take the
! city S notes on faith it looks now as If the
| money Will have to be raised by taxa
| ton.
One of the most recent propositions that
| has been made in connection with the
| work is that a part of Ii be constructed
| each year, so that the additional taxation
| Will not be so much of burden on the
/ people 1t IS said quite a number of the al
/ dermen favor this plan. About So, 900 worth
| of the work was done by Messrs. Rourke
q Mitchell last year, and a similar amount
! OF work this year would just about COM
! plete one-third Of the system, and put the
! completed portion of it in shape for use
| The great objection to this plan is that il
| Keeps the streets torn up for so long
! time Many think it should be taken up
| and completed at once, but If IL is done by
! ptecemeal, the work can be paid for by
| direct taxation in such a way that with
close economy in other departments the adj
ditional burden will hardly be felt. This
suggestion viii no doubt be given some
| consideration by the aldermen, at least
in their caucus on the subject.
| Messrs. Rourke are still very much in
| terested in the matter. They received the
| ctty's notes in payment for the work they
did last winter, and in~order to realize
on them had to put up other collateral
| This was because the notes We're declared
Illegal by the court. They have on hand now
! about $4,000 worth of material which they
| intended to put into the system and they
do not want TO lose anything they have
paid out on It, They will of course be bid
ders on the work, and there is little doubt
| that their bid win be a low one, since I'M
der the circumstances they have some ad-
vantage over other bidders.
! 1t is estimated that it viii cost In the
neighborhood of $4,000 to complete the
work. The original bid was about $3.50, 600
! and bout $50 900 has already been maid out
! upon the system.