The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-26
ADVISE OAKLAND TO
ACT INDEPENDENTLY
ALAMEDA AND BERKELEY OPP.
POSE CONSOLIDATION.
Merchants Exchange Reports That
Contain Evidence of Wasted
Public Money.
Oakland ONCE San Francisco Call


908 Broadway, Nov. 25.
After slumbering for a few months thu
matter of a consolidated city and county
government for Oakland has been re
newed
In a report of the consolidation commit
tee of the Merchants Exchange just pre-
pared the argument is made that on &C
count Of the opposition to the plan Of
consolidating the bay cities Oakland
should decide to incorporate alone as 6
city and county leaving Alameda anC
Berkeley as they are. The report says:
There is no question of so much import
ance to the people of Oakland as the form
ing of city and county government into
one 1t has hitherto been advocated TO take
IN Alameda, Berkeley, Fruitvale and
Emeryville, but all those places named do
not seem to take kindly to union. Your
committee would, therefore, advocate that
Oakland cut loose and go 1t alone
The result of Us going it alone Will be
lower taxation in our newly formed city and
county, and, instead of people as now NOV
ing out of the city into adjoining districts
TO escape higher taxation. it Will be the
reverse, Tor the taxes on the outside will be
higher than ours. and the people Will To-
cate with and Oakland Will forge ahead,
The Risdon Iron Works, the Fuller Company
and many others did not turn their backs
on Oakland on account of the price of land.
High taxes drove them away. Some people
blame the Board of Trade and Merchants
Exchange. and ask US why We did not keep
those firms Ii was not in our power, for
the simple reason that when any goes
to the banks in San Francisco to borrow
money on their plants, they are told: IF
you locate on the San Francisco side of the
bay can let you have money for 6Js per
cent; on the other side, whether Oakland,
Berkeley or Alameda, We charge So per
cent
land Will be that a number of its citizens
who are always willing to serve the dear
public, will be thrown out Of a job. That
will be eleven Councilmen, a Mayor, City
Attorney, City Engineer, Auditor. Treas
urer, Tax Collector, Assessor. Clerk and a
number Of other minor officers. Those
suck the life blood out of the taxpayers of
Oakland and keep capital, factories home
seekers and investors in realty away from
city.
Five Supervisors can run the government,
and the president of the board act as
Mayor
If we allow ourselves to be assessed as
now. and consolidate, do away with our
dual government, we will have 30 cents on
every 800 assessable property, and inside of
five years we will have a magnificent free
library, with lots OF books its Shelves
and money to run it, with free reading
rooms the whole year around. We will have
parks, good streets and vii add thousands
what nature intended her for--the jewel of
the Pacific.
Oakland News Items.
OAKLAND. Nov. 25.-In the $50, 900 dam
age suit brought by Martial DavOust
against of the. city Of Alameda. the Sunset
SlepuOle anu SIeBIdpH OOiHpdily SiIlo
the Pacific Postal Cable Company for the
accidental electrocution of his wife ir
Alameda last month, plaintiff to-day filed
a dismissal so far as the Sunset Telephone
Company is concerned, 1t .having had nc
wires suspended where the accident oc-
CURED.
Coroner Baldwin held an inquest on the
cases of Axel Norck and George A. Pat
ton at Livermore to-day and the evidence
showed that death was due to an unavoid
able accident in the Tesla coal mine. The
miners had been engaged in sanding a fire
to extinguish it, when the flame suddenly
burst forth In a certain place and burned
the men fatally.
A Central California Debating League
was organized to-day in the parlors of the
Y. NJ. c. A. building in this city. delegates
from eleven of the principal debating SO
cieties about the bay being represented
1t is proposed to hold semi-annual de-
batting contests and tournaments.