The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-05-11
CITY EMPLOYEES
CAN 90 TO WAR
Positions to be Held for Them Upon
Their Return.
COMPRESSED AIR ORDINANCE.
It Passed the Board of Aldermen with
out Hitch-No BoOk-kceper for
the City Engineers Department
Long Session Last Night.

for a long time last night and trans
acted a great deal OF business, including
tho passage OF the ordinance TO establish
The plant for compressed air purposes.
The following members answered 70
fhclr names a. roll call.
Messrs. Bahon. Brock. Burton, Carter
Cutchins Hardwicke Montgomery, law
der. Noble. Smith. Seay, Vaughan. zim-
nnermann Turpin
The Board adopted a recommendation
from the Finance Committee that 800
Ne appropriated 90 insure tho elevators
an tho City Hall.
The Board also agreed that the city
Water Works would furnish water to the
Richmond Baseball Athletic Assocla-
fion grounds outside the city limits AT
the regular city rates provided the base
ball people pay for all pipes and connec-
lions necessary FOR such extension.
The body concurrcd in tho acuoh OF
fhe Council in the appropriations from
tho street fund for the grading, reset
ting and paving of certain streets IN Va
rious parts of the city. The amounts OF
these appropriations and the purposes
for which they were made were publish
ed IN The Times when they passed the
Common Council.
PAVING OF THIRD STREET.
some discussion arose over the recon-
YnendatIop of the Common Council TO au-
fhorlze the Street Committee 70 pave
Broad street between Tenth and Eleventh
with asphalt blocks or vltTined bricks as
they may determine after considering nlds'
The question was introduced whether or
not 70 would be better 10 use asphalt
blocks or vitrifed bricks in tho work.
President Turpin said the resolution was
unusual and the amount 10 be EXPENDED
for this purpose was not specified IN inc
resolution. He would not vote 10 give
this power 20 any committee. however
much he respected the members
n was explained that the amount was
already appropriated this being N4O0.
Tho Council simply wanted 20 give the
street Committee the authority to decide
what material should be used.
After some further discussion the
Board concurred in the measure.
SAME OLD RUTS.
The ordinance to provide q bookkeeper
for the City Engineers Department sur
red I'd q good deal Of discussion. Mr..
Allen said that since the law imposed
upon the clerk in the department the du-
ties Of looking after the allegations the
work was quite oneTous. and the book
keeper and accountant was really neces-
Mr. Turpln protested against concur
renee 40 the ordinance. upon the ground
that II would be extravaganza. we are
getting back into the same old ruts, said
ne There are too many men doing the
work that could be done by fewer men
than were now doing u. There are nVe
men an tho Engineers Department now,
and II does seem TO me that they can do
the work I believe n good many men
could be dispensed with in the city gov
ernmeut The Engineers Department ana
the Water Department could be combined
into one great department We are too
extravagant or course work could be
found for the extra man, but do not be-
lieve he is needed
BOOK KEEPER NEEDED.
City Accountant Mccarthy. by request,
explained the situation, and said that
there was not a book-keeper in the En-
Cineers Department. Mr.. Frank Bates
the Assistant Engineer. was doing most
OF the clerical work 40 present and the
work was quite onerOus MI Bates was
not a book-keeper He was crowded with
work which be could not possibly do.
There was no department in the city gov
eminent iu which there was greater
need for a good hook-keeper. The de-
partment dealt with a great many peo-
pie. including contractors and large
number OF appropriations had TO appear
on separate accounts and the money paid
out on these particular pieces OF work.
The Engineers Department and the
committee had been frequently mislead
by reason of the fact that the clerk was
unable 90 tell how much money was az
the disposal Of the department and how
much was due 90 contractors. The pay
rolls alone required a great deal OF work.
The great bulk of the amount of money
expended by the department was for this
purpose. The double entry system OF
bookkeeping was tho only means Of keep
ing accurate accounts in the department.
Mr. Noble and Mr.. TuUdn Intercepted
Mr.. Mccarthy on the subject, and the
latter stated that he could not tell under
the present system OF keeping the ac-
counts how the money affairs stood un-
less he went back and posted all the ac-
counts afresh. The statistical and other
information in the department had TO be
kept systematically in order 20 enable
the engineer 10 find such records as he
needed from time 10 time when neces-
sary.
The Board refused TO concur in the or
dinance recommending the election Of the
bOOk-keeper and accountant. and Mr..
Cutch.ns moved 70 reconsider the ques-
ton. This was agreed 10 and the sub
jcct was further discussed. IL was finally
laid on the table.
The ordinance approprating 500 for
improvements 20 the city jail was con-
CURED On by the board as was also the
amended ordinance fixing the metre rate
10 DC tudIEcA 10 water NhuoAllitl
Permission was granted the United
States government 20 have water from
the City Water Works free OF charge at
the exposition grounds.
MR.. CLARKE PROTESTS.
When the compressed air ordinance
granting Joseph n. Hoadley and asso-
GATES The franchise 10 use for power pur-
poses the overflow water supply a. the
New Pump-House came up, President
Arthur B. Clarke. OF the Old Dominion
Iron and Nail Works asked that a COM
munication in the nature OF a protest be
read.
The protest claimed that any action
Of the city In divertng from the river
az Yosher's Dam any more water than
is necessary for operating It's pump
works for supplying it's citizens such
use OF the water was an that was con-
templated in the contract made March Q,
1850 between the city OF Richmond and
the James River and Kanawha Com
pany. The company claimed that the
proposed further extended diversion of
water is preiudiciM 10 their rights, as
rlparlan owners at Belle Isle.
Mr. Clarke was granted the floor and
made a st-ement OF explanation. lie
claimed that there was nothing in the
city charter that gaze 10 the right 10 sell
...f.r ,..otar THE water I'm James river