The times., 1898-10-27
IHE AFFAIRS OF CITIES
Municipal Government Dis
cussed by Experts.
TAXES, WATER AND TREES
Convention OF municipality Mnnng-
ers Opened by President Van
Duync - Delegates Welcomed by
COMMISSIONER Wight - Committee
On the Nomination of Officers.

The fifth annual convention OF the
American Society of Municipal Improve
ments opened in the banquet hall Of the
Arlington Hotel yesterday morning. The
delegates were formally welcomed TO
Washington by Commissioner Wight.
Harrison Van Duyne, of Newark, n. j.,
President of the Society, delivered his an
nual address.
I'VE know" said he. that Dewey,
Schley and Sampson have demonstrated
10 the world the power of the American
Navy. The general Government has had
a severe experience this year with the
dangers arising from assembling large
bodies of men together and mas found
that the best possible sanitary arrange
ments must be made to protect their
health. People crowd into our cities and
The members OF this society, represent
ing as they do the governing and work
ing power of so many cities, have a spe-
cial responsibility resting upon them.
Are the streets and avenues of your
city in good condition, and are they kept
clean? Is your city properly severed, and
and kept in such condition that your
health and that of your families is not
endangered by drinking il? In answering
these questions We realize how much the
health and comfort of the hundreds of
thousands of people We represent is
placed in cur care.
We come together once a year to lis
ten 10 the reading of carefully prepared
papers by some of our members, on the
~ e-rn1Af
provements, and in the discussions which
follow the actual experience of the diff
ferent cities is clearly brought out but in
addition TO that, the visits made by us
each year to a different one of our larger
cities, enabling lis to study on the ground
the best work done in each, give us all
an experience and training that must be
OF great advantage to the city we repre-
sent"
The afternoon session was given up to
the reports of the committee on sewerage
and sanitation. The chairman of the
committee, Capt. Lansing II. Beach, En-
gineer Commissioner of the District of
Columbia, read a report on the utilization
OF the sewerage system of Vienna Ken
meth Allen, principal assistant engineer of
the sewerage system of Baltimore read
g paper on the sewerage of that city, and
d. E. McComb superintendent of sewers
on the proposed sewage disposal system
for Washington.
The Evening Session.
The evening session of the society con-
vened at o'clock. F. W. Cappelen, city
engineer of Minneapolis, submitted the
report of the committee on electric street
lighting. Mr.. Cappelen declared that he
was fully aware that ii would be a diff
cult proposition to make a report that
would be of as much interest as the re-
ports previously made by Mr.. Cabot, his
predecessor as chairman of the commit
tee. He stated that ii is a very unsatis-
factory task to obtain proper information
through correspondence, but as this ap-
peared to be the only method, the COM
mittee entered into correspondence with
all the cities, some $50, which in 1896 an
swered the committees inquiries. The
committee desired particularly to find out
If any changes in prices per lamp per
year had taken place during the last two
years.
Mr.. CaDpelen submitted u statement
that an increase in the price of 2,OOO-can-
die power lamps had taken place in four
cities, while reduction in price has been
made in twenty-seven cities. For all the
other cities included in the table pub
1fshed by the society in the annual re-
port OF 1896, no changes have taken place.
The report of the committee showed
that the following cities own and operate
their own electric plants: Prescott, Ariz;
South Norwalk, Conn; Jacksonville, Fla;
Bloomington, ILL.,; Chicago, H.; Cham
paign, Ill; La Belle, H.; Ottawa, H.;
kendallville, Ind; Topeka, Kan; Empo-
ria, Kan; Bangor, Me; Reading, Mass;
Bay City, Mich; Detroit Mich: Savan-
nah, Mo; st. Joseph, No; Dunkirk, n.
Y; Fredonia, n. Y; Hamilton, o.; Co.
lumbus, o.. Marietta, o.; Martins Fer
ry, o.; Tacoma, Wash, and Fort Worth,
Tex.
The general prices quoted in the report
are very low as compared with contract
lamps. Detroit has made the largest ven
ture in the way Of municipal electric
lighting system of any city in the coun-
try. From tables submitted to the COM
mittee, Mr.. Cappelen said that Detroit
appears to be getting its street lighting
at cheaper rates than any private con-
Germ would undertake to furnish it for.
unless guaranteed monopoly for a long
term of years. The average price for
1000 candle power lamps in cities oper-
ating their own plants is s74.75 for all
night service, while the average price for
contract lamps is $50.
The report closed as follows:
.'In conclusion your committee feels
that a great deal of credit is due the
American Society of Municipal Improve
ments for the reduction in the cost of
electric street lighting throughout the
country. The information that has been
gathered upon the subject has been
brought home to the various cities.''
Report on Taxation.
August Hermann, president of the
board of administration of Cincinnati,
presented the report of the committee on
taxation and assessment. Mr.. Hermann
prefaced his report by saying that in his
annual address as the president of the
society at its last meeting. he suggested
that the committee on taxation and as
sessment should take up and submit a
report at the next meeting of the society,
showing the rates of taxation throughout
the leading cities of the country, this re-
port to snow among other things, the
total assessable valuation of property for
taxation, both real and personal, the tax
rate in each city, showing separately the
rate for municipal, county, state, edUca-
tional, and sinking funds, and interest,
special, and all other purposes that go 10
make up the grand total. Such a report,
he said. would be of benefit to the MEM
bers of the society, and would materially
aid them in making intelligent compaIi-
sons of the tax rates of the various cities
The first table submitted showed the
total tax rate for the following cities in
the year 1898:
Chicago, 1850 per $1,000; Omaha, si7l2:
Toledo, $500; Denver. S31; Cleveland, O.,
So. 30; Jersey City. s2S.se; New Orleans,
S27; Columbus, O., 81; Kansas City. 1854;