Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1898-01-12
ABOUT STREET GRADING.
A Meeting Last Evening At Which the 'Initiative" is Taken and the ''Refersndum'' tO Another
 Meeting Adopted
From saturIiav,s Daily.

From Saturdays Daily.
 The meeting called for last evening to discuss the question of street
 grading. was fairly well attended by property owners of Prescott, but those present did not seem to be- come warmed up to the occasion tO any great degree of enthusiasm.
 The meeting was called to order by Mayor O'Neill who stated the object for which it was called and then annocnced that the election of a chairman and secretary was in order.
 On motion of Judge Hawkins, Mayor O'Neill was elected chairman and J. C. Martin, secretary, a com binatiOn of officers which made it self evident that no previous combi- nation existed and that no prear- ranged scheme was about to be foisted on the unsuspecting taxpay- CT.
 The chairman then announced with regret tha; City Engineer Fish CT was unable to be present, and that as he had the profile of the proposed work it could not be presented at the meeting.
 He outlined the proposition of the city council to be, the grading of Cortez and Gurley streets, as a starter. The points between which the grading Is proposed is from Granite street to J. M. W. Moore's residence on Gurley street, and from the depot to the brow of the hill beyond Judge E. W. Wells resi- dence on Cortez street.
 That as the county owned prop ertv along both streets and the school district owned property on Cortez street, and as said public property cannot be taxed for public improvements, the city council pro- posed 10 appropriate Sl,000 and the board of Supervisors S300 for the work. The balance of the expense IS tO. be borne by property owners.
 He also stated the estimates for the total work to be something over S6,OOO, the exact figures not being caught.
 F. NJ. Murphy, Ju tge E. W. Wells, E B. Gage, Judge J. J. Hawkins, T. w. Otis, W. \. Kelly, NJ. J. Hickey and F. C. Brecht engaged n a desul- tory discussion, mostly of an inter rogatory nature Tn regard to it, but on account of the absence of the city engineer and his profiles, etc. the meeting had nothing tO get down to a solid basis for discussion.
 MT. Murphy, therefore, made a motion that the city engineer be requested to, at once, wait upon all the property holders on the two streets, with his profile of the pro posed grade and his estimates of the cost of the proposed work, and a statement of the terms upon which it was proposed to have 1t performed, with an accompanying petition for them to sign, fl favorable to the The motion was sec onded by Judge Hawkins, and after a brief discussion, was unanimously adopted.
 4 motion was then made and carried that when the meeting ad iourn it should adjourn to meet again next Thursday evening to take final action.
 MT. Murphy then arose and stated that while the meeting was called for the purpose of considering the question of street grading, he de- sired to call the attention of those present to other matters Of import ance to the city That was the ques- ton of water works and sewerage, which was paramount tn all others. He stated that those who have been wor4iDg for the retention of a mii- tarv post at Whipple, had assur ances that if the city would provide an ample water supply the post would be retained, rebuilt and en- larged. The government does not !. ask donation of water for the 1 post, but only asks for a supply of pure water, which they may secure by paving for 1t. He urged upon our citizens the importance of talk !. ing speedy action on this question, In order to get congressional action . at once, as delay of another year . might prove fatal.
 In references to this question, the . mayor stated that 1t was proposed . to call meeting early next week to | the plans and estimates . prepared by the city engineer, when . ha maatinp adiourpat