The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-05-24
ARE READY TO SELL
THE WATER COMPANY MATTER
BEFORE COUNCIL
TO FIGHT INSECT PESTS
ORDINANCE HORTICULTURIST
ARE WORKING FOR
WANT LONG TIME PAYMENT
Kicks Of Property Owners on Street
Work Not Done Under the Bond
Act-Business Transacted

| The council listened to q lengthy commu-
nication from the water company yestcr-
day which City Attorney Dunn read from
| typewriter copy. They offer to sell all
their property and rights of whatsoever
kind at any time that the city is prepared
| to talk business with them.
| They are puzzled to know what the spc-
cial water committee meant by saying that
| they do not want the information they ask
for as basis for buying the property of
either water company; and neither does
anyone but the committee and the council
know.
The reply says that it would take $50
typewriter pages to tell what the council
wants to know; the d!ctation would require
eight to ten days and it would further ne
cessitate the examination of sixteeu vol
| umes of abstracts. They will give the in
formation, they say, as soon as possible
perhaps within few days.
Doubtless at the next regular meeting
of the council the ordinance providing for
the abatement and removal Of fruits and
trees infected by pests will be passed-in
fact, it looked for time yesterday as II
it would become a law at once. AS read,
the ordinance gives the inspector full power
to condemn when and where he will, and
there is to be penalty for anyone's inter-
fering with his work.
The question of whether or not certain
street work should come under the bond
act or the cash provisions of the Vrooman
act has been heard in argument at council
meetings time and again, and of course 1t
never happened that the decision of the
councllmen pleased both sides 10 the con-
troversy. If work is done under the bond
act, 1t should be understood the cost per
front foot must be at least 81; and in that
event property owners have ten years time
in which to pay their shares of the cost.
II done under the cash provision it must
be paid for In cash. Naturally, contract
ors prefer the cash and property owners
the bond act, and here lies the point of con-
tention. The complaints of citizens that
they had advertised work to be done under
the bond act and had then been presented
with bills calling for immediate payment,
have become as much a matter of routine
now as the report of the city engineer-who
never fails to have two pages Of typewrit-
ten foolscap for the press.
In the case of Mary A. Shaw, who pro-
tested against the work done on her street
because 1t did not come under the bond
act, the records showed that the gentleman
who represented her side, and was also
a protestant, had a very short memory, or
something worse. He said the work on
his street was advertised for under the bond
act and that it called for a cement side
walk five feet wide, while the books stated
four feet was asked for. President Silver,
aneut this matter, instructed the members
of the board of public works to examine
bids carefully and also petitions to have
work done, in the hope of in the future
avoiding these squabbles.
B. Ballerino, dubbed by Mr.. Nickel an
ever-constant professor, called on the coun-
Gil late in the afternoon, as Is his wont. His
visit was to appeal to the council to have
Niger alley, Chinatown, cleaned-as
Ballerino owns most of it. 1t is impossi-
BILE to quote the gentleman verbatim, but
he said something about not being able 10
get satisfaction from the council and that
all his petitions are dead petitions" as
he expressed it.. There was an effort made
to refer the matter to the board Of public
works for investigation, but Mr.. Blan-
chard, who was in humorous mood, moved
that the councilman from Ballerino's ward
take charge of the investigation, and there
was no dissent.
Having been satisfied on this point, Mr..
Ballerlno was so indiscreet as to say, land
there are lots of other things I want.
can't come next Monday he said, $50 you
let my petition go for two weeks" The
council smied-even President Silver who
Is in countenance immovable during coun-
Gil hours, did likewise, and all looked SYM
pathetically at Mr.. Ballerino. II move
said Mr. Order, "that the gentleman be
given permission to go for two weeks"
And then B. Ballerino departed for his
restaurant
The members Of the council went into
private session after the adjournment of
the regular meeting to talk over the details
attendant upon the letting of the contract
for the lighting of the city. 1t was merely
a preliminary meeting. and no decision
was arrived at in any particular.