The labor world., 1898-01-01
SESSION
City Council Wran giles Over De-
tails and Does a Little
Business.

City Attorney to Bid on Water
Plant-Commissions Here
after Unnecessary.
The city council introduced no new
diversion Monday night, and as the
continual scrapping is beginning to pail
on the palates of the spectators com
plants are heard that the show is 'de
teriorating."
Hartman & Patterson informed the
council that pursuant to agreement the
steps taken by that firm to restore the
city's credit among eastern investors
had met with such success that after
Jan. no com missions on the renewal OF
orders would be necessary. The reso.
luton regarding the renewal of city
orders was taken from the table and
passed. It ratifies the action of the city
officials in renewing such orders hereto.
fore and authorizes such renewals here
after without action of the council
The bill of Hartman & Patterson of
$988.92 for commissions on orders here
tofore renewed was ordered paid.
A judgment claim of William How
ellis for s537.79 was ordered paid. A
communication was read aud referre d
from Charles Peterson protesting against
the employment of outside labor in the
city pump shop. Pay rolls for the
pumping engines were allowed to the
amount of 81 ,566.32. In response to a
previous inquiry from the city council
Supt. Crawford reported that it would
cost S34. 1864 to complete both engines
and place them in position. The first
one could BE- in place by February 90,
and the second by May l. The pur-
chase of 25O tons of coal was ordered
and it's transportation on scow to
Lakewood before the lake freezes up.
And the purchase of Il air-valves from
the Renssalar Manufacturing company,
was ordered, without bids at cost of
$1,323.70.
The request of Chairman Gordon for
the use of the council chamber on Jan.
Is in which to hold the municipal con-
vention of the peoples party was
granted.
The comptroller reported on the in
surance now in force on city property.
The total is sl62,800 and is divided as
follows: City hall, $4,000; boiler in
city hall, $4,000; armory, $4,000; police
headquarters and Jail, $4,000; fire de-.
partment, s38,3o0; Lakeside Jail, $500 :
pumping machinery, $4,000. The
report was referred for further infor-
nation as to how much was on buildings
and how much on contents.
The ordinance authorizing ths city
attorney to bid not to exceed 100000
for the gas and water plant
at the execution sale for delin-
quent taxes was placed on it's
final passage and adopted without a
dissenting vote. Crassweller said, how
ever, that the city was treading on dan
gerous grounds and he hoped that the
city attorney would look the matter up
carefully before exercising the authority
conferred by the ordinance.
The resolution for the payment of one
of the poundmasters for November was
taken from the table and the usual
enchanting debate between Alderman
Jefferson and the mayor ensued. Aid.
Sang performed the oil pouring act with
q resolution providing for the payment
of half months salary. Only two
aldermen dissented. But there were
other debates. One of these occurred
over the resolution appointing G. j..
Mallory, Robert Rankin and George
Taylor condemnation commissioners in
the proposed changes of the Swan Lake
road. Aldermen Jefferson and Simpson
on one side and Alderman Sang on the
other were the disputants and the
repartee flew around the council ;ham-
ber like feathers at a pillow fight.
Simpson said aldermen had all been
elected on platform Of economy; "here
we were holding a special meeting to
devise how to keep the city from going
into bankruptcy" Jefferson said the
plans showed that 20 or 30 acres of land
would be rendered useless, that land
used to be worth $1,000 an acre" Sang
called down the aldermen for talking
bankruptcy. 1T was Just such talk as
that which had embarrassed the city,
Simpson retorted that it was "such
schemes as those advocated by the alder.
men from the eighth that was bank
ruptipg the CITY," An effort was made
to substitute other names for one or