The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-08
ITS LAST MEETING.
City Government Transacted Con.
siderable Business.
EAST COMMERCIAL STREET DIS.
CONTINUED.

Peaks Island TO Have Water Company
and Fire Protection-Police Pension
Bill and other Matters.
The last regular meeting of the city
was hold last evening. In
both branches all of the members were
present. g.
MAYOR AND BOARD OF ALDERMEN
An order authorizing the printing of
the city reports in the annual report of
the city auditor had passage.
An order referring the claim of James
r. johnson and William Findley for
damages to their property caused by the
building of Tukey's bridge to the next
city government had passage.
Building permits were granted to G. J.
Mcdonald for a house on Island ayenus,
Peaks Island and to Joseph Winslow to
erect two story wooden house at 95
Munjoy street.
Orders authorizing the city auditor to
transfer all unexpended appropriations to
appropriations which have been expended
in order to balance his books and trans
fering all unfinished business to the next
city government were passed.
A claim of Patrick j. Flaherty of 20
franklin street for damage done his cellar
by the OVERLOOKING of the street on Febru-
airy 20, was referred to the committee on
judicial proceedings and claims.
J Alderman Ilsley introduced the original
documents on the claim of A. w. Laugh
lin for damages sustained by him in the
grading of street in 1880. The claim for
damages was at that time referred to the
committee on judicial proceedings and
claims, but the papers never reached that
committee. Alderman Ilsley moved that
they be now referred to the committee on
judicial proceedings and claims and it
was so ordered.
The Postal Telegraph and Telephone
company presented petition asking for
permission to place its wires in an UNDER
ground conduit through the following
streets: On Myrtle street to Congress,
under Congress to Market, through Mar
ket to Milk, through Milk to Exchange
and to the company's office. The conduit
Ia w bC k0liV C11tJ uHO NSih1AS ooA4AlASAs
The order accompanying the above
petition was given a passage.
AID order was passed bargaining lot No.
Washburn avenue to Joseph L. Stevens.
SLAP AT AUSTRALIA BALLOT.
Alderman Kehoe introduced the. follow
ing resolution which was given an unani-
NOUS passage:
Resolved, That in view Of the large
number OF defective ballots cast at cleo
tions since the present Australian mis-
called secret ballot law was enacted and
the large expense attendant upon the
same, we believe that the said so-called
Australian secret ballot law tends more
to defeat the will of the voters than ex-
pressing it, and the expense of the same
far out-Weighs any possible good that
comes from it and we respectfully request
the next legislature to either give US
something better or wipe 1t entirely from
the statute books.
The resolution was tabled in the lower
board.
POLICE PENSION BILL.
Alderman Pagan, chairman of the COM
mittee on police pensions made report
showing that only fifty cities in the
country have pension laws applying to
the police and no city the size of Portland
pensions it's policemen. He showed in
his report the manner of raising the pen
sion fund for the police where such PEN
sion laws exist. In some cities the fund
Is obtained from the licensing of dogs,
saloons and other things and : from fines
for violation of city ordinances.
Alderman Pagan moved that the matter
be referred to the next city government.
Alderman Rounds spoke in favor OF the
pensionlng of the policemen who may be.
come disabled or arrive at certain age.
He created some amusement by stating
that Portland could not create a pension
fund by licensing saloons as there are no
saloons in town and as for the dog licenses
the money obtained from this source was
already well used. At Alderman Roundss
suggestion the report of the committee
on pensions was referred to the next city
government.
EAST COMMERCIAL STREET.
Alderman Round read the report OF the
committee on new streets advising the
of East Commercial street.
In this connection Mayor Randall read
letter from General Manager Hays Offering
to transfer to the city on a long lease the
triangular tract of land on the Eastern
promenade which the city desires for park
purposes. The land cannot be sold to the
city as 1t is covered by a mortgage, but
the general manager said the terms Of the
lease would be made very satisfactory to
the city.
Alderman Rounds spoke in favor of the
discontinuance as did Alderman Leighton,
and the order of disoontinuance had an
unanimous passage in the upper board.
When the matter came up in the lower
board it provoked some discussion. Mr.
@. A. Hight, attorney for the Grand
Trunk explained the desire of the rail
road in having East Commercial street
discontinued. In return for discontinue
ing the street the Grand Trunk would
give the city in exchange long lease of
IT,