The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-17
HALF MILL ADDED TO TAX
4LDERMEN TOTE TO MAKE THE
 RATE IS 1-e MILLS.

Item of $27,66a for Street sprinkling Added to Estimates Recommended by
 Board of Finance ce-Amcndmcnts or.
 fercd by Special Committee Adopted-
 John E. Doughan Appointed Military
 Enrolment Officer.
 The board of aldermen last night voted to add to the city appropriations for next year as recommended by the board of finance 27662.41 for sprinkling and to provide money for this item voted to increase the tax rate of IS mills, also recommended by the board of finance, to 1872 mills, upon property bearing the full city tax. The board also unanimously voted to appoint ex- Alderman John E. Doughan military enrolment officer at salary of $500 per year. The democratic members of the | boards of aldermen and councilmen held a caucus just before the meeting of the aldermen and unanimously voted to present the name of Mir. Doughan as the caucus nominee. No other candi- date was presented at the board meet- ing, all the republican members pres- ent voting for MT. Doughan.
 | When the estimates were taken up the report of the special joint commit tee appointed to consider the board of finance recommendation was first heard. The committee recommended | the following amendments: To strike out from the item of walks and curbs in the estimated expenses of the de- | partment of public works the words 1 including bicycle path ordered on Park avenue;" to strike out the item ''crush- ed stone pavements $75O0," and the item repairing streets $3O,000;" then I to insert bicycle path, shrubs, trees, and labor on and in front of city prop erty on Park avenue $500,' and also hardening, repair of streets and re- moval of snow, $37,0O0:" to add to the estimates of the department of public works the item flor dock at foot of l James street S2,000," this amount to be taken from the item Ito meet other out standing indebtedness $20,000' in the sundry account estimates; to change l the item of $325 for care of horse and wagon for plumbing inspector to read $350 for that purpose and to change the 1 item of $225 for abating nuisances < to read $200, both these items being in the estimates for the department of public health; to change the amount of $12,137.95 recom- mended for contingent fund in sundry; account to $11,537.95 and o.add under the head Patriotic celebration" an l item of $500 for band concerts. All l these amendments were adopted with the exception of that concerning dock at the foot of James street, which was l tabled In the amendment providing for the appropriation of $37 900 for hard- ! ening and repair of streets and renov- al of snow that portion referring to the removal of snow was stricken out. the 1 attention of the board having been call- ed by Alderman Norris to the fact that the expenses of removal of snow was provided for in the item for cleaning of streets
 The committee report having been disposed of Alderman Pickett offered an amendment to insert in the estimates for the department of public works, the item, "For sprinkling streets, 7,6s2. A." The alderman explained that this amount would be provided by the ad- dtion of one-half mill to the rate, eighteen mills, recommended by the board of finance. He read list of the amounts paid by large property holders for street sprinkling under the former system when the sprinkling was done by individual property owners and the more recent system under which 1t was done by the city. In each case it was shown that the cost was less when the sprinkling was done under contract for the city than when it was done by in- dividuals.
 Alderman Shepard called the atten- tion of the members to the fact that the properties referred to by MT. Pick cit were all on Chapel street, where the, street railroad company bears a large share of the cost of sprinkling done by the city. He claimed that sprinkling by the city cost more to the owners of property not on streets where there are car lines.
 Alderman Cooley said that he under- stood that to sprinkle all the streets of the city would cost about s100,000, and said that $27,000 would not be enough to go around. He said. 'If we are go- ing to have street sprinkling, all should be treated alike. I think that the board of finance took this into consideration and knew what they were about when they left out street sprinkling. think we had better let this matter drop"
 Aldermen Chillingworth, T. Brennan and Root spoke in favor of Alderman Pickett's amendment. The amendment was carried by vote of Il to 4, the two-thirds vote required under the charter being just secured.
 A vote was then taken on the amend ment to change the board of finances s recommendation for a thirteen mill tax upon the ratable estates within the lim- it's of wards One to Twelve inclusive to thirteen and one-half mills, this with the five mills upon all property within the city school district bringing the total rate upon all property bearing the full city tax up to eighteen and one half mills.
 A ruling being called for, President Norris ruled that the members from the outlying wards had not the right to vote upon the matter. Including the
 members nresent from the outIviror