The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-01-02
HE NEWS. PROVIDENCE. r. II, MONDAY JANUARY 2 1900.

l.
| cipal amount OF improvements Wolh
done has been al Davis Park. now p,ar- pa
| tically completed. AT Blackstone ln ~ n
| but little work was done. ~ '.os'i
Williams Park the Casino owhsu 10
the city was opened 10 the pun. VI
| July 1. the park commissioners haNlnE
| leased IL for a term of six years .ns
| rental revenue being specially res. ~
| for defraying the cost of CONSTITUTION,
! by which arrangement TINS uSeiu w
| structure. will be made To pay Tor ilseli'
| l wish, I'm regard To this buildihs, 10
| express my commendation or the Worh
| of the park commissioners IN erecting
| and furnishing such n substantial and
| elegant building at 80 moderate Cost
| Examples of this kind are extremely
| rare.
| During n portion OF the summer ana
! autumn the public were entertained at
! Roger Williams Park. afternoons ana
evenings, with concerts py reeves
| American band. an enjoyment Whlch
was attested by the presence OF many
| thousands of citizens on each occasion.
! The expense of this musicai attraction
| was borne solely by private cohtrlDu-
tions. IL was my pleasure 10 De pres
| ent at several OF these concerts, ana
| could not help being impressed by the
| appreciation of them on the part OF the
public and by their effect upon the
| large crowds assembled. | have never
seen more orderly gatherings ana the
whole effect of the concerts seemed
healthful and uplifting. There Is no
| doubt OF the good they did ana OF the
rest they gave TO the tired workingman.
| his wife and children. and certainly
hope that they may be continued an
| other year.
From the standpoint OF one interested
| I'm the health and morals OF our people
as whole, and particularly OF those
| of our citizens who are not so fortunate
as To be able to take their families to
| the seashore or mountains during the
| heated season, 1 should regard rea-
| sonable appropriation for the purpose
! of supporting these concerts during the
coming year an excellent investment
| for our city.
The Museum Of Natural History at
! Roger Williams Park continues TO af-
ford pleasure and instruction To the
| thousands who visit il during the year.
! Scholars from our public schools. in
| terested IN the various branches of nat
ural science find both profit and pleas
ure i'm examining the various exhibits
J The aggregate attendance during the
| year was about one hundred thousand,
Many valuable gifts were made to the
museum in 1895. the last OF which is Il
collection of mounted Rhode Island
birds, donated by Mr.. Charles II.
| Smith. | recommend that sufficient
appropriation be made TO provide suit
able cases for this collection.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
During the year TWO new six room
school houses and the East Side high
school building have been completed
and turned over to the school commit
tee There is i'm process OF erection one
four-room primary school house al
Ives and Preston streets, and the Man.
ton avenue grammar school house.
The new post office which We so much
need, and for which the city has voted
to dedicate a site. has not vet ma
terialized. The bill for establishing the
same has passed the United States SEN
ate. and our senior senator has strong
hopes that 81 will soon be taken mp and
passed by the house OF representatives.
IL becomes my duty 10 call your atten-
tion to the congested condition OF the
city hall. Completed i'm 1878. IL was then
supposed 10 be sufficiently commodious
to meet all the needs OF the city for
80 years, to come. or even more: but
the needs of the departments for room,
caused bv the natural increase of the
city's population. and by acquisition Of
adjoining districts. ard by the creation
OF new departments. have become so
augme ented that some OF the depart
ments are now working under manifest
difficulties. | refer especially 60 the Of
ward condition OF this department has
been referred to a joint special COM
mittee. which will soon report thereon.
The recorder OF deeds informs me that
some of the very important records are
in a lamentable condition. There are
about 20 OF the old deed books con-
tanning land records for the greater
part Of the 18th century, which are in a
condition which makes IL unfit and un-
safe To expose them TO the public use.
The paper has become brittle with age
and the acids in the inks used have
eaten and rotted the fibre There are
also from II TO ~ books containing rec
ords between the years 1863 and 1867. in
which the writing has become very
faint. and. i'm some cases, almost illegi-
ble-a result OF the poor quality Of ink
used. The copying Of these records is
an absolute necessity and should be
begun, az once. As IL cannot be done by
the regular force in the Office. | recon-
mend that the recordc" be authorized
to employ such temporary assistance
as may be necessary.
ORDINANCES.
The ordinances of this city have not
been revised since the year 1887. and
scattered as they are through pam
phlet after pamphlet. present a formid-
able task TO one who wishes to know
anything i'm relation 10 them. 1t is
time that they were again revised.
MANY OF them have become inopera-
tive. owing TO their temporary applica-
ton. and the dead wood is almost as
great in bulk as that which is still oper-
atiVe and in effect. II should be sorted
out az once and thrown away, and the
rest properly colated.
This leads me to suggest that future
action by tho city council should be by
resolution rather than by ordinance. i'm
all cases wherever il Is possible. and
especially where the time within which
the action is to continue is limited.
would recommend that the mayor be
authorized 20 appoint some suitable
person to undertake the revision of the
ordinances, at reasonable a price as
possible. l believe that one qualified
man would do better work. and at less
expense TO the city. than a commission
appointed for that purpose.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The relations between the city coun-
ell and the school committee have. dur
ing the year. been somewhat perplex-
ing and have resulted i'm state of ar
fairs which is to be regretted From
year To year. of late the school COM
mittee has continued 20 expend more
money than th city council has felt