The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-04
new CITY HALL
Project Will Not Stand the Test
of Figures.
WOULD EFFECT NO SAVING
The Cost Would Be Much More Than
His Estimates-A Mongrel Affair
at the Best, With the SAVIOR
OF the Stable.

concentrations. The portion of the adj
dress containing them reads as follows:
"At this time I have a few recon-
mendations to make to you. First, I
desire to recommend that the council
look up the advisability of building an
addition to the present fire hall and
city Jail, large enough to accommodate
the city council with a city hall, or
council room, and also several offices
necessary to accommodate the city
treasurer city engineer and city water
clerk, at a cost of about $1,000. This
would be saving in the item of office
rent and with city property exempt, as
1t is, from taxation, the running ex-
penses of the addition mentioned would
be small, the increased expenses of the
same consisting of merely the cost of
heating the building
The rent we are now paying is, l be-
lieve, something over 500 per month
AS you can readily see, then there
would be great saving to the city, if
this addition I have mentioned is built,
and it would be paid for at the present
rate of rent we are paying in about two
years.
Il would also recommend that some
steps be taken to relieve the south side
property from it's present condition in
regard to the surplus water that has at
present tendency to induce an I'M
healthy condition for the inhabitants
on the south side. besides helping to
depreciate the value of the property in
that section of the city,
1t is safe to say that there is no tax
payer, regardless of party, who would
not welcome any economic measure
proposed and carried out by the present
administration. The happy feature of
the administration of the past four
years, outside of it's unquestioned in
tegr1ty, has been it's devotion to the
cutting down of all city expenses, cur
rent and extraordinary. In the past two
years, as the report of the city clerk
Will show, the expenses have been re-
duced by $22,O 900 over the preceding ad-
ministration which, thanks to a demo-
cratic council, was also an economical
administration. Therefore when the
new mayor submits a scheme for fur
Their economy, it is on the one hand en-
titled to respectful consideration and
on the other, it should be subjected to
the closest scrutiny and the application
or ordinary business principles. His
hrst recommendation is not new: 1t has
been considered many times by the
council in the past four years and the
results of such cOnsidera ton are given
below.
Present conditions are simply these:
On Second avenue south the city owns
brick building, two stories high, of
ts11 tD1,
following offices and rooms: On the
first floor a fire hall and stable, the Of
flee of the chief of police, a booking
room and the ground floor of the city
jail; on the second floor are the cells
for female prisoners, a toilet room, the
gallery of police horrors, the police
court room and the sleeping room of
the paid fire department. All of these
rooms and offices are in a shabby
though clean condition, BETTING the
general aspect of the building None of
these rooms could be employed for
other purposes nor are they suitable
for other purposes except possibly the
court room, which would make cheap
looking and insufficient council cham
Der, source of shame to the citizen
and of multifold inconvenience to ev-
cry city officer who might have to oc
cupy room in the building. In addi-
ton to this building the city rents a
council chamber clerks office commit
tee room and a double office for the
city engineer on the second floor of the
Dunn building, centrally located on
Central avenue, place to which the
public has become thoroughly familiar.
More than this, the city rents an office
Tor the treasurer in the townsite build
ing. For all of this it pays a monthly
rent of 500 or yearly rental of s., 200.
The mayor recommends the expendi-
n m f1a
dition to the fire building, making with
that structure which would contain
all of the offices which are now rented
and thereby destroying the rent item
in the clty's expense account At the
very start the proposition encounters an
obstacle. careful study of the an
preparations just made by the council
and a reference to the cash on hand
in the city treasury, as shown by the
annual report, will convince anyone
that such an improvement, if made at
all, would have to be done on wind, for
there is not an unappropriated sum in
the treasury which could be applied to
that purpose. Warrants drawing 6 per
cent. interest would have to be issued
in payment for the work and those
warrants would be discounted, The
work would cost probably 10 per cent,
at least more than an individual pay
ing cash would have to eXpend, The
next obstacle is the impossiblity of
putting up building at that price
would would serve the city for the pur-
pose.
Admitting, however, that the new
mayor Is correct in his estimate of the
cost and that some patriotic or gulllble
citizen could be found to accept the
warrants at their face value, the second
item would be heating plant. At the
lowest 1t could not be put in for less
than $1,000. when the building would
have to be piped in the old part as
we'll as the new. To run that plant a
licensed engineer would be required;
salary, $50 per month, or $3.50 per year
The expense for heat and lights in the
rented offices of the city is now borne
by the owner The fuel to heat the |
mayors building would safely cost 5000 |
year over the above cost. Figuring |
that no fewer lights would be required |
in the offices Of the new building than |
are now used therein, and the number |
is not extraordinary, the new building |