The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-12
M|SS0ULA CITY PRIN TING
Will Be Done This Year for AL
most Nothing.
HIGGINS AVENUE PAVING
The Larger Owners of Real Estate Are
in Favor of lit Is a Popular
Demand - The Clerk
Quit Talking.

2lSSould, May ll.-MiSSOuld Is Gull
stantly producing some novelty or an
other in the way of municipal govern
ment, and she this spring produced one
which will make her the envy of the
other cities of the state, but which will
establish a precedent that will not be
popular with the printers of Montana.
Missoula will, for the present munich
pal year, have her public printing done
for practically nothing. The bid of the
Democrat Messenger, which was sue
cessful at the meeting of the city coun-
Gil last night, has among its principal
items the printing of official notices,
the publication of ordinances and the
publishing of the proceedings of the
council. All of these items are to be
performed by the successful bidder for
the sum of nothing. AS these items
constitute the bulk Of the work that
will be required of the city printer this
year, the city will not have a very big
printing bill to pay Some of the alder
men tried hard to see that one of the
other bids was lower than that of the
Democrat Messenger, but they tried in
vain. Those big ciphers at the end of
these leading items could not be over
democratic paper received the contract
from the hands of the republican coun-
Gil. 1t looks like more 'perfdity," but
those items for nothing could not be
overlooked.
Alderman Gibson of the street COM
mittee of the council is carrying out the
instructions given by the mayor at the
first meeting of the new administration.
He is securing an expression of opinion
from the property owners along Hig-
gins avenue with regard to paving the
avenue. He has not been at the work
very long, but he is getting the EXPIRES
sion that he sought for, and it sub
stimulates the statements that have
been made by the Standard during the
discussion of this question this spring.
Most of the larger owners of Higgins
avenue real estate are unqualihedly in
favor of paving. Others are not in
favor of paving, but want the street
graded and cutters put in all along, so
that there will be no pools of water in
the street at any time. If the paving
can not be secured the latter PROPOSE
ton will be very acceptable. 1t will
make the avenue clean street, and
will put an end to the annual period of
spring navigation on the avenue that
has caused so much complaint. BY the
time of the next meeting Of the council
Alderman Gibson and his committee
will have the matter so arranged that
they will be able to make intelligent re-
port upon the proposition. There is no
longer any doubt that there will be
some permanent improvements made
in the avenue that will satisfy the pop
ular demand.
City Clerk Hughes, during the recess
of the council meeting last night, I'M
dertook to make an explanation re-
gardng one Of the appointments that
was when the aldermen We're discuss
ing the matter of the appointment of
fire driver and Mr.. Hughes said that
he knew that the driver who had re-
signed only applied for the position in
order to keep out two other applicants
who seemed likely to get it. When he
had secured the position it would be in
order for him to resign in favor of
somebody other than these two. THE
mayor checked the clerk in his ex
PLANTATION with the remark that he
should not make public these little po-
litical matters. The clerk valid that it
was all over now, but one of the alder
men reminded him that there is another
election coming one of these days
Then the clerk did quit talking.
The city streets are receiving a more
thorough cleaning this spring than
they have for a long time. The chain
gang is active, and the cutters are be-
ing cleaned Of the refuse that has col
lectea there during the winter. The
loose stones are also being removed
from the streets and the improvement
where this work has been done is re-
markable. There are not as many as
there were few weeks ago who say
that the city does not need cleaning.
Your Uncle Rufe is making a record
for himself this year
If the meeting Monday night is any
criterion the sessions Of the new council
will be longer than those of its prede-
cessor. Possibly when the aldermen
get used to their jobs they will not
want to talk so much, but they GER
tainly like to do it now. Alderman Lo-
| gan had his first experience at time
| killing last night when he asked that
| the bids for city printing be read al
length for the benefit of the council
! after the contract committee had wadeG
through the long list of figures Before
| the reading had been finished. the al
derman from the First ward said that
| he had enough. He confessed that the
| remark made by one of his associates
! of long experience was correct, wher
| he said that the more you hear rea6
the less you'll know about it.
There was pleasant expression o.
| friendly feeling al the meetirE; las
| night. 1t came out of the discussion O
the placing of lights at the railway
crossings by the Northern Pacific. AL
derman HerzOg arose to correct the
! statement that trcse lights had no
been placed. He said tina. they haC
been placed satisfactorily, and that thu
people Of the Fourth ward are all zouc
in their expressions of appreciation o.
the Observing disposition If Guparin
tender Russell in this particular. Al
deIman May also Of the Fourth ward
arose to second the EXPIRE sSion on thu