Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-06-19
WATER IS TOO CHEAP.
Aid. Concannon Tells Of Discov.
cry of 800 "Dead-Head"
Connections.
SAYS COMMITTEE Is CONDEMNED
Electric Light Tower Ordered
Down. Other Doings of
the Council.

council meeting be Is mem Der OF
the waterworks committee. the Tri-
City Sprinkling company had COM
munication before the council COM
planning that the new rate of s. o per
year was excessive. and asked for II
conference to seek readjustment. 1t
has been paving $500 per year. 1t
would rather have the council put on
meters. This aroused Aid. Concau-
non. He declared if less charge were
made, the city would not be even re-
imbursed for the cost of pumping the
water used by the company.
The present waterworks commit
tee has been condo nned by the public
more than any other committee in the
history of the Rock Island council,
simply because it has sought TO per-
form its duty honestly aud fearless
ly," declared Aid. Concannon. I'VE
have had placed on the books the
names of 800 people who have been
getting water for nothiOg-stealing
FROM the city-and we are not through
yet. We are going 10 do our duty as
long as we are aldermen, and we ex-
pect the council to sustain our &C
tious, for without the support of the
council a committee is helpless aud
useless. Not member of the COM
mittee expects to be reelected
Aid Concannon called attention to
the fact that the waterworks COM
mittee had been ignored in the
Sprinkling compiny's communion
ton. Aids. Kennedy and Fender
believed the electric sprinkler was a
public benefit. and should receive
more consideration than private con-
sumers.
Aid. Anderson believed the new
rate was reasonable and that the
council should stand behind the COM
mittee.
Aid. Andrews favored increasing
instead of decreasing the rate. An aye
and nay vote being called for by Aid.
Willis on 4 motion of Aid. Kennedy
that the communication be referred
to the street and alley and parks COM
mittee. the motion was lost by vote
of IL 10 2-Kennedy and Fender, Aid.
Freed being absent. The communi-
cation was received and placed on hle.
Increase of Salaries.
An ordinance increasing the salary
of the mem be rs of the fire apartment
in accordance with the recommends
lions made by the fire and light COM
mittee at the preceding meeting was
adopted. The chief shall receive 500
per annum, assistant chief $3.50, cap
tains $40 and fremen 5000 for the
first year of service, and 5000 for each
subsequent year.
Daniel Fleming, Henry .. Prizes and
Griffith Walters, tiIemen at the water
works, asked for an increase in sal
airy. Their communication to the
council was as follows: I'VE. the I'M
dersigned, who are employed as fire.
men In the waterworks of Rock Island,
do hereby petition your honorable
body for an increase of So per month
in our salaries, making the stated
salary for each month $50. In con-
nection with this petition, we would
respectfully submit that the water
works department is the one that is
furnishing the revenue which so
largely contrib to the support of
the fire and police departments of our
city, and as our salary as firemen is
below that of the mem bers of either
we would respectfully
=
On motion of Aid. Kennedy the prayer
was granted by the unanimous vote
of the council. 1t appeared to Aid. |
Concannon the salary increasing idea
was becoming epidemic among city |
employees. He would like to see all
of the employees better paid. but the |
city was not financially able to pay
fancy salaries.
Twenty street sewer is too high |
and does not properly drain buildings. |
The sewer committee is to have an
estimate made of the cost of placing !
the sewer in condition.
The following resolution, offered by |
Aid. Gall, was adopted: That ali |
parties using city water be warned |
that in no instance are contractors |
or other parties engaged in the bust |
ness of erection or construction 10 be !
TO use water from their prem |
Uses, unless they first show a permit |
from the city clerk, as the collector |
of water rents. allowing them to |
do So"
The council is to meet in committee |
of the whole a week from tonight to |
consider the annual appropriation or |
dinance.
An invitation to attend the Moline !
Fourth of July celebration was re-
ceived. AS many of the councilmen |
as can will attend.
The work of replanking the city
bridges over Rock river is progressing. !
Three of the bridges have already |
been repaired
Expressmep's Stand.
ExpresSmen aud hackmen petit
toned the council TO rescind its re-
ent action changing their quarters
from Nineteenth TO Twentieth street,
north of Second avenue. Business
men also sent in a petition support
ing the request There was third
petition from merchants expressing