Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-11-20
STRA|GHTER STREETS
Better Uniformity to Be Demand
ed by Rock Island
Council.
GRADES AND WIDTHS
An Amendment to Ordinances
Relating to SaIoons.-
Other Matters.

The semi-monthly meeting Of the
city council was held last night.
Uniformity in width and grades of
streets is hereafter to be demanded by
the city council. In accepting plats
of new additions these features have
in many instances been overlooked
and the consequence is crooked and
for adoption by the council without any
guarantee when the ground is plated
it will be provided with streets that
will conform in width to those on
either side of it. As TO the matter of
grades, it is possible that shortly the
city engineer will be ordered to estab-
liSh bench marks in all of the outly-
ing additions and require property
owners to meet the grades so fixed.
An amendment to the city ordi-
nances was offered providing that APP
plications for saloon licenses shall be
accompanied by petition signed by
at least two-thirds of the freeholders
in the block where the place desig-
mated in the application is located
praying that such license be issued
holders shall be the owners OF at
least one-half the property frontage
in the said block. The amendment
was referred to the ordinance COM
mittee.
The council, on recommendation of
the claims committee, denied the pc
tition of George Montgomery for the
trans fer to him of five dairy licenses
held in the name of the late Rock
Island Purified Milk company.
More Powers to Fire Chief.
An ordinance was adopted vesting
the chief of the fire department with
authority to prevent the dangerous
construction and condition of CHM
neys. boilers and apparatus used in
buildings, and to cause the same to be
removed or placed in safe condi-
ton; to regulate and prevent the car
rying on of manufactures dangerous
in causing or promoting fires; to pre-
vent the deposit of ashes in unsafe
places, and to cause ill such build
ings and Enclosures to be put in safe
condition. Any person resisting the
chief in the exercise of these duties
shall be guilty Of misdemeinor, and
upon conviction be fined not less than
SO nor more than S25
Aid. Anderson took occasion to
b ue-pencil portions of an ordinance
for the protection of city pavements.
The measure was drawn up to insure
the safe and proper refilling OF, alLex-
cavatious made for plum bling, etc.
Aid. Anderson said the language in
the ordinance was ambiguous; it was
not explicit enough. Aid. Andrews,
author of the document, was not
pleased with the Seventh ward coun-
cilman's criticism. He confessed the
wording was not of the finest style,
but he said it covered all points,
would serve its purpose just as effec-
lively as if it were of more finished
grammatical construction, and he
thought it was not becoming of
Aid. Anderson to pick to pieces
the work of fellow councilman. An
drews said he had done the best he
could, and if AID. Anderson did not
like the wording of the ordinance he
would not be offended were the
Seventh ward alderman to draw up an
ordinance after his own liking. Fin
ally, it was decided, on motion of
Aid. Gall. to refer the ordinance back |
to the com mittee to be revised.