The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-31
MAYOR OPPOSED IT
WENT ON RECORD ABOUT THE
NORWOOD LAND DEAL.
THOUGHT PRICE TOO HIGH.
MADE A TALK TO COUNCIL BEFORE
MEETING ADJOURNED.

Gave Reasons why He Thinks the
City should Not Pay So Much for
the Lands-They Are Waste, ana
So Far Removed From the Grow
ing Section as Not to Be Worth the
Price Asked-Great Deal of Land
VIII Be Needed for Opening
Streets, and Precedent should Not
Re EstabIished-AIderm Dixon
Joined Issue With the Mayor on
Matters of CoIIinsviIIe Lands.
A lively discussion between Mayor
Myers and Chairman of Council Dixon,
proved the finale of Council meeting
last night. The subject was the Nor
wood land DEAL an account of which
appeared in the Morning News yester-
day.
A motion to take a recess subject
to the call of the chair had been made,
when Mayor Myers arose and said that
at the last meeting of Council an or
dinance for the purchase of certain
lands southwest of the city from
Judge Thomas NJ. Norwood had been
passed. In the ordinance there was a
technical error, which authorized the
Streets and Lanes Committee to close
the trade, when, properly, authority
should have been given the Committee
on City Lots.
On having discovered the error, the
Mayor said, he looked further into the
proposed transaction and reached the
conclusion that the price asked for the
lands is too hight. A little less than
s cents a square foot, he said, had been
asked, and the aggregate would bring
at that price, about $20,400-more
money than the city could afford to
pay and more than it should be called
upon to pay for lands so remote from
the growing sections.
AS Council was meditating taking
in quite a considerable extent of new
territory, the Mayor said that he would
advise that ii consider carefully the
question of closing the deal for sc
large an amount. On other sides are
lands through which streets will have
to be opened, and, if such prices are to
be paid, the Mayor said, an estimate
would show that, it will cost DOC
TO obtain the lands for the streets.
The opening of the streets through
the Norwood tract, the Mayor said,
would enhance its value, and that
should serve as a consideration to keep
down the price. He had paid the tract
visit during the afternoon, and found
but waste lands. He thinks the city
should buy the lands, but that the
price should be reduced. Because the
matter has to go from the Copmittee
on City Lots, by which it has been
considered, to the Streets and Lanes
Committee, the Mayor said it would
be entirely new business, and that the
latter committee was, therefore, al
liberty to go again into the question
of figures. He urged that the commit
tee consider it thoroughly before
reaching a conclusion. He made the
point that, If lands so distant from
Bull street were held at such price
the price, as Bull street was neared,
would be much higher. He urged that
no such precedent as the purchase OF
lands at such price be established.
The Mayor here brought up the mat
ter of compensation for lands that the
city had secured for opening streets in
Collinsville, but Alderman Dixon inter
rupted him by saying that he could
not take that case as criterion. There
was then a spirited controversy be-
tween them. the alderman telling the
Mayor he was in error upon one ques-
ton connected with the Collinsville
zeal, anu TeI6TTlnB II 10 MI.
dolph Anderson, who was present. Mr..
Anderson is interested in the Ogle-
thorpe Investment Company, from
which the Collinsville lands were Sc
cured, and he confirmed Alderman Dix
on's statements as to the acquisition
OF lands through the granting of street
railway franchises within the city linn
its. The alderman said that further
claim of the company upon the city
was a moral. and not a legal, one.
Alderman Bacon here asked why the
Mayor was speaking upon the question
of the Norwood tract, to which the
Mayor replied that it was because he
wanted TO put himself on record as
opposed to the purchase of the land at
such a price. ''It is an important mat
ter" he said, Alderman Dixon acqui-
escing in that statement, land should
not be passed upon without mature
elaboration. 1t is out of the hands
of Council, having gone to the Streets
and Lanes Committee by ordinance to
be settled. l do not think the oitys
money should be expended in such a
sum without more adequate return"
The Mayor then resumed his seat
and the motion to take recess pre-
vailed.
A conference upon the matter of the
Norwood deal was held during the day
at the City Exchange, but no conclu-
sion was reached. There were two
members of the Streets and Lanes
Committee who said they wanted to
visit the tract before making up their
minds as TO its value.
s-o~-