The age-herald., 1901-04-04

The total cash receipts from nnes ana fees collected was $22,167.
 l The working force employed on streets and elsewhere have averaged from seven- 1 ty-five to one hundred per day. When sufficient prison accommodations have been provided, the Inferior Court warranted in imposing fines commensur- | ate with the offense and the Mayor per I mitted to use his discretion in remitting fines, then the intent of the law may be carried out, and, under the continuance of its present management, this depart ment will cease to be an expense to the city.
 City Prison.
 The enlargement of our city jail has been pressing necessity of several years standing on account of its overcrowded condition. as well as its poor sanitary ar engagements
 l Plans were matured for the reconstruc- ton of the Northside prison, near the l corner of Fourth avenue and Nineteenth street, but since conditions could not De made to wal. for the completion Of this work, the wisdom of the board in emov- 1 ing the able bodied prisoners who are capable of hard labor to the Southside market-house has been fully sustained
 This temporary prison affords ample | quarters for that class of prisoners ieaV- | ing those who were sick and unable 10 
 The plans under consideration provide l for a general remodeing of this last named building, involving the addition or one story with forty-four new cells, and | for this purpose you have estimated ana set aside the sum of $1S,O00 l My subsequent reflections over this mat ter have, however, led me to doubt ehe wisdom of expending such an outlay In a locality that the near future may prove | totally unsuited if not positively ob1ec- tionable for prison purposes.
 In lieu of this plan I urge you to con slider carefully the advisability to convert ing the Southside market into a perma- nent prison in which should be kept the street sprinklers and sweeping macnlnes' l convenient to the center of the city where they would be in daily use, and or making only such improvements in the Northside prison as its sanitary condi- ton requires. This project would, of course, compel vou to provide other quarters TOT the | Sou+bsida Are station I should say In the uejqhborhood of avenue or $, as near Twentieth street as could be eco- nomically located. A large part of the appropriation or s1S OO0 according to this plan, not neeoed on the prison structures, could be diVert- ed to this new fire station.
 Lights.
 Since my last annual report to you our contract with the Consolidated Eiectric Light Company has expired. new con- tract with the same company was Hiaue and entered into on the 2d day or August last. for period of ten years, with cer- tain revision of terms at the expiration | of five years.
 Under the former contract the city pald for lighting it's streets at the rate ol sloo per annum for the first loo arc hshts ol 20OO candle power, and at the rate or sloz per annum for each light in excess or that | number. .,
 Under the new contract the Consoll- dated Electric Light Company agrees to furnish to the city all the arc lights IL | may use of 2000 candle power at cost per | light of $50 Der annum.
 This contract has now been in Dorce four months. During it's operation we are able to make the following comparison with the terms and conditions or the oio contract: In 1s99 with IF lights, the cost was SIS, ,954; we now have 2l5 lights Whlcn have cost $17,2OO. Even with the addition of 36 lights, it will be seen that the new contract has cost the clty slio4 less thSh' the previous year.
 The new contract further stipulates that all lights shall be placed by the Con- solidated Electric Light Company as di- rected by the Board of Mayor and Al dermen.
 It is well known that light suspend ed over the center of intersectlng streets will light more than double the area than a light placed on. the corner of the street For this reason we should insist on the susnended light, and after a reasonable allowance of time for making the change, the light committee should be instructed not to accept or pay for any lights unless placed as directed by this board
 Fire Department.
 The fire department as at present con- stituted consists of one chief, one inspec- tor of buildings, rec foremen and twen- ty-six firemen.
 The total cost of maintainance and equipment for the past year was s3o, 'Ss. This does not include the rent of fire hy- drants. With only 252 hydrants in use this item alone amounts to $12,953. bringing the total cost of the department to $4S,- TAI.
 During the past year there were turned in and responded to PAS fire alarms.
 The total cost of property destroyed was S130,4 This amount is far in excess of any previous year with the single ex- seption of 1894, when the Caldwell Hotel and adjacent buildings were destroyed, carrying the total for that year to $780,, S75
 
 neither in 1894 nor in 1900, when the losses were so great, should such losses be at tributed to their inability to cope with the conflagrations as subsequent investi- gations conclusively demonstrated that these great losses were due to insufficient water pressure at the particular times and places to-wit the Caldwell Hotel in 1894 and the Metropolitan Hotel and Hew- lett block in 1900
 There has been made during the past year number of improvements, the most important of which was the installation of new station on the South Highlands. The cost of equipping and maintaining this new station since May 1, 1900 was s330O
 This equipment consists of one steam CT, one hose wagon. four horses and nine men. and will in my opinion, furnish am- pie fire protection for that portion of the city and has secured for them a lower rate of insurance
 Indications point to an early agreement with the Southeastern Tariff Association, whereby this city will be placed on what is termed by the association, a frst-class insurance basis.
 When the improvements in contempla- ton have been completed, they will eeffct a saving of more than s20.0O0 annually in rates and afford ample protection to all parts of the city.
 Streets.
 By reference to the report of the street commissioner 1t will readily be seen what that department possesses and what fa- cilties are at its command for discharg-