Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1903-05-08

ployed to represent the city's
interest in the trial of the two
actions now pending in the Circuit
Court. In pursuing a steady and
answering course to the end that
the town may be supplied with an
abundance Of wholesome mountain
water, the Council is obeying the
will of the people as clearly ex-
pressed in two elections, and no
thought OF rest should be entertained
by this body until the proposed
plans are carried cut and the water
| plant becomes actual reality.
In the work of carrying out this
great and much needed improve
ment, the city officers will have the
hearty approval and loyal support
of large majority of the citizens
of Dallas.
STREET IMPROVEMENT.
Much work is needed in the way
of street improvement, and the
Committee on Streets should give
the same their immediateattention.
A number of the side streets that
have never been improved in any
manner should be brought to the
proper grade and thoroughly gravel
ed, and some of our main travelled
thoroughfares are in need of repair
Many sidewalks in the city are also
in state of dilapidation, and
should be placed in a safe condition
at once. When a sidewalk with
missing or broken board is found,
the owner or occupant of the
premises should be required to re-
place the same withoutdelay. The
Street Commissioner should make
frequent inspections Of all walks in
the city, and see that the same are
kept in good repair. By exercising
a careful supervision over all side
walksand crosswalks, the possibility
of damage suits for broken or
fractured limbs will be reduced to
the minimum.
The gravel taken from the bed Of
LaCreole Greek is not of the best
quality for street work, and soon
wears out when placed on the
streets where traffic is heavy. How
ever, it will be necessary to use
this gravel until better quality is
found, or until such time as the
city shall be able to purchase a
rock-crusher. 1t might be we'll for
the Street Commissioner and the
Committee on Streets to try the
experiment OF screening this gravel,
in order to free it from all dirt,
trash and sediment before placing
it on the streets. The cost OF
handling it in this way would be
slightly greater than at present,
but the increased lasting qualities
of screened gravel over the mixture
now in use would doubtless more
than pay for the extra labor and |
money expended in preparing 1t
for use.
CITY ORDINANCES.
The general ordinances of the
city were revised by the Council
two years ago, and so thoroughly |
was the work done that but few
new laws have since been found |
necessary, and no change Of i'm
portance has been made in the laws
placed upon the city statute books
at that time. Prior to the time
this work was done, the ordinances
of the city were for the greater part
in an unsatisfactory condition.
Many Of them were loosely drawn
and carelessly worded; in some
instances two ordinances covering
the same ground were to be found,
both having the same object in
view and yet differing widely as to
the method to be pursued in attain
ing the desired result; in some cases
the ordinances were in direct con-
fict with the charter, and numerous
crimes against the peace and good !
order of the city could not be
reached at all. The ordinance COM
mittee, under the direction Of the
Council and aided by the City !
Attorney, spent several months in
revising the ordinances, retaining
what they considered good, cutting
out all that were lame or objection
able, and formulating new laws
where necessity seemed to require.
The numerous criminal ordinances
were gathered together, revised,
amended, and placed in one ordi-
nance; the nuisance ordinances in
another; the license ordinances in
another, and so on down the line,
thus cutting down the number Of
laws nearly or quite one-half, The
new and amended general laws
were recorded in a book furnished
to the Auditor for that purpose,
and are kept entirely separate and
apart from the special sidewalk
and street improvement ordinances,
and in their present shape are con-
venient for reference. would
recommend that each new member
of the Council give these ordinances
careful reading in order that be
may become thoroughly familiar
with the laws under which the city
is working.
While these ordinances would be
much more accessible and con-
venient for reference if printed in
book form, l would not advise that
they be ordered printed at this
time, as the demand for such publi-