The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1904-08-19
CITY OFFICIALS
ON DEFENSIVE
ANSWER OBJECTIONS MADE by THE RAINIER
HEIGHTS PEOPLE TO CONSTRUCTION OF n
TRUNK SEWER IN FIRST VALLEY DISTRICT

Knotty questions az 20 the mode
Of assessment for the construction
OF the big Rainier avenue trunk
sewer will be discussed aEain nt the
special meeting 20 ho held IN oft
mana hall tonight by the Rainier
1 Heights Improvement club. The tax
/ payers. who will be Assessed fot the
$500 GOO Improvement are thorough
| ~ aroused over the matter Most
Of them think that a rank injustice
/ is being done them and Il Is likely
| that the hall Will be filled to over
Z flowing
The resolution ordering the work
| has already been passed BY the
council. the members ~ which. since
Corporation Counsel Gillian Ia.
formed them that the method ~
arfeaament proposed by CITY Engi.
uccr Thomson was legal. are gen
orally ia favor of seeing the i'm.
[ proEoment 60 ahead Councilman
/ Johnston 81 the Second ward stated
[ yesterday that ho Vas IN favor ~
| Il. although he aideHtcpped the re-
[ apouaibility Of introducing the reaos
Z luton In its present shape.
{ lie shifted that act off upon the
shoulders OF City Engineer Thorn.
son.
The sewer IA necessity" be
said. "and want 10 see tie con
atuetiun begun az soon as possible
I The drainage facilities In the ltai-
ulcr avenue valley are nov abomin.
able Tho district Il rapidly gain.
ina In population. and unless a
sewer is quickly built there Is liable
T. be an epidemic Of typhoid among
I it. residents
"Thc people out there have been
trying % get the sewer Tor years
and ! Do not Ike to see ttH con
atruetiuu blocked nov BY a little
matter when tta completion appears
/ T. be ~ nearly a certainty
I The mode Of assessment pro-
I posed brlicxr Ia be iuat All prop.
/ efty aassaaed fof the trunk sewer.
/ even to the farthsHt limits % the az.
| afaamruf district az Aloha street on
I tho north aud broadway on the east
I Niii be benefited A trunk sewer ~
/ five or niE feet ia diameter ia ahno
l lutrlY required 10 remove the sew
age from the whole district
The Lane street and Twelfth av-
enue sewers are n0w inadequate
and must be relieved Ia rainy
weather the sewage ia forced 40
through the mhuholca in the streets
When the nse trunk o. constructed
these sewers uili b. given a suitable
outlet The city furnished SO 900
cut u the general fund for the tn.
urovemsnt and consider that quite
liberal"
Chairman Mullen % the streets
committee said that politics and
agitation BY Former Councilman =.
n Mnidaau. who o. affected By the
. nj ruYrmfut. are the chief causes
Of all The trouble
Those people had better stop
talking politics and talk bnaIueas.
b said They have been making
a big hue and cry. but not one %
them has taken the trouble b come
up here "a the engineers office and
talk over the plans Ia q business
way While Mr. kiaflcr Waa ruan.
I Gilman FROM the Second ward. be
made repeated attempts 90 secure
the construction - the sewer. bat
failed.
I am not particularly Interested
iE the matter but / would lac 20
aes the Improvement made. have
been attacked for speaking In favor
a. it. whsn / did 30 only because
! thought would b. helping other
/ cnuueIimen Hhu represent the dis
tfict affected b. the Improvement
ia doing q good work
Z 4 DO not believe that those peo-
PIE ont there know a good thluE
vheu thsY see o. The finance com
mites has already offered 20 let 50
ta0o9g out 81 the general fund for
the improvement aud ! think that
Is vefY liberal. II advantage IL not
/ taken of &c pretty soon. IL u liable
I o. be discovered that this sum uIil
De- Withdrawn az the time the tar
I levy and reauportioumenf % fund.-
for the coming year is made BY the
I committee iu few weeks
The citY engineers assert that the
claim made - certain ohjoCtora to
the proposition that the city Off
ciala are trying % establish new
precedent uf TAXING certain districts
for the construction q trunk sew
cra. instead ~ the general fund. is
not true They say that several
trunk sewers have recently been
constructed without drawing on the
general fund
The big sewerage system a.
Brooklyn nov under construction
vas 80 necessary that the cltY con.
uentcd 30 give g. 600 out Of the gen
oral fund for ita construction be-
cause the limit 81 assessment 81 the
property affected was ~ small that
it could not have been built with
out the cttya aid.
They claim that other sewer syH-
TENS. which though not as large az
the proposed Rainier avenue sYa-
tenn are strictly trunk sewers mover
thelcaa. have been built With little
o. no aid from the general fund
They point % the recently complet-
ed brick trunk, measuring 90 by 30
inches on Twenty third avenue, the
Ewing street. the Lake Dell. the
Madruua HeirhtH. the East Denny
way. the East Pine street. the -Four
tenth avenue. and the Twelfth ave.