The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-03-15
ORDINANCE MAY
BE REPEALED
FOR PAVING CASTOR STREET.
THIS WOULD END CASE IN UNITED
STATES COURT.

No Agreement rs to Pavement Can
Be Reached Between City and
Property Owners-RepeaI of old
Ordinance Would simply End the
Case in Court and Leave street in
Its Present Bad ConditiOn-CaSe
Set for Thursday and Council
Meets Wednesday Night.
An effort will doubtless be made at
the meeting of Council Wednesday
night to repeal the CASTOR street paw
ing ordinance, which brought about
the disagreement between the city and
the property owners on the street.
Should the ordinance be repealed the
injunction proceedings now pending in
the United States court against the
city will of course be dismissed, as
the injunction sought is to prevent
the paving of the street with vitrifed
brick, as the ordinance provides.
The owners and the city appear as
far from a settlement of their differ
ences now as ever, though the case
may be taken out of the court at once.
The special committee from Council,
of which Alderman Oliver is chairman,
has come to no agreement with the
property owners. For a time it was
thought an agreement would certain
ly be reached, and that asphalt would
be selected as the paving for the
street. Even if this had been done,
the report of the committee to Coun-
Gil would have been fought, as at
least two of the aldermen are very
much opposed to consenting to the
asphalt pavement.
No Recent Conferences.
No conference between the special
committee and the representatives of
the property owners has been held for
some time. At the last meeting, aft
er the matter was gone over thor
oughly, the chairman of the committee
| suggested that the city would probably
agree to paving the street with as
phalt If all the property owners would
join in requesting it. The committee
| had determined to report favorably on
the asphalt, if the owners asked for
it unanimously.
Before the owners again approached
the committee it was learned that the
report on the asphalt would be OPP
posed in Council. Since then nego-
| tiations have been off. If the own
| ers and the special committee should
agree now, 1t is doubtful If the COM
mittees report would be adopted. To
pass any paving ordinance, it is neces-
sary to have a two-thirds vote of
the entire Board of Aldermen.
Case Comes Up Thursday.
The case now pending before Judge
| Speer was postponed until next Thurs
| day, it being thought that an agree
ment would be reached by then. Coun-
ell, however, without deciding on a
pavement, may get rid of the case in
court by simply repeating the ordinance
| providing for the brick. The street
will then be left just as it is. until an
other ordinance is passed and carried
into effect
| 1t is probable that this action will be
| taken. The case, which has been pend
ing for some time, would be disposed of
and no pavement would be decided
upon. This would leave the matter just
where it stood before the ordinance
was passed.
Mayor Is Rather Doubtful.
Council could then wait until Pc
| titioned before passing any other
paving ordinance. Mayor Myers said
yesterday that he did not know what
| would be done in the matter. Alder
man Oliver was also doubtful as to the
| outcome. He would have no report to
make, he said, unless he should hear
| from the owners before the Wednesday
night meeting. A report from Mr..
| Oliver, however, would not simplify
matters as it is known the only report
his committee could make would be for
asphalt, and such a report would bring
on fight in Council.
The probable solution will be the re-
peal of the ordinance, that the owners
are fighting. Such an action would
leave the street, as it is now, in a very
| bad condition and without any pro-
vision for a pavement, but a new
paving ordinance could be passed as
soon as 1t was learned what all the
owners would consent to-