Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-08-14

Mayor Nc Saskrin Brings Matte,
Before Council in a
Message.
REFERRED TOTHE Committee
Alderman Sherwood Stirs Up Question
of Free Bridges-Pass Second
Sidewalk Ordinance.

AT the meeting of the city council
last evening Mayor McCaskrin, in a
message, called the attention of
that body to the track conditions in
the west end of the city, but unfortun-
ately went out of the way somewhat
TO single out the D., r. |. & NJ w. as
an object of attack, while in reality the
Rock Island is the one that
is accused of tying up the
situation there. Mayor McCask-
rim spoke of the fact that there are
many places in the western part of the
city where streets have been vacated
to allow railways to lay sidings and
switches, and that now many of these
switches and sidings are not required
for the purposes for which they were or
!ginally granted, and are maintained
only to give the railways track rights
to the exclusion of other roads. This
condition he rightly termed, as did the
Rock Island club and the Retail Mer-
chants association at the recent joint
meeting, a menace to the cityS indus
trial development In referring par
ticularly to the D., r. |. & n. W., Mayor
McCaSkrin raised an objection to the
Crescent bridge, and the fact that the
d.. r. l. & n. w. and its lessees, the
Burlington and Milwaukee, alone use
this bridge.
The object of the mayors message
was approved by the aldermen, though,
as Alderman Anderson stated, the
council does not care TO take the mat
ter up in way that will show ill feel
ing against any particular railway. The
message was referred to the street and
alley committee. to report.
For Free Bridges.
The question of making the Rock
river bridges free will be again in
vestigated by the council, at is was
brought up last evening by Alderman
Sherwood, who moved that the mayor
be instructed to appoint a special COM
mittee to look up the proposition, and
to instruct the city attorney to make a
report on the matter. In this connection
Alderman Sherwood suggested that it
would be well for the city to take up
the matter of street car fares from Dav
export to Rock Island, holding that the
present system, under which no trans |
fers are issued and the cost of going
from the residence district of one city |
to the residence district of the other is |
Is cents. is an injustice. He suggested
this matter as something that will be |
presented TO the council later
Raise PeddIers, License.
So many complaints have been made
by the local merchants against the itin
Grant statesmen and peddlers. that May |
e e-t,lN
ject last evening suggested complete |
revision of the ordinance fixing the Ii
cense fee for this class of dealers. and |
making a license fee of S25 a day for
and fortune tellerS. The |
increase in the fees for all |
classes of itinerant statesmen is so per
cent in most cases, and in a few par
ticular instances 100 per cent. The
matter was referred TO the license and |
markets and ordinance committees, and
the city attorney. with instructions to
bring in an ordinance covering the
of the mayor.
Alderman Anderson called attention
to the ordinance declaring stray ami
mails a nuisance, and suggested an
to include chickens, ducks,
and other fowl in the list. The matter
was referred to the committee to re-
port.
Pass Sidewalk Ordinance.
The Second ward sidewalk ordin-
ance, providing for the construction of
nearly six miles of concrete walks, at
an estimated cost of $23, 392.50, was
presented by Alderman Lawler, and
was adopted by unanimous vote.
The report of the fire and light COM
mittee, recommending the purchase OF
500 feet of hose from the Eureka Fire
Hose company, at 65 cents per foot.
and 500 feet from the New York Belt
ng & Packing company, at 7012 cents
Der foot, was adopted, and the mayor
md city clerk instructed to enter into
contract with the two companies for
he hose
The city clerk was instructed to ask
or bids for a new tin shingled roof on
he city scale building on Market
square. The roof is in bad condition.
A message of the mayor recommend
ing the purchase of $4,000 worth OF
additional water mains to be paid for
,o,+ x,aar xyoq refarrpd to the water