St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1907-12-13
City Council.

The regular holiday meeting Of
the city council was held in the
council chamber Tuesday evening.
No business was done except to
pass bunch of Io bills aggregat-
ing 1881. 20, which have been hang
ing fire since the holiday season
started and returning the bill Of
ID. l.. Page for correction. Mr..
Page worked on the city hall dur
ing its construction, did splendid
work for the city, would not stand
for the rottenness of the Youngfer-
doris aud is perhaps the means OF
preventing a slop job of work be-
ing foisted upon the city and by
every sense of right should be paid
in full for every day he worked.
The council is in favor of doing
this, but the trouble is that the
timebook has been taken by some
one of the contractors, presumably
because it contained evidence
which, to say the least, would dis
parage their interests, and 1t is the
only source from which positive
evidence of the exact time Mr..
Page worked and the council APP
pears to be afraid TO pay the bill
without these figures, for fear they
would be censured later by the
citizens. We believe that Mr..
Pages affidavit to the correctness
of the amount should be sufficient
warrant for the payment Of the
BILL and that no sensible citizen
would object to the payment made
OH that basis. II has been a long
time aud Mr.. Page should have
his money.
II was informally determined
that il was the sense of the council
that Philadelphia street should be
improved to the water front, suffi-
cient land be purchased and dock
500 or GOO feet in length erected,
that deep sea-going vessels may
receive and discharge their cargoes
here. and that bonds be voted to
provide the means for SO doing.
OF course this was not an official
decision, but the expression Of each
one OF the aldermen IN the discus
sion.
II goes without saying that this
should be done, and that Il should
be done at once. Every day IL Is
delayed will add TO the expense OF
the proposition by the steady adj
vancement in the value Of the
property concerned. The bonds
may be made payable 40 years
from date IL need be and long be-
fore that time dock of this sort
will have earned sum sufficient
to pay the bonds and not a dollar
need come from the pockets of our
property holders. With such a
dock in St. Johns properly con-
structed millions Of bushels of
wheat and other products from
territory would pass
through this dock instead Of being
handled in Portland. The q. X
* n. would be too glad to bring
this export stuff here over their
line around ST, Johns instead OF
into Portland for export,
thus relieving To that extent the
congestion of business there. Ship
pcrs would much rather have their
products pass this way where vex-
atious delays will be avoided and
the seagoing vessels would take IL
as boon to sail up to our dock |
and take on cargo without the
trouble OF going through all those
drawbridges and making the troub-
lesome passage of Swan Island |
between here aud the city, Every
thing is in favor OF ST. Johns.
Everyone recognizes the favorable
situation for an export dock here.
Once the dock in, you could not
keep the business away IL YOU
would; without the dock nothing
will ever induce even the river
boats or coastwise vessels to land
here. II seems To Us the very
ittermost bounds of business folly
md indifference to permit the
present conditions to hold any
onger
Once this dock is built, others
will be induced to erect other docks
'long the water front until every
Ivailable space will be occupied
With docks and warehouses and the
development OF ST. Johns will re-
Give an impetus that will be ire
istible and her growth will be
in the history of the
cast cities. This is not the ema-
Iation of hot air proposition, but
5 the conclusion Of close study of
he situation, after a knowledge of
What is back of ST, Johns, sup
'orted by the opinions of some OF
he most observing and conserva-
i've business men both here in St.
ohns and in Portland, with whom
&c have conversed on the subject,