Evening journal., 1907-04-04

suit and am pleased 20 believe that tn S
department is now In q better position
with the cooperation Of City Council
to do effective work than 1t has been
for many years.
During my term II service every
nerve has been strained TO make each
dollar so as far as possible and not-
iw.thstanding the board has been un-
able. for lack OF funds, TO properly
equip itself for effectve aud economical
work Yet the work that has been
done has be-n less per capiIa than any
other city which we have knowledge,
and tins speaNs volumes for the
splendid cooperation II the working
force Of the apartment
Atout four years ago the department
purchased eight wagons ana embarked
In the ash gathering business On its
own account, hiring horses for this
purpose. The resuls was money
enough raised the frst year to pay
for the OUTFIT besides giving the city
the best service 1t ever had. This is
bat an evidence of what cou,d be done
in other lines il the department had
had the means TO carry them into ef-
feet.
as ether work. has growa tremendous
~ since we undertook the removal. and
the department needs nearly double the
number OF carts now owned to do the
work IN the four days allotted to it, yet
Il has not been lble at any time to
make the purchase. / would like to
give la figures some idet of the strug-
gle that this department has main
tanned for years m AN endeavor to meet
pas best It could the necessities Of the
situation.
The department was organized in
1887. with an annual appropriation Of
$4,000. With other revenues that were
afterward taken from it, the lighting of
the city was not Included in the ex-
! penses Of the department al that time.
Within two years it was found that this
sum was insufiicieat. and st the legis-
lative session or 1889 the appropriation
was increased to $4,000 with a provi-
sion Of annual Increase Of per cent
this continued untn the amount reach-
ed above S13SOO0. Then, as a gentle-
man expressed il to rie not long since
! the department surrender I'd its birth
right for a mess of pottase.
1T then agreed to reduce and fix its
! annual appropriation at 100000 in con-
/ sideration that it lbe given permission
to negotiate a large loan, and the am
nual appropriation has remained at
! that amount ever since
Now what has been the advances TO-,
and in the other departments, and the
city itself during this time. In the
first place the city's population has In
creased about 10000 or about so per
cent; the tax budget S2i0000 A per
! cent; Water Department receipts, S6
per cent; Police Department expenses,
81 per cent Board Of Education ex-
/ penses, Sc per cent; Itoard Of Health,
100 per cont; Park Commission, from
$1,000 to $4,000
you WI readily see from these
figures the increase in the city's re-
ceipts and to each department OF the
city mentioned, which runs from A per
cent to the city to 1900 per cent to the
Park Commission. Now what of the
Street and Sewer Department? Whose
work has necessarily expanded and in
| creased more than any other depart
ment of the city? What advance has
this department received to assist it
I'm meeting the increased and imperious
demands made upon It's resources2
answer. nothing but the criticism Of
the public. ana. yes, the press to stimu-
late ii to do a dollars worth OF work
for every fifty cents placed ct its dis
posal. And. then again, condemned in
hlting terms when 1t sees the necessity
Of ovWpowering to some extent its APP
preparation i'm crder TO not stand
squarely across the city's progress and
development, there criticisms have
fallen upon me personally, as the lash
ing of horse with an impossible load
IT looked forward at FIRST, after my
appointment. and counted the years
that lay between that tilno and this
AS the years Went by I began to count
the months. then the weeks and finally
the days that led up to the time wher
/ should lay down the burden Of this
work. and but Few school boys evei
approached their graduating day with
more genuine pleasure than ! hailed
the coming of this day During th'
existence Of this department the ares
OF the city has increased 13 per cent
miles OF streets, 20 per cent; miles OF
paved streets to care for 100 per cent
miles OF sewers since 1895, 100 per cent
cost Of cleaning streets since 1894, 12
per cent; cost cf removing ashes since
1894. 27 per cent; cost of cleaning sew
ers since 1894, 149 per cent; cost o.
lamps and lighting since 1894, 81 Pc
. cent. cost cf street repairs since 1894
II per cent: cost Of salaries since 1894
lO6 per cent; cost OF street sprinllin'
i since 1894. 462 per cent. To which add
, sewer repairs, AN irregular item, but
OF course, very much increased ou
2 former figures.
, The only decrease that we are abb
. to find in any calculation that we ar
) able to make is in the appropriation
! to this board, which, not withstandinl
. the very large increase to all other de-
= partments. and the very large increas
= in the work and labor Of this. its an
, nual appropriation has been decrease
3 2g per cent. These conditions make m
feel warranted IN speaking Of thes
J. matters with the earnestness that
@ do. Could there be a greater absurdt
h than to expect il to meet these demand
S on its appropriation2
eThe assessed valuation Of the rea
l estate OF the city has increased $4,000,
O0O every dollar Of which has increas
q ed the burden Of this department. with
/ out adding a dollar to its treasury. Tn
4 building interest has suffered NOR
b than amy other from the lack of fund
r. In this department to accommodate
|. and It is the one source from whic
the city depends almost entirely for II
- revenue