The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-01-07
WORK COSTLY
Report of Supt. Steinbach Shows
$24,737.I4 Spent Under His
Direction in Eight Months
COUNCIL HELD SHORT SESSION
No Action Will be Taken by the City
in Regard to the Rebuilding of
the Jail Kerr Named as PAY
ing Inspector for Year

The City Council held a quiet and
orderly session at the City Hall on
Monday evening and the work Of the
Council for the fortnight was closed
up in considerably less than two hours
Mayor Scholey was not present at the
meeting and Alderman Pirsch Of the
Firss ward, president of the Council
had ais first chance to show his ability
as presiding officer he made good
and + was largely through his manner
of lsndling the business that the Coun-
ell was able to complete it's work in SO
short a time. There was absolutely
no wrangling and President Pirsch
gave his time to acting as presiding
officer and not once did he leave the
chair to give his opinions on the mat
ter before the Council. The work Of
the president as o. presiding officer
showed up decidedly well to the alder
men who had been accustomed to the
WORE u Tie mayor.
The most important matter to come
before the Council was the annual re
port of Charles Steinbach as superin-
tendent of street work and taking the
figures of superintendent Steinbach
that department cost the city during
the eight months just closed $24, 1911
This of course does not include the
fixed charges Of the street department
nor the amount paid out for larger con
tracts but simply covers the work over
which the superintendent had personal
supe vision.
Iffere were some large items of ex-
pense shown in the report as follows:
For repair Of bridges, $2,52932; for
care Of parks, $4,000; grading 81
blocks of city streets and ditching,
263 blocks, $9,49814; building 1874
cement and brick crossings, $4,000;
maintaining horses and wagons, $474.-
6S; tools, $257.20; burying garbage
and dead animals, $4,000; building
and repairing rs catch basins $2,801.64;
raising cement walks, $1,000; sewer
work, $4,000; filing holes in the
streets, $386.25; street sweeping $2,-
798.O0. The minor expenses made up
the remainder Of the total as given by
the superintendent. The amount
shown to be spent is more than double
the appropriation made for street
work during the present year.
Mr.. Steinbach strongly urged the
city to adopt the cart system for clean
ing the paved streets, but the Council
took no action in this matter believing
that it was necessary to curb expenses
this year and the whole matter was
laid over to the spring meetings Of the
Council. The report of the superinten-
dent brought up some discussion in re-
gard6to the working foremen and it
was evident that the order of the Coun-
Gil in regard to working foremen had
never been carried out and that in the
past eight months the city has had
practically four street commissioners.
i The Council received petition ask
ing for the opening of Linden street
west from Caledonia street and a
Board of Commissioners consisting of
n j. Werner, Nicholas Schultz, John
Bruins, Frank eraser and John
Scherer was named to assess benefits
and damages in connection with the
laying out of the street.
It is probable that some of the
( 4rrto ~
against the extension Of the street at
the time of the report of the commits
sioners.
The special committee which had
/ been appointed to confer with a com
mittee Of the County Board with re
gard to the rebuilding Of the county
jail brought in a report in which it
recommended that the city take no
part in the work more than to pay its
portion of the special tax levied by
the County Board for this purpose.
The committee further stated that the
city had no legal powers to levy any
special tax to provide a. fund to aid
the county in building the Jail.
The Council elected Samuel r. Kerr
as paving inspector for the present
calendar year. Inspector Kerr was
employed by the city on the work on
Grand avenue and Durkee avenue and
he has proven himself an excellent in
spector. The election last night will
save any further trouble in the appoint
ment Of inspectors for the year as
Kerr will be in charge Of all paving
work done during the year.
The Council granted the city treasur.
er the power to employ an assistant te
aid him in the work of making the
lannual collection of taxes. The assist
ant is to be employed by the city fol