Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-05-04
GIVES ACCOUNT
OF HIS WORK
Retiring Mayor, H. G. Schaffer
in Valedictory, Shows
Achievements.
HAD MANY DIFFICULTIES
Financial Problems Made Improve
ments Hard Matter to Deal With
i'm Last Two Years.

\ ing, was simple statement of the
He spoke i'll full as follows:
! Gentleman Of the City Council:
The time has arrived for those of
Us, who assumed Office two years ago
TO surrender the duties and response
bilities of our respective positions to
our duly elected successors, and
shall fulfill the last duty imposed
upon me by law and custom, by Civ
ing brief account of our steward
ship, for during the two years which
III have had the honor of serving the
city of Rock Island as its chief exec
utive, | have never lost sight of the
declaration, which | made in my in
augural message, that ! recognized
the full equality and coordinate char
2cters of the Legislative and executive
branches of the municipal govern
ment. and would at all times seek
the harmonious cooperation of the
two branches. Hence all that has
been accomplished by the admins
end, and all that we have sought tC
accom- plish, is as much a credit tC
the council as it is to the mayer, and
while / and some of the council have
at times differed on questions of pub
lie policy, wish to take this oppor-
tunity to reiterate nay views i'll rela-
; ton to the functions OF the mayor
and council. and to thank the coun-
ell for their cooperation in those
. matters upon which we were agreed
and to express my appreciation of the
< sincerity Of their opinions upon these
matters upon which we differed, and
their courtesy toward the executive
i'll the maintenance of his views.
Pressed for Funds.
In my inaugural message | called
;, attention to the fact that with an an
ticipated revenue of $4,000. we
would have only $685. above the
absolutely necessary appropriations
for the maintenance of the severa
departments, of which $4,000 was
practically hypothicated to meet the
= city's portion of the cost OF the build
ing of the No. sewer system, ant
v the consequent impracticability ow
ing TO the increased charges on &C
count of salaries and wages. and the
stationary character OF the sun
available for the various municipa
e purposes. of undertaking more thar
IS one large public improvement i'll on,
municipal year. | recommended tina
this be done, and as many smalle
< public improvements carried out "a
e the means available would permit
l. The council cooperated with me il
& carrying out my suggestion in thi
p respect; and in consequence we ar
4 able to record the execution of
X program of public improvements
= which | believe will bear comparisol
"a with that carried out in any other hi
w ennial period of our municipal ad
m miniStrationS.
- Some improvements Made.
ID "The work done includes TIL
Il building of the No sewer, in whic
ID the citys portion of the cost amount
sc ed to nearly 10000, because the IN
RI expectedly large amount of work Ell
Of countered increased the amour
il which had to be paid from the ger
9 eral fund, the paving and boulevard
u ing of Seventh avenue from Thirtiet
I'd street to Forty-SiXth street, whic
oil made a draft of about $1,000 on tn
ed general fund, the paving of Forty
r. second street from Seventh avenue
a Ninth avenue; Twenty-fifth stree
SIS from Fifth avenue to Ninth avenue
% Twenty-third street from Tenth t
he Eleventh avenue; Nineteenth sire,
ca
re- Fourteenth and Fifteenth street
[u- from First to Second avenue. In az
ct dition to making these special in
en- provements, we improved the stree
TX in the low-lying portions of the Firs
re Second and Third wards from IL
IA general fund. In some cases ii
in grade of these thoroughfares W;
yo raised five feet, the filling mentione
,re receiving surface of stone and eli
h, ders, the streets have been improve
e, which will make them passable at q
=, seasons of the year. In addition. Il
80 Tri-City Railway company, as +
~ suit of the administration importur
49,, ties, reduced its track on Eleven
80 street. from Tenth avenue to the eli
limits, to grade, and graded the b;
ance of the street at the same tim
This dirt was used in filling ada
ooi emf low lying streets. The work W
ne done at practically no expense to t
city, and the people in the section
vi the city along Eleventh street. NJ
vi have Il thoroughfare, where befo
leu there was only a trail beside
ep- tracks.
ing Another notable improveme
ma made was the grading of Eighteen
dar avenue from Fourteenth to Seve
OFT, teenth streets, the bluff, which "
impractical for use by vehicles OF n
ork description, was graded down a
ear the material used farther west,
the establishment of an excellt