The Point Pleasant register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, W. Va.) 1909-1939, 1910-10-05

partment Of public -srpftc -rns ASIA
amelia Publlca-are partly national
character. These institutions win On
examined later.
How the City ls Governed.
The city, municipality itself is d.
yided Into 20 parishes (parroquiasl,
corresponding to the wards OF .
North American city. From these par
lshes, on basis Of population, repre-
.entatives are chosen BY ballot Of the
citizens to form a body called the
Concejo Deliberate, corresponding in
most details to our common council.
These officials serve without pay Tor
a term O. four years, one-halt OF their
number being elected every two
years, however. This so.called DELHI
erative body chooses from among ita
members a president, These officials
serve as provisional substitutes for
the intendente whenever occasion re
Quires.
The great departments Of the mum.
cipal government may be classified az
follows: Finance, which includes the
functions usually understood in such
a department; public works. having
charge Of municipal buildings, water
supply. sewers, streets. paving. re.
pairing and opening OF streets and al.
leys, administration OF building laws
control Of public markets. bridges,
parks. squares and monuments; So
curity and hygiene. giving particular
attention to buildings like theatersi
where public meetings are held:
street cleaning, food supplies, regula.
ton Of weights and measures, certain
authority over hospitals and asylums,
prevention or control Of epldemIcs and
the municipal side Of the public relief
service. Rules for the preservation OF
public morality are enforced through
this department. A law department Is
also maintained.
Buenos Aires is about equal in size
to Washington, D. c, (Which In this
respect is coextensive with the Dis
trIct Of Columbia), but smaller than
London, Marseilles or Manchester
Greater New York. New Orleans, Phil
adelphia and Chicago, and larger thar
Paris. Berlin or Vienna. Ample prep
aration has been made for future
growth, because the open spaces, ex.
elusive Of an extensive park system.
will permit a much greater population
tkan lives at present within its con.
fines. In the city ten years ago there
were 5000 houses; $4,000 building
permits were issued since then to
1905; and in 1907 there were t4,4ss
building permits issued. which Is the
highest figure reached in the city's
history.
The city Is laid out on the rectangu.
lar plan, each square measuring 1870
meters almost 400 feetl on a side.
The rectangular pattern is more evl.
dent away from the older portion Of
the city, where, despite the radical
improvements within the past genera
tion. some irregulartty was unayolda-
bly, left. Every corner Of street inter
sections Is marked In clear letters BY
the name Of the street, easily readable
by the foot passenger; street mum.
bering is on the century system. AZ
the END. % 1907, 100000 square yards
OF pavement had been laid. the mos
generally used being granite block
with mortar foundation. stone. wooder
blocks, macadam and asphalt
over 800 Streets.
The number Of individual street.
passes the 800 mark. but some Of n
longest have separate names for So !.
arate sections. II extended in 4
straight line they would measure
about 600 miles. Many Of them are
fine, broad avenues 100 feet or more
in width, only few Of the narrow
passages OF the earlier city being left
after the reconstruction Of the city
from 1889 onward.
The municipal revenue 10 derived
from many Of the same sources thet
furnish funds to all cities. Among the
sources OF revenue included under the
tax lists are Imposts upon street cars.
carriages. dogs, theaters. billiard halls,
telegraph and telephone messages,
the use Of spaces beneath city streets,
on provisions and wagons conveying
them about the city, peddlers, hotels
and such public houses, cellars. etc.
Such a special taxation as cities IN
the United States Impose upon what
are here called saloons, the intent Of
which Is often quite as much for the
purpose OF prohibition as It Is to raise
revenue, is not applied in Buenos
Aires. because the people are. in the
main. temperate, and the business Of
dispensing beer, wine or stronger al.
cohollc drink Is not so specialized
there. Many shops sell turntables,
but saloons or barrooms are to be
found only in the congested center Of
the city, where foreign habits have