The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-06-17
BRING BRIGHT IDEAS
COUNCILMEN LEARN MUCH ON
TRIP TO OTHER TOWNS.
From Saturdays Daily.

lamm ana HumlStOn ana 0itN Attorney
tSchmitt returned at :45 p. IN. yes
terday from their trip to Iowa. Mayor
Meyer remained over to visit relative
in a small town near Cedar Rapids. and
viii return this evening, probably. The
! commission expects to hold special
meeting Monday.
The commissioners left Mankato last
Sunday night and reached Sioux Falls
S. d., the next morning, and remained
there until two o'clock that afternoon
The officials there showed the Mankato
men all possible courtesies, taking them
about in automobiles, and going into
the system of accounting and checking,
and the street work, etc. The city
does not have good system of street
paving, as it has jasper blocks laid
without any concrete foundation, and
it is uneven and full of holes. The
park system is crude, and the residence
streets are unsprinkled. The city owns
an electric lighting plant, but does not
operate it, rs it can purchase current
cheaper than 1T can manufacture il,
but keeps the plant as club over the
lighting company.
Salaries Are Paid.
The following salaries are paid. Re-
cOrder, 81 800 a year; health officer,
5000 per year; city engineer, $4,000;
street commissioner, $ll5 per month;
building inspector, $50 per month; cleo
trician, 81 200 per year; city attorney
$1,000 year; mayor, $l,200; council
men, 5000; fire chief. 81 200; police
chief, $1,000. Sioux Falls is a live
city, with large manufacturing inter
ests, and has fine lot of citizens. en-
terprising and hospitable The com
missioners took leaves from the different
books used in the bookkeeping system.
The commissioners spent Monday
night at Fort Dodge, and next morn
ing took the trolley line to Des
MOines. The members of the party
were shown every courtesy there They
made an espacie study of the account
ing and checking system, as this is
one of the best i'm the country. The
city's books are checked by the state
board of examiners, and not mistake
has been found in the last ten years
The laws in Minnesota are different.
but Mr.. Schmitt is of the opinion that
IA system can be worked out, based on
the Des Moines plan, that will give
this city as good system. This will
10. Ia e
into at once. Mankato never has had
a system. The state auditor of Iowa
has recommended that Cedar Rapids
adopt the Des Moines system of ac-
commissioners were to be shown about
Des Moines in automobiles in the after
noon, but it rained and this was called
off. The G. A. r. convention met that
day. The forenoon was spent at the
city hall, going into the bookkeeping
system and other things connected with
the commission plan, and also the mat +
ter of pavements, etc.
Street Cleaning in Des Moines.
The commissioners learned one thing
at Des MONIES, among others, that
might be made use of i'm Mankato.
That city cleans its pavements with a
tusher instead of sweeper. This is a
steel water cart, with compressed air.
and forces the water out of the
sprinkler at an angle towards the
gutter with such force that everything
is swept into the gutter and thence
into the storm sewer. The city has
two OF these flushers and keeps them
going all day, cleaning and sprinkling
the streets at the same time, and even
If the pavement dried there would be
no dust to blow. The wagons cost ST.
600 each. and man and team operates
each. Considerable water is required.
Des Moines has eighty eight miles of
pavement and the two fushers take
care OF it all. but some sprinkling is
done in addition in the residence
streets
Des Moines is taking up good deal
of brick pavement. and about the only
kind that it is putting down is creosot-
ed blocks This is nOiseless, and that
which has been down four years shows
no wear. 1t looks like a floor. The
only objection raised to it is that it
is slippery, and horses were seen to
skid and even fall upon it, but this OBJ
lection is to be overcome by putting
tar on it and scattering gravel on this.
This is done at Cedar Rapids, and there
is no slipping there. The creosoted
block pavement is very easy to repair,
and is the favorite pavement of the
citizens, in spite of the fact that a
very good quality of paving brick is
manufactured at Des Moiens.
At Des Moines the council meets
every morning at nine o'clock and
transacts business with despatch. At
Cedar Rapids it meets three times a
week, at Sioux Falls twice month.
The Mankato party attended council
meeting at Des Moines
At Des Mones all funds are handled
through the city treasurer, who paws
out all money on warrants of the au-
ditor. Separate boards do not handle
funds, as the library board does in this
city
Visited Cedar Rapids.
Wednesday, the commissioners went
to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. and remained
until Yesterday morning. They were
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