Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-30
COUNCIL PLANS
A BUSY SESSION
Tri- City Railway and Sand and
Gravel Ordinances Come
Up Tonight.
LEvEE RIGHTS ARE SOUGHT
Local Concern Seeks Same Privileges
Now Held by Rock Island Road
An Overdue Sewer Bill.

Several important measures are due
to come before the adjourned meeting
Of the city council this evening, chief
of which are the Tri-City Railway COM
pany and Rock Island Sand & Gravel
company ordinances and the overdue
bill of Contractor P. F. Trenkenschuh
for rebuilding a portion of the Seven
teenth street sewer, the additional
charge occasioned by mistake in the
by the contractor.
As is known, the grant that the Rock
Island Sand & Gravel company is seek
ing on the levee has stirred up oppo-
sition among its competitors, who
maintain that an exclusive lease should
not be granted to any corporation on
the river front. The company present
ing the ordinance claims it must have
the rights asked in order to do bust
ness on a scale and under such mod
ern conditions that will make 1t posi-
BILE to bid for business that Is now go
ing to other river points because OF
the absence Of up-to-date facilities on
the Rock Island levee. The frontage
on which a lease is desired extends
from Nineteenth to Twentieth streets.
Now Held by Railroad.
In 1900 the city council passed an
ordinance giving to the Rock Island
road the exclusive right to use that
portion Of the levee for coal transfer
ring purposes for period of 25 years.
When this ordinance was adopted the
Rock Island road Cor that part of it
then known as the Rock Island & Peo-
ria) was engaged In the retail coal
business, and directly supplied steam
boats from the levee between Nine
teenth and Twentieth streets. Since
then the road has withdrawn from the
retail coal business and has made the
Rock Island Sand & Gravel company
the local agent of its mines in Rock
Island and Henry counties. This
shows the business relation between
the railroad and the Rock Island Sand
& Gravel company. The road has con-
scented to the sand and gravel concern
occupying its rights between Nine
tenth and Twentieth street, inasmuch
as it (the road) will be the gamer in
a business way. However, the ordin-
ance in the form it is before the coun-
Gil provides that the levee may be
used by all others without charge, ex-
cepting that the Rock Island Sand &
Gravel company, as a protection for
the $4,000 investment it proposes,
shall use 1t exclusively for the hand
ling of coal, sand and gravel.
City May Take 1t Over.
Tn company has agreed, also, to re-
duce the term of the lease to CORE
spond with that now held by the Rock
Island road, which is Is years, at the
end of which time the city shall have
the privilege of assuming control of
the levee and the improvements on
the payment to the company Of the in
vestment 1t originally made, schedule
OF which shall be filed with the city
clerk on the completion of the same,
providing, however, that it shall not
be the intention of the city, on assum-
ing control, to release to another cor
poration for the same purposes to
which 1t was devoted by the Rock Is
land Sand & Gravel company. Mayor
McCaskrin personally favors the grant
ing of the ordinance of the Rock Island
Sand & Gravel company, for the reason
that It is simply giving to it the same
right now enjoyed by the Rock Island
road and for the same period, and for
the further reason, as he says, 1t will
assist in the development Of q growing