The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1910-01-05
OLD CITY COUNCIL GOES OUT
At Meeting Friday Night Annual Reports Were Made.
The Mayor Reviewed the Years Work.

The council of 1909 held its last
meeting Friday night, for the pur-
pose of winding up the affairs of the
year and hearing the annual reports
of those who had been at the head
of the various departments of the
city government for the past twelve
months.
About all that was done besides
hearing the reports, which are print
ed elsewhere in The News, was to
pay City Attorney Gurr 500 as ex-
ira compensation for his services and
appropriate $50 to pay Mr.. H. A.
Petty, whose verdict against the city
fer damage to his automobile was
recently affirmed by the Court of APP
peals.
Before it adjourned sine die the
following address was read to the
council by Mayor Marlin:
Gentlemen of the City Council At
the incipiency of my term of office
in my message to you | made certain
promises, which l have tried faith
fully to perform. | promised you
that during my administration that
to the best of my ability | would
perform the duties of mayor to the
best interest of the people of Daw-
son at large. | further promised you
that there would be certain reforms
made if in my power, and that they
would be carried out-that is, that
the streets of our city should be kept
cleaner; that We should have an up
to-date charter and a revision of the
City Code, and an economic admins
tration, having in view at all times
the public welfare. If | have failed
in carrying out these promises ] as
sure you that it was an error of the
mind and not the heart
You will find from the reports of
the various departments of the city
government, comparing the year 1908
with the year 1909 (the present adj
ministra tom, that there is compar-
atively small difference in the ex-
pense of carrying on the city gov
eminent during the last two years.
taking into consideration the i'm
pTovements made this year.
The report of the fire department
shows a small increase in expense,
due to the fact that there was a
small raise in the salaries of the Off
GERS of the department and perma-
nent improvements made.
The report of the water and light
department show that this depart
ment has been managed as would
seem in a successful and economical
manner during the year. The plant
and all the machinery connected
Herewith is in fir5t-class condition,
and no city of this size can boast
of a plant in a better physical con-
dition. The report shows more dis
bursements than receipts, yet this is
due to the fact that in order not to
carry over any unpaid bills, as was
the case last year, all the December
expenses of 1909 have been included
in said report, and the department
will begin January /, 1910, free of
all Indebtedness No collections have
been made for the December services.
which will overpay the overdraft
above mentioned.
The police department, coming IN
der my own personal administration,
has been carried out to the best of
my ability with the cooperation of
the officers of said department, and
l will leave it to your honorable
body to say whether or not it has
been properly done.
You will find from the report of
the superintendent of the street and
cemetery department that there is a
small increase in the expenses of that
department during this year, which
arises from the fact of the many per
manent improvements, as we'll as the
cleanliness, health and general APP
pearance of the streets at large 1t
has been the pride of this admins
trat:On to see that this department
of our city government should be de-
cidedly improved over what it had
been in the past. | submit the rec
ord of this department 10 the people
at large to say whether or not | have
carried out my expectations. BY
reading the report Of the superin-
tendent of the street department you
can draw your own conclusions as
to what has been done.
You will find from the report of