The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-04-01
With Three Councilmen and
City Clerk Absent, Import
ant Decisions Were Reach
ed at Pow Wow.
TAkE ACTION UPON
WATER WORKS CASE
City Attorney Instructed to
Draw Up Contract and De-
cision Made to Buy Stok-
ers for Plant.

Council and the board Of works
held meeting behind locked doors
at the city hall last evening and or
dered the city attorney to draw up a
water works contract, to be filed in
the city engineers Office in connec-
ton with the latter's specifications az
to the quality of water extent of lines
cts. The board was authorized to adj
Vertise for bids on a contract.
Besides the water works question,
council discussed the advisability OF
enforcing the anti-smoke ordinance,
and practically decided that dog or
dinance would meet with too much op-
position from the public. In addition
to the water works decision, council
approved the decision of the board OF
works to install stokers at the city
light plant The stokers will cost about
$4,000
Not Full Attendance.
These decisions We're reached al
though the meeting was a secret one
and the city clerk was not present, in
fact Clerk Bescher did not even know
there was to be a meeting Council
men Won Pein, Englebert and Bartel
were absent
This morning city officials includ-
ing Mayor Zimmerman and President
Hammond. reported nothing doing"
as did several councilmen
The council discussed the water
works proposition at length 1t was
agreed that the city shonld have a
member on the board of directors, and
should be in position to acquire the
stock of the company. thus finally Sc
curing control of the corporation.
1t was thought best that meter rent
should not be charged. although a
minimum rate would be satisfactory
TO councilmen. On extension of lines
it was agreed that if the city should
be represented on the board of direc-
tors, extensions of the lines could be
secured when desired. without the ne-
cessity of locating new fire plug.
Fire Plug Contract.
Regarding the fire plug contract,
which expires September 1 1912. coun-
cilmen expressed themselves as be-
ing favorable to a lower rate than is
charged by the company at present. It
is now $40 per hydrant, and free in.
termediate hydrants.
The smoke nuisance was discussed
and it was to test this. more than any
thing else that the stokers were Or
RI l,, ;oI,x
The councilmen. although all of them
voted for the ordinance, are now back
ing up, and want it tested. The test
at the city hall, where a smoke con-
sumer was placed on the boiler, is
not considered sufficient.
The stokers at the light plant will
mean the saving of at least $1,000 a
year in fuel, for besides being able
to use a cheaper grade of coal, the
be consumed The stokers work from
dial, which is in special regulator
room. The feed of coal works under
the fire pit. The plant now burns
about $4,000 worth of coal per year
Council practically decided not to
pass the dog ordinance. City Attorney
Gardner read letter from a woman
who called the council, police depart
ment members and others names
which would hardly be fit to print
She said of the dog catcher came
to her house he'd never get away
with her dog alive, and furthermore
she would not take out a license
The council hasn't any sense the
letter affirmed. "Anybody who would
lower himself to be dog catcher
would steal sheep. SO would any one
who would lower himself to pass such
rotten ordinance"