The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-03-08

253.22, the message says: THE fore
going shows that Notwithstanding the
extraordinary expenditures for the
purchas OF land, improvements, ma
,chinery, etc, amounting to s11e,25322
the receipts of the city for the year
exclusive of money received on sale of |
bonds would only be $57.98442 less
than the total expenditures for the
year so that the taxpayers of this /
city cannot complain of the issuing i
of the $4,000 IN Az per cent bonds |
I recommend that the policy be con-
tinued that whenever bonds are issued |
in the future they be issued serially. |
running from one to ten years one |
tenth of the principal being payable |
annually SO that the debt of the city /
can be gradually extinguished and at
the same time avoid the creating of a
| sinking fund.
On Deep Sewer Question
There has been considerable discus
sion and advocacy OF deep sewer sys-
TENS. both for the north and south side
| of the Grand Calumet river When
ever the city OF Chicago ceases to
dump its sewage into Lake Michigan
| by way OF the Grand Calumet river by
| reversing the current in said river
| when the Sag channel is completed,
then the city OF Hammond will have
| to treat it's sewage before 1t Is turned
| IN the Calumet river, but the prospects
| are that such sag channel will not be
| completed FOR six or seven years, and
| the depreciation and interest on the
| money which it would cost us to build
| such sewers at this time for six or
seven years would be half OF the cost
| OF such sewer systems. and, therefore,
| I recommend that no such deep sewer
system be constructed until such sag
| channel reaches It's completion. In the
| meantime the city OF Hammond should
| purchase land that will be necessary
for treating plants at the necessary
locations that when such sewer
| systems will have to be built that 1t
will be possible for the city to do SO
by owning the necessary sites for said
treating plants. for IL not purchased
before that time all the available lands
may be built up and the city will then
have to purchase such lands at high
cost and cause buildings thereon to be
removed at a big loss
The water Department.
In the message Mayor Becker points
with pride to the water department,
and the standing of its finances. On
the extension of mains he says: AN
extension OF the thirty six-inch main
at Columbia avenue should be carried
as far north as#the water funds will
permit I recommend that it be ex-
! tended to Root street this year, and
then main on Root street from CO.
lumhia avenue to Sheffield avenue so
as to relieve the twenty -four-inch
main as far north as possible, so that
3 there will be the same pressure south
of the river than there is north of the
river Ultimately the thirty six h
main should be extended to the lake on
the Columbia avenue line. but this
cannot be done all in one year be-
cause of insufficient funds it can be
done by doing it in two or three years.
Street Lighting System.
The situation relative to the street
. lighting system is reviewed suit
brought by the Northern Indiana Gas
: & Electric company in the United
States supreme court against the city
7, of Hammond because its board of pub
= lie works asked for new bids on COM
8 mercial lighting simultaneously with
bids for street lighting, Is now pend
ing. The city's contract with the COM
y pany expired more than year ago. In
r the meantime while the case is pend
e Ing the city is paying the company $50
per arc lamp year. Under the old
0 contract the city paid $S4. While
!. there Is no direct recommendation for
d a municipal lighting plant in the mes
e sage. Mayor Becker points out the way
d so clearly for one that there can be
e no misconstruction of his meaning. He
: says that the poles. wires and arr
lamps for a street lighting system fol
e the city OF Hammond can be erected fol-
l. from twenty to twenty-five thousand
dollars. The current for $50 arc lamps
can he bought for less than cents pei
: kilowat, that the current or power
: for each lamp would not exceed $1.2I
X per month. or SIS per year, making &
I totale OF $375o per year for $50 lights
II At $50 per arc light for $50 arc lamps
per year amounts to $4,000, so tina
: If the city should build its own sys
. tenn 1t would pay for itself in tive
years"
This for the policemen: The com
pensation for patrolmen is inadequat.
and should be Increased as soon as thu
u new law will permit. / believe the Law
passed at this session of the legisla
ture permits an increase OF $40 pc
| month for each patrolman. The presen
salary of $40 per month is hardly suf
fcient to hold man on the force whel
all our neighboring cities are payine
from $50 to 800 per month for patrol
men"
i OF the health department the mes
l. sage says: 1T is safe to say that tn
II health department has never been s.
IS carefully managed as under the pres
q ent board. The compensation Of TIL
1t secretary of the board of health i
II wholly inadequate under the presen
y law he received less than $3.50 per an
e mum perior to the last census, an
g since the last census he will receive
e little more than $500 per annual. Their
9. is no remedy for this condition, blu
20 the common council can rent an ofc
1T for the department and give the secre
: tary a clerk The keeping of the regis
It ter of births and deaths in this cit.
the issuing OF burial permits for eac
or person buried from the city of Ham