The Washington herald., 1911-10-11
NEWSOFALEXANDRIA
City Council Meeting Marked
by Lengthy Debates.

Alexandria. Va. oct. ip.-Thc first
business meeting Of city council tonight
since the summer recess Was character
lied hv lengthy debates. the principal
one being over the precedent Of laying
a granolithic sidewalk OF the square in
Fairfax street between Prince and Duke
streets The ordinance provided that
tho sidewalk he laid by he city and that
1t be ten feet wide on each side in order
to have a uniform sidewalk on that
thOrOughfare. The measure of la-inG 4
sidewalk out Of the general fund was Op-
posed by Councilman Marshall. who eX-
planned that he would oppose it because
he thought il was a nad precedent to
establish. Messrs. BrCCkett and Marshall
got into protrICtel debate over the
matter and finally the debate took such
wide range President SnOwden brought
down the gayel with full force several
times and stopped the debate. The vote
on the ordinance being taken resulted in
all faVOring it except councilman Mar
shall. 1t was explained by Councilman
Burke that the property owners on that
thOrOughfare would pay most of the cost
of the sidewalk, resulting in the City's
part for the sidewalk being less than 500
The new building laws were harShly
criticised by COunCilamn Splnks. eSpe-
Cally those sections whereby II is neCeS-
sary for property owners to present petty
petitions for reshingling roofs and such
things. He thought the law should be
abrOgated or. at least, that part which
has a tendency to detraCt property own
ers from building frame dwelling houses
In order TO obviate all of this a resolu-
ton was introduced by Councilman Smith
that the city engineer and street COM
mittee revise the building laws so that
requests for repairs will not have to he
brought before council. This was re-
ferred to the street committee.
A resolution was also introduced by
Councilman Birrell that all power for
repairs during a recess in summer be
vested in the city engineer and street
committee. This was referred to the
joint committee on streets and general
laws.
Council passed a resolution increasing
the pay of street fOremen from 20 to -
cents an hour and of street laborers
from Is to Is cents an hour. This resO-
luton is substitute for the retllution
offered by Councilman Birrell to reduce
the working nOurs of street employees
from ten to nine hours day. The in
crease is discretionary with the city en-
gineer.
Rose NJ. Macdonald. president of the
Alexandria Anti-Tuberculosis Society,
presented a communication from that
organization asking the cooperation of
the city in supporting a visiting nurse,
and also asking for the enforcement and
better regulatio for the prevention of
contagious diseases. This was referred
to the joint committee on general laws
poor and finance
resolution of Councilman Swan ap-
propriating 800 for the establishment OF
two public drinking fountains for horses
was referred to the joint committee on
streets and finance.
Petitions for improvements granted fol-
low: Virginia c. Barbour. to enlarge
two rooms at 1907 Cameron street: d. E.
Robey, to reshingle 211-2l3 Cameron
street: Joseph B. Drew, to erect tempo
rary storm vestibule door In front of
his place of business; John Harrison, |
steps at lOO6 Cameron street; owner, to |
reshingle 122 North Fayette street; own |
er, to reshingle house at Wolfe and |
Fairfax streets; Mrs. Lillian NJ. Hall. !
to erect frame addition at Alfred and |
Oronoco streets.
Petitions for gas lights follow: st. |
Asaph and Franklin streets, granted; |
southeast corner of Royal and Oronoco |
streets, granted; Cameron and Pitt
streets, refused, and action noncon- |
CURED in by board of aldermen; Oro- |
noco and West streets, referred to light |
committee; Henry and Gibbon streets, |
referred to light committee.
The report of the committee on light |
for incandescent lights at Henry and
Montgomery streets and Henry and First I
streets. similar TO those already erected
on that thoroughfare. was adopted.
Announcement is made that J. d. Es-