Evening journal., 1912-03-15
COUNCIL COUNCIL
TALKS OF
WHARVES
Members Think Body as a
Whole Should Lease
Privileges
ALSO WOULD SAVE
ONE FOR CITY USE

Ing or City Council and Councilman
Kane Of the Fourth ward. on motion.
was selected to act as president
II was expected that Councilman
Zimmerman. of the First ward. would
bring up the matter of the Walnut
street wharf, leased by the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company, which lease
expires on the twenty-ffth of this
month and there were a number Of
persons present City Tax Collectors
Morris and Sayers also were present
but nothing was brought up concern
ing the tax Office.
After the routine business had been
disposed of Mr.. Zimmerman presented
communication from Mahlon b. Fos-
ter, respecting the Walnut street
wharf, Informing Council of the fact
that the lease on the wharf will expire
this month. After the communication
was read the member from the First
ward moved that the public building
committee advertise for bids for the
wharf i'm question and also inquire
whether the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company had paid anything for it's
use in the past He also added that
the committee 60 further into the
matter and not lease it without in
viting bids.
Acting President Kane declared the
motion out of order stating that the
motion could not take the place of an
established ordinance.
Mr. Zimmerman had nothing further
10 say
At this juncture Mr.. Haney Of the
Tenth ward, stated that on last Thurs
day night he had a matter to bring to
the attention of the Council and was
ignored He said that when he got up
10 speak he wanted It understood that
he represented the residents of the
Tenth ward and should be given an
opportunity Of expressing what he
mad to say. Mr.. Haneys remarks
were prompted by the action OF City
Council on Thursday night OF last
week in adiourning before he had an
opportunity of presenting the matter
he had in mind.
Mr. Haney contended that tho pub
lie building committee should not
have full power to act in leasing city
wharves and that such matters should
be left to Council as a whole to dis
pose Of He argued that every mem
ber of Council represented the peo-
was Republican or a Democrat, and
that while all matters coming before
-- fne Council should be referred TO the
different committees. final action
should be taken by Council as a whole.
Mr.. Kane informed the member that
the law gave the public building com
mittee the authority TO pass upon the
matter of wharf leases.
Mr. Bilderback, of the Ninth ward,
chairman Of the public building COM
mittee stated that the subject under
discussion had been referred to the
city solicitor and that the committee
would bring It up before Council be-
fore it acted as matter of courtesy.
Mr. Haney made the remark that
the city solicitor was not running City
Council
Mr.. Bilderback said there were
other members Of Council who
thought the same thing. He again
stated tina. when the matter was fully
laid out it would be brought before
Council and that It would be merely a
matter of courtesy on the part Of the
committee TO dc IT,
Mr. Haney asked why II should be
a question o. courtesy. and al this
point Colonel Stover, of the Seventh
ward. arose and interposed that Che
discussion was developing into a
school argument
Mr. Higgins. Of the Third ward
thought what Mr.. Haney had TO say
was entirely proper, and the Tenth
ward Councilman then brought up the
matter of city ownership of Thorn
street wharf which the J. Morton
Poole Company has used for years
eontending that the concern in ques
Non should pay a rental.
Mr.. White of the Sixth ward, statef
that It was known that the city owre6
the wharf
Mr.. Haney contended that the cit,
should receive more money than /
does for the leases on wharves owned
by IL and added that no steamboa
could wharf here
Mr.. Bilderback stated that the Tent
ward member evidently did not know
what he was talking about as the cit.
only owned wharves. the width Of th'
streets, where they are located, an'
steamboats, docking here would neces
sarily have to VIII rf on private prop
erty He added that any information
his committee had il would be will
ing to give to any member Of Coun
Gil
Mr.. Haney I'm reply to this said h'
considered it disgrace that the city
had no wharf for steamboat to land
Mr.. Bilderback replied by saying
that the city did have a wharf az the
foot Of Church street. and when the
finance committee had the money &c
appropriate. it would be placed in con-
dition to accommodate any boat. He
said there was not a wharf in the
city leased to any concern that did
not bring revenue to the city in the
way OF taxes. and further i'm wages tC
employees of the concerns holding suci
leases. and this was a matter tha
should be considered. He said that tn,
committee had to do the best It coulS
In the absence of competition and tha
at the present time more revenue wa
being derived from wharf leases thai
al any time Bids have been receive
and reported everything else done h
said and the building committee wa
doing the best II could
Mr. Haney az this point stated IN;
he could show where the public bull,
ing committee had done one thin
wrong. and that was in the awardir
Of a contract for lighting the ci
buildings for a period of three year
He didn't think that such contrac
ehould he awarded for noro than II