Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-09-23
BOARD MAY
SECURE CONTROL
ATHLETIC FIELD
City Commission Debates Cues
ton of Turning Over Man
agement of Property.
WILL RAZE OLD BUILDING
Legal Steps to Remove Diiapidated
Twentieth Street Brick Strue-
ture to Be Taken.

Who should control the newly acquir-
ed municipal athletic field and public
Fairgrounds, was thoroughly discussed
at the meeting of the city commission
yesterday afternoon Commissioner
NJ. T. Rudgren suggested that the tract
should be turned over to the park
board, inasmuch as it was a part of
the park system of the city.
No definite rules or regulations rel
ative TO operating the ball park have
been mapped out as yet. AS anticipat-
ed there has been a big demand for
the use of the field from local teams.
The Rock Island high school squad
was the first to ask for the grounds
and the commission decided TO let
them have the use of the field for
| their local games. At the meeting of
\ the commission yesterday afternoon,
the Independents, through communi-
| cation from Manager j. W. Roche, ask
/ ed for the park for Sunday games,
| from Oct. to Nov 80 inclusive. The
! Independents would probably be the
only team here that would want Sun
much to charge for the use of the
grounds was brought up and some of
! the commissioners favored a fee of
! $25 for each game The question of
| turning over the whole vexing matter
to the park board was brought up and
ii was decided to take the subject up
again at an informal meeting this
morning
TO RAZH BUILDING.
Tired of waiting for owners of the
property at 419 Twentieth street to
tear it down, Commissioner Archie
Hart offered a resolution which was
unanimously adopted instructing City
Attorney j. F. Witter to take the nee
essary legal steps to rae the struc-
tire. The building has been in dilapi-
dated condition for some time and
passers by have been in constant dan
ger from falling walls. Commissioner
Hart stated he had exhausted his pa
thence in attempting to get the owners
TO make some disposition of the tum-
bling edifice and urged that the city
at once take legal action to bring
about its dismantling
DEBATE HOSE CONTRACT.
The big discussion of the afternoon
came when Commissioner Hart offered
a resolution that $500 feet of fire hose
be purchased at 80 cents per foot, half
of the same to come from the Manhat-
tan Rubber Manufacturing company,
Chicago, Porto Rico brand, and the
other half from the Gutta Percha &
Rubber Manufacturing company, Chi
cago, Ridgewood brand, the hose be-
! ing guaranteed to stand 400 pounds
pressure test.
Commissioner Bear took the floor
to protest against the form of the mo-
ton, asking that two resolutions be
introduced, inasmuch as hose was be-
ing bought from two different con-
Germs. He explained that he wanted
10 vote for part of the resolution which
Commissioner Hart had offered but
that he thought half of the order
should go to the Rock Island Hardware
company. Commissioner Hart refus-
ed to change his resolution and stated
that the hose which he had favored
was standard make and of known
worth and he was in favor of purchas-
ing the same direct from the manufac-
turer, thereby saving the jobber'
profit. On the vote on the resolution,
there were four ayes, Commissioner
Bear casting the negative ballot.
MILAN BRIDGES.
A cross section of the improvements
planned for the Milan bridges and the
proposed contract were considered and
the terms of the latter tentatively
agreed upon. Bids for the work have
been advertised for, the same to be
received Oct. 2. A certified check for
$1,000 must accompany the bid
City Attorney Witter was directed
to get judgment against property own
ers for the sidewalk on Seventh ave
nue. from Thirtieth to Thirty-eighth
street The ordinance providing for
the improvement was passed months
ago but for some reason the
project has not been pushed through
county court and put in
An amendment 10 the building ordi.
nance offered by Commissioner Hart
was considered and adopted Under
the provisions of the amendment, the
building inspector files a bond of
$4,000 and issues all permits himself
and handles all fees instead of turning
over the money to the city clerk as
has been the method since the Office
was created.
WANTS BILL REDUCED.
C. D. Skinner of the waterworks de
partment brought up the matter OF
the complaint of Daniel Scully. reIa
tive to the price he is being charged