Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-11
COUNCIL LOSES
TIME OVER GARBAGE
CONTINUED from First Page.l


tion was made to-day at the session
of Council as the Commissioners and
other city officials left for Wilkes
Barre before noon to inspect the pig
gerry there.
Nothing Done
While Commissioner Morgenthaler
said yesterday he was making an
estimate on the probable cost of ash
collections by the city, so far moth
ing has been done to district the
city. place orders for any wagons or
other equipment. or to organize the
ash and garbage bureau as author
lied in an ordinance passed about
month ago.
Action on the garbage contract
award was postponed a week so that
the officials could go to Wilkes
Barre. Those who left to-day were
Mayor Daniel L. Keister, Commits
sioners f. u. Gross, William II.
Lynch. Fred l.. Morgenthaler; City
Engineer NJ. b. Cowden, City Clerk
r. Ross Seaman and Commissioners
elect Charles w. Burtnett and DR.
Samuel +. Hassler.
1t is understood Council must pro-
vide in the 1918 budget for the col
lection expense. The present con-
tract ends in about seven weeks.
leaving only n short time for the Of
ficials to complete all arrangements
for continuing the collection work
after the Pennsylvania Reduction
Company stops.
Electrical Bureau
An ordinance creating a city cleo
trical bureau under the Department
of Public Safety was introduced by
Commissioner MorGenthaler. Com
m iSc 9 ciOnnr al
the change. The ordinance provides
for the consolidation of the bureau
of fire and police alarm and bureau
of city lighting in one department in
charge of the city electrician. The
ordinance also provides for one as
sistant. All the duties of the city
electrician, together with the state
ment of the work which he shall SUI
pervise and have charge of, is in
cluded in the ordinance.
A statement of money received for
various fire department horses and
equipment sold when the department
was motorized was submitted by
Commissioner Gross, who later sub
mitted an ordinance appropriating
part of this money to pay for inn
provements at a number of the first
houses.
sworn Statement
Council also authorized Commits
sioner Gross to require each company
in the city to furnish a sworn state
ment of the present financial condi-
tion of the company with returns of
assets and liabilities of both the
sinking fund and company fund. This
will be done with a view to wiping
out many old debts which have been
standing. Mr.. Gross explained. Some
of these had been paid by tho COM
panies. and they Will be asked to
furnish a total also of all the COM
pany's money used to liquidate debts
and meet deficiencies
Council passed a motion approving
the action of the health department
in flning the Pennsylvania Reduction
Company early in the year for fall
ure to make regular ash collections.
The $1,075 fine was turned over to
the health department contingent
fund and is to be used to pay for
the teams and men hired recently by
the city to collect refuse at places
where tho reduction company em-
playes failed to make regular col
lectlons.
One-way Traffic
Commissioner Lynch introduced Il
resolution which was passed and
which extends the time limit OF one
way trafhc south only in Third street
from Walnut to Market streetH, until
April /, next year. because of the
work on the new Penn-Harria Hotel,
Mayor Keister intimated that by that
time a number of important traffic
changea may be recommended,
The Report of City Treasurer
Harry +. Owes shows a balance on
hand December l, of $273.44a, ssi re-
ceipts, $28,S1s.o5' and expenditures,
s126.26723 for November, City So
licitor John i. Fox notified the Com
mlssioners they could not under the
law exonerate n property from 1916
tax when 1t was not taken by the
state until February of that year,
City Clerk Seaman was authorized
to notify the property owner of the
decision.