Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-12-18
COMFORT STATION
FINALLY COMPLETED
Accepted by City Last Night
Several Employees Are
Given Raise Of Salary


and increasing the salaries of city en-
ployes were the main things receiving
the attention of the aldermen at the
meeting of the city council last night.
A resolution by the ordinance com
mittee that the salaries or the book
keeper and stenographer of the city re-
corder's office be raised to $85 and
500, respectively, developed some Op-
position. When it was learned however,
that better positions had been offered
to the present employees in the record
er's office and that it would doubtless
be difficult to secure new help as eff
ficient as the present at less wages than
proposed, the council was disposed to
grant the increase.
Ordinance fixing the salary of the
city treasurer and the street commits
sioner at $1,000 a year and payable
monthly were read three times and pass
ed.
An ordinance fixing the salary of a
regular policeman at $S5 month was
referred to the police committee.
Comfort station Finished.
Alderman Roberts as spokesman for
the comfort station committee report
ed that the station was finished and
asked that authority be given the com
mittee upon inspection u the station
and finding it satisfactory, 10 accept 1t
and turn over to the contractors the
balance of the amount due them. This
proposal met the immediate opposition
Of q number of councilmen who were
inclined to look with suspicion upon the
comfort station and who expressed
themselves as of the opinion that the
city had better 60 little slower in ac-
cepting the station. The prevailing OPP
inlon was that the council should wait
few weeks and sec what the county
court did in the matter of acceptance.
some exceedingly frank discussion was
INDUCED in by various aldermen re-
specting the station, and the outcome
was that the matter was made a special
order OF business for the next meeting
of the council, with instructions to the
city engineer TO make report at that
time as to whether the station had been
built according TO plans and specifica-
tions and whether the city, IS interest
mad been projected. This led Alderman
TO offer the pertinent remark that it
might have been well to have saved
the money paid an architect and had
the city engineer do the job in the first
place.
Fire Chiefs Annual Report.
Tho report of Fire Chief Harry Hut
ton covering the period from January
l to December 16, showed that of 1900
feet Of 2 l-3 inch cotton hose belonging
to the department he reported 1000
feet in good condition and 600 feet in
fair condition. All apparatus and the
two horses in use were reported III good
condition. All hydrants have been in
spected, flushed and hose connections
oiled. All have been painted, thirty re-
paired and one installed at Front and
Gains streets. All fire escapes have
been inspected. Statistics in the report
showed 131 alarms since January l, that
the department has travelled eighty-four
and onehalf miles, spent sixty hours
fighting fires, laid %, 750 feet of hose,
raised 1854 feet of ladder, and used
S03 gallons of chemical The total loss
in buildings for the year is given at
$7323.87, insurance $4098.S7, and loss
on contents of buildings $10,077.38.
City Health office.
A report for the montheof November
by City Health Officer Miles showed
eleven cases of quarantine for contag-
ious diseases, 183 inspections and seven
teen complaints investigated. Death GER
tificates registered numbered thirty
eight. The total number of deaths in
Salem during the month was eleven.
three females and eight males. The total
number of births was twelve, seven fe-
males and five males.
Various Matters.
An ordinance bill assessing for the
Improvement of Leslie street was up for
third reading and passed. A similar bill
assessing for improvement of an alley
in the Charles Cartwright addition was
passed.
Two new street lights were recon-
mended by Alderman Nelson of the
light committee and four petitions de-
MED.
Three firms submitted bids for elev-
en- traffic street signs that are to be
placed at the fire limits ON all streets
entering the city. The bids were: Henry
Lee, $3.50; Nelson & Hamilton, $3.50;
James E. Dorrance, $3.S5.
An ordinance bill providing for ser
vice of notices of municipal assessments
levied upon real property, by pubhca-
ton in eleven successive publications in
a daily newspaper, when personal SER
vice cannot be had, was read first, sec
ond and third times and passed.
The council voted to loan the city
concrete mixer to Contractor F. A. Trix-
on to use on construction of the ap-
proach to the inter-county bridge.
The council adopted a resolution that
the city hall and spread free of charge
gravel for unimproved streets if the
property owners pay for the gravel.
B. L. ~Scharff was appointed patrol
officer to take the place Of George
Beatty, resigned.
A resolution establishing a schedule
of wages for employees of the street de-
partment was held over until the next
meeting.
A resolution was adopted declaringI
the intention of the council to assess
for the improvement of Fifth street.
Alderman Unruh was elected temper.
man in place of Mayor Keyes who was
absent owing to illness.
there are Americans.