The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-03-12
CITY COMMISSION
BETTER THAN AS THOUGH
THEY HAD SOMETHING.

ing, out leaving out HluCH Oh the
waiting and many of the minor sub
jects that came up for mention, or
which was hestitated over because
someone could not recall the subject.
Effective March i, there was a
substantial raise given the men work
ing at the power plant. This matter
has not come out in open commits
s~ioners' meeting, but has been deter
mined outside. The fact was known,
of course, but there vas no actual
occurrence in the council chamber
that would acquaint the general pub
lie with the fact that they were pay
ing their public servants more mon
ey. The men were granted a wage
increase of $40 a month.
The remaining commissioners in
quire weakly for their lost brother,
A. G.. Schmidt, but the earth seems
to have swallowed him up. There is
an impenetrable obscurity envelopes
the absent one, shutting him off eff
fectively from his friends, much to
the distress of the commissioners,
who want him to return and assume
some If the work of managing the
city. But there is no answer to their
agonized appeals.
1t was thought earlier in the day
that there would be nj commission
ers' meeting } last night, as Mayor
Robertson was absent at Oldham.
But he showed up proudly. But
some of the other officers had re-
ceived the advice of the probability
of there not being a meeting and re-
manned away. Thus it was that City
Attorney G.. j. Porter failed to make
a report on the drafting of the ordi-
nance providing for the parking of
automobiles In the center of Egan
avenue instead of along the gutter,
and which ordinance is in support of
the resolution passed early in the
winter.
Some discussion ensued anent the
water meters, and about the prae-
ticability of having them outside the
cellar walls of a house, in the box
provided in the ordinance. 1t was
considered that ii would not be prac-
teal to uncover them during the ex-
tremely cold weather OF the winter.
Six dollars are going to be necessary
for the renter to get the water for a
half-year. A deposit is going to be
required, to guarantee at least the
minimum charge for the use of wa
ter. They're going to be real strict
and constituencies.
Away back in the dim past there
was a travelling salesman succeeded
In boring an order from the commits
sion for a gasoline engine and pump,
the primary purpose of which was
said at the time to be to wash the
sand and bed at the septic plant. No
thought has been given to 1t since,
and, indeed, ii had slipped from their
memories. 1t was recalled last night,
however, while n of the men was
in a fit OF abstraction, and he made
pertinent inquiries as to the fate OF
the ancient order. Nobody knew and
nobody seemed to care just where
the engine or an acknowledgment of
the order is at this time, and no ex-
element was shown.
There was no news of the fire
truck, either. Mayor Robertson was
only a few minutes at the auto show
at Sioux Falls, and there were none
there. and he had only an hour to
look around anyhow-and his soci-
ability would seriously circumscribe
his radius of action when restricted
to one single hour. And the city was
not testing out the fire truck, because
it had not arrived. So our mayor
was disappointed in the materializa-
tion of that long expected event, and
the fire truck problem is just as e
a solution as it was at the joyous hol-
iday period.
The commissioners answered an
inquiry as to the probability of build
ing a new power house in the mega
tive-with some show of conviction.
The matter of painting the standpipe
was touched upon ~delicately. but
nothing definite was said as to
whether it would be painted or not,
though it needs it badly enough.
There's time enough.
The old we'll at the pumping sta
ton must be repaired some, or the
top will fall in, 1t is said. 1t Is pur-
posed to make a cement slab over
the top.
At a small additional cost they are
thinking of authorizing an extension
of the sanitary sewer which they are
about to put in on Center street w.
to care for the water which normally
would run down that street from the
stubs of cutters around the corners
of Egan avenue. Thus there will be
a storm sewer attached to the upper
end of a sanitary sewer for temporary
convenience.
When the business was finally
done, and they had sat quite still for
a considerable time. it took VIM. Rae
to advise them that there was a way
10 get away from all that. and he sug