Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-12-10
SESSION
OF THE CITY COUNCIL
COVERS WIDE RANGE
Municipal improvements Ordered
While Notable Changes In
Methods Discussed
CURFEW ORDINANCE
NOT TO BE CHANGED
Proposal To Pay All City EN-
ployees Semi Monthly Fails
BY A Bare Tie Vote

With all the members present the
city council held a session last even
ing which continued exactly two hours
and gave the opportunity of consider
ing a wide range of public business.
Progress was made in connection with
several important public improvements
and action taken in several matters
of general interest
A contrac. was awarded for sewer
on Murray avenue from First to Sec
ond streets, and IL was reported that
Porter hall, the new home of the In
dependent Fire company. was prac-
tically compile ed, so that the contract
or, Griscom & Co, could receive final
payment, except for a small reserve
withheld pending the action of the
architect of the building. Malcolm
Hunter.
Bids Widely Divergent
A wide divergence manifested itself
in the two bids for the construction of
the square-long sewer on Murray ave-
nue.. c. A. Howard offered to do the
work for $1.451, while the bid of ID. w.
Bright, which was accepted by the
council, placed the cost at $53S.S0. The
latter was accepted. The square Is
one upon which a considerable amount
of residen ial building is now going on,
and more is in prospect. pending the
certainty of ordinary city conveniences
there.
The meeting of the council was also
interesting for the things that were
sugges ed and defeated For instance,
the proposition to limit the effect of
the recently passed curfew ordinance,
by permitting children to be unattend-
ed on the streets up to 10 o'clock in
the evening during the period from
December % to January /. was defeat
ed by vote of z to 3. 1t was proposed
in an order offered by Alderman Levy
at the previous meeting, and which
came up last night under the head of
unfinished business.
Curfew Ban Not Lifted
Alderman Levy said that he had
seen a number of those who had sup
ported the original ordinance, and that
they had stated that they saw no harm
in the proposed change. However, 1t
was stated on the floor of the council
that Miss McNaseby, the special OFF,
Ger of the city, through whose efforts
the ordinance was proposed and pass
ed, was not favorable to the change.
She was quoted as feeling that there
should see that their children we're at
tended on the streets at night during
the holiday season as at any other time
and that it would weaken the whole
ordinance IL an exception was made.
Alderman Smith and others spoke
along the same general line, and the
proposition was defeated by the vote
of z to 3.
Precedent Nearly Destroyed
Quite unexpectedly, the council was
plunged into discussion of the sys-
tenn of paying ciy employees, and mar
nowly missed accomplishing a COM
plete change in the method that has
prevailed since the chartering Of the
municipality; namely, change from
monthly TO semi-monthly payments
In fact the proposition lost on tie
vote, five to five.
The matter came before the coun-
Gil when the recommendation of the
Waterwitch Hook and Ladder COM
pany of John K Sherger as driver of
the aerial truck, was placed before
the body Mr.. Sherger asked to be
paid semi-mon hly, and this initiated
a discussion as to whether 1t would
be advisable to pay all employees in
this way. A careful perusal of the
Code indicated that there was no legal
bar to the system, and, though, the
motion to follow it failed by tie vote,
1t was decided to keep the matter in
mind. There is a strong probability
that IL will be made the rule after the
first of the year. Incidentally, an orr
der was passed to pay all city en-
ployees and officials their salaries, due
January /, on December IS, following
the old ante-Chris mas custom.
After DeIlnquents
There was quite serious discus
sin of the failure of several property
owners in the Fourth ward to comply
with the law compelling the laying OF
sidewalks on curbed streets. Alder
man Adams complained that some
property owners who should have
paved the sidewalks as much as three
years ago, had failed 10 do SO, and
that a condition existed which was
disagreeable to those using the streets
in those sections, and also created a
danger OF injury and consequent suits
against the city. The City Commis-
sioner was directed to take the legal