Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1920-05-07
City Hall Doings


the commissioners met in regular
weekly session. Animation was de-
picted in every face and the rapid rate
Of speech used, plainly indicated the
degree of nervous tension hat seems
to be gripping everybody, as the long
looked for hour approacheth. Much
Interest centered round the JOURNAL
reporter, because of the unpleasant no
toriety to which be has lately been
subjected, relative to his candidacy for
commissioner. In the past week most
aud extraordinary efforts
have been put forth ~ certain political
workers to induce him, by unfair
means, to withdraw from the contest
and desert the cause OF the people, but
he has resisted all the doubtful meth
DDS used aud stands as firmly today for
the rights of the citizens as he did
when he published his announcement
in the JOURNAL Of April 23d.
1t was eight minutes after TWO o'clock
when the Mayor said suavely: "Meet-
ing come to order" 1t did not take
long for the city clerk to get busy.
The roll was called and then she
plunged into the minute reading vor-
tex as if such a tedious process had no
terrors for her. She finished lin a trice,
and then the water superintendent
was called to the bat. He made a
home run without stopping for breath,
as he told how he had augmented the
flow of sparkling aqua the last week,
from the city mains to private dwell
Iings, etc., in q cases, repaired four
meters, inspected eight leaks and read
ings and added six new to
our list as follows: Wildwood venue
and board walk, for Charles Douglass;
Maple avenue west of New York ave
nue., for Albert Durham; Lake road,
between Heather and Crocus, for G. j..
Strouse; 18th and 18th streets, North
Wildwood, for H. H. Ottens. Exten-
sions to our water system on 18th and
10th streets are now completed and
work on 11th street is being rapidly
pushed.
Receipts in the tax department
showed up a trifle better this week over
last, thus So, 323.28 These figures look
ominous: 1928 %, does that mean
"skidoo" for our present Finance Com
missioner? What else could this
strange repetition portend? Water re-
ceipts are lowest ebb. 500. "a.
Yesterday was a day of reports, be-
cause tickle April just went ont and In
cane tripping, smiling May. The
catch Of City Clerk Helen Geisenber-
ger didn't look so bad for April-'like
Niobe, all tears" aud here is what she
did: Mercantile licenses, $500; dog
licenses, So "a; rent from lodges, SIS,
and street permits, $25; total for April
1922 "a.
Next the city clerk read the report
of Wsrreu Kalbach, city electrician;
Certificates issued in April 20, permits
granted %, a total of $75. J. q. Wig
ham, city plumbing inspector, couldn't
hold a candle to Kalbach when 1t came
to collections, for he gathered in dur
ing the month just passed but $27.50
for ten permits and two registrations.
When Building Inspector Nicker-
sons report was read we learned that
he had Issued twenty-four building
permits for the fourth month, collect
ing fees in the sum Of S65. The value
of the building operations covered by
his report was $50, 740. All reports
having been heard new business was
taken up and Ordinance No. 103 passed
and a new public rest room on the
ocean side of the board walk at Magno-
liza avenue is assured. The cost shall
not exceed $6, 200.
"Why not let them finish their work?
They want only one term more" This
was the insidious propaganda that
proved to be a big factor in re-electing
the present Commissioners for a second
term in May, 1916. At that time the
High school building was far from
completed and the big trunk line sewer
system was in course of construction.
1t was given out that unless the old
commissioners were reelected, all OF
the public improvements then under
way would be held up. This subtle
electioneering scheme worked beauti-
fully and the old gang went in again,
but 1t wasn't true hat they wanted
only II term more, for they are all in
the field again, trying to grab a third
term from a tired and oppressed body
of people. If two terms were ''good
enough for Washington" why isn't
two terms good enough for our chronic
office-seeking triplets. Why not go to
the polls on May 18th to obtain the
only redress the citizens would get
from him. So said Mayor Smith last