The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1921-03-24
CITY COUNCIL NOTES

The city council met in regular ses-
sion Monday evening.
A bond issue ordinance was ordered
to publication. 1t provides for $7o,
600 in bonds at which sum the city's
share Of this years paving is estimated.
The city will probably split $3.50 with
the abuttng property owners.
There were four bids for building the
proposed incinerator plant at the for
mer electric station on Quay street.
One was irregular and not considered.
The bids ranged from $1,000 to S19,-
500. The bids were referred to the
committee on sanitation. In this CON
nection the protest of the Oriental mills
to locating a garbage incinerator so
near its Touring mill was read.
An ordinance was introduced which
if adopted will attempt to compel the
street railway company to sprinkle
along its track, with oil or water, to
correspond with the rest Of the street
A resolution was adopted protesting
against bill pending at Madison de-
creasing in favor of the state the per-
-centage of income taxes that goes to
cities. 1t would mean loss to Manito-
woe of about $4,000.
Another pending bill at Madison af-
fecting the bonding limit for cities pre-
cipitated discussion of an hour. The
Socialists saw the principle of public
ownership involved and Thompson,
Nogel, Klusmeyer, Drumm and Wergin
all indulged in fiery soap-box orations.
The city attorney explained that the
bill could not possibly affect the local
situation and the council, to 6, voted
to take no action, defeat for the
Socialists.
The attorney had on file a written
opinion holding that the law required
the city to collect interest on deferred
payments of paving assessments last
summer and that the interest paid,
amounting to about $500 could not be
refunded as demanded.
The annual report of the chief of
police of the departments activities
during 1920 was on file OF the 1SO
arrests during the year about a third
were for traffic law violations. There
were 25 arrests for speeding, II for
turning wrong, I6 for passing standing
street cars and seYeral.9tbers. The re-
port has the customary array of de
tailed statistics including the number
of signs tackled up, the number of
store doors found unlocked and the
like. Fines and costs collected are 81
1886. Twenty-Five arrests for speed
ing sounds like a joke Any one can
count that many violations on North
Eighth street in ten minutse any noon
in summer
The annual report of the city utili-
ties commission by its president, John
j, Kelley, was on file, 1t makes
rather startling claim that the two
utilities, water and electricity, acquired
respectively in 1911 and 1912 at a total
cost of S393,5OO are worth today $685.
296.95, without any additions of eapi-
tai except from earnings. The water
plant earned S15,I53, and the electric
plant Sl9, 1884 in 1920. These are net.
Even taxes are charged against the
plants The present bonded debt of
the plants, part of the purchase price
debt, is S2l9,OOO The plants recently
turned $4,000 into the city treasury,
nearly l3 per cent of the original pur
chase price With low rates and high
priced fuel the commission takes some
iustifable pride in the showing, which
it credits largely to absence of the
blight of petty politics"
The council voted $4,000 to the
Tenth street bridge contractors on
100000 more in value certified to be
now accomplished on the bascule in
process of construction, but the mayor
expressed dissatisfaction with the
speed shown and said he would hold
up the order until some machinery
Iona promised comes into view, The
time limit for the completed job has
expired and the bridge is far from
completion.
The street at and leading to the Lit
tie Manitowoc bridge, an old source Of
constant trouble, came in for atten-
ton 1t certainly needs attention and
it was ordered to he given. The street
car company was ordered to do some
planking there under penalty of having
it done by the city at the companys
expense,