Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1922-03-08
COUNCIL ORDERS
OBSTRUCTION ON
REED ST. MOVED
No One Has Authority
to Obstruct Paved
Street
MAYOR IS CRITICISED
Johnson De-
clares He's Tired of
Presumption

Police were instructed by council
last night to notify whoever is block
ing Reed street at each end of the
block on which is located the colored
school to discontinue such practice,
and ordered a traffic officer on duty
at the school to prevent violations of
traffic ordinances during the recess
hours of the school. The matter
was brought up by President Dineen
and provoked some lively discussion.
President Dineen said he would
like to know by whose authority the
street had been closed during the re-
cess hours at the school, or at any
other hour. Alderman Browning
said that he and two others had call
ed on the mayor and had secured
permission to put bars across the
street to prevent school children be-
ing injured by speeders on what
Browning termed the Reed street
race track"
The city attorney was asked if
anyone had authority to close a pub
lie street of the city without consult
ing council. The city attorney said
that streets could only be closed by
ordinance, with the consent of prop
erty owners. lderman Pearce said
he thought it setting rather bad
precedent to close a street every time
anyone wanted one closed without
consulting te convenience Of public
or considering the purposes for
which public streets are laid out and
paved. He called attention to the
Mellon schools location, citing that
it is just as near both Lemon and
Reed streets as the colored school is.
Johnson Criticises Action.
Alderman Johnson said he had re-
Trained from commenting on the
matter when twas first brought up
for the reason that he had had so
much to say recently about actions
of the mayor, who showed a disre-
gard for authority of council, that
he felt a little reticent about COM
menting on the closing of Reed
street, but that he felt that some
thing should be done to stop the dis
regard of council in all matters that
were clearly within the province OF
the board. He asked who paid for
putting up the distractions and AL
derman Browning said that the city
did.
81 think it has come to a pretty
pass when the city pays for viola
ton of it's own laws" commented
Alderman johnson.
Alderman Smith offered a resolu-
ton that the persons placing the OBJ
structions across the street be noti-
fled that they are violating te law
and to stop it, and that the police be
instructed to have an officer there
to regulate traffic during the recess
hours. Then te question arose as
to how to provide the policeman as
there is only one officer on duty
during the day. Officer Lawrence
who is on night duty, volunteered to
come down and be on duty at the
school during the recess hour, and
the resolution was passed.
There was some discussion as to
whether or not a resolution was nec-
essary to prevent violations of law
but it was deemed proper to pass
one so as to bring the matter to a
head.
Bids for Tank Repairs.
Sealed bids for repairing teh stand
pipe were opened. The 7. J. Barnett
company bid $2,29l.5O, and the "a
latka Foundry and Machine company
bid sS,925. Both bids were referred
to the water committee and the city
engineer. The question was raisec
that if a bid is accepted, how is the
money to be raised to pay for the
work. No one answered.
The chief of police rendered a re
port in which he showed that durins
February he collected $172.5O from
fines and pound fees, and that dur
ing the year he had collected mor'
than $500 from fines and fees. rsy
City Tax Assessor Walton sax
that he had written off about 20