The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-11-15
CITY WILL HAVE
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

! tnnlOlMAO LlUlllL
i An appropriation of 81 900 wa:
voted by the City Council yesterday
in a regular session to swell the
fund necessary to provide the an
nual Christmas lighting OF the city
streets suspended during the war
Contribution of a Christmas tree
to be placed at the City Hall wa:
authorized.
Other action taken by the coun
Gil included a request for com
plete report on the cost to the city
of making water and sewerage con
nections and a recommendation
that a fireboat be secured for the
harbor.
Representatives Of the Mer.
chants Retail association told the
council that the lowest bid for the
renovation, installation and re-
moval of the Christmas lights this
season was $3.50, submitted by
the Tidewater Power company. In
addition, $3.50 will be spent fo1
advertising purposes, the council
was told.
Prewar cost Of Christmas lights
was $1,4O0, it was said, and the
increased amount for this year is
reflection of higher cost of ma
teria]s and labor. OF tae total
So, 900 to be spent, North Fourth
street merchants have voted to
contribute $500 to $500, the city
voted $1,000 and the remainder
will be given by downtown mer.
chants.
Tentative lighting plans, as out
lined to the council, will include
strings of lights along Market,
Princess, Red Cross, Grace, Chest
nut and North Fourth streets. The
lights will be installed by the last
Thursday in November, it was
stated, and the $685. will cover
costs from installation to removal.
Cost of making sewerage and
water line connections came in for
the most lengthy discussion Of the
council session.
Councilman r. S. LeGwin ques-
toned the high cost of making the
connections now, and inquired if
reductions could be made. He
moved that existing charges for
connections for water and sewer
age-for dirt roads $45, for paved
streets $50 - be cut in a blanket
reduction.
Councilman James E. L. Wade
offered a substitute motion to re-
duce the charges for making the
connections to the actual cost OF
the installations, since the cost Of
materials and labor fluctuate. City
Manager A. c. Nichols pointed out
that fluctuating price charges
would lead to disputes. Nichols
suggested that an average cost
could be arrived at if the Water
and Sewerage department made a
survey.
Councilman Garland S. Currin
put Nichols suggestion in the form
OF a motion which was defeated
by negative votes of councilmen
Wade, LeGwin and Yopp. Wade
then made a substitute motion that
would charge property owners the
exact amount it cost the city to
make connections; there was no
second to the motion. Currin moved
that Nichols make a survey Of
actual cost to the city and report
back to the council, and his motion
was passed with Wade dissenting
on the grounds it was fixing an
arbitrary rate on property owners.
Wade asked the City Manager to
contact proper Federal authorities
with a view to replacing the fire
boat at the waterfront with a new
one. According to his information,
Wade said, such fireboats will be
available to municipalities with
Waterfronts At the present time,
Nichols has negotiations under way
to secure a new hull for the present
boat.
In other council action!
Harold Sternberger, recently dis.
charged from the army, success
fully protested against the $100
privilege tax charged for house
toulouse advertising. On the mo-
ton Of Wade, the tax was reduced
to its pre-war sum, $40. A city
ordnance previously provided that
The tax be lowered to $50 Jan. !,
1916.
Il. B. Howard, president of the
Jaycees, petitioned the council te
purchase a $500 bond for the fight
against tuberculosis and upon the
motion OF councilman Currin the
council voted to do so.
n the petition for the Negro
school on Second street the council.
decided to establish safety traffic
zones at the school.
City Attorney w. B. Campbell
was authorized to follow up action
for the council on the proposed
necktie plant to be erected or
Thirteenth and Marsteller streets,
and close the pending lease.
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