The Wrangell sentinel., 1948-07-09
COUNCIL VOTES TO LEAVE
 TAX AT PRESENT r MILLS

Tuesday evening. voted to leave the tax asseasment rate at 17 mills as at present. Present at the meet ing were Couneilmen Lennie Eng- strom, Peter Mccormack, Meredith Cuatard and Howard Baltzo. They were presided over by Mayor Geo. Gunderson.
 The Council agreed. generally, that the home owner was bearing all the tax burden he could carry and, although 1t was further a. greed that further financing to carry on upkeep of streets, Install lation of sewers school. would have to be made by some method other than raise in taxes. A city sales tax such as Sitka employee and city control of liquor selling such as voted for In Petersburg were diseussed It was decided to get the reaction Of the public as to which method, or whatever oth- CT method would be most accept able.
 Dr John o. Bangeman was pres ent and reported, as City Health Officer, he had spent an entire al ternoon inspecting the sewage dis posal in the lower end of town and wished To report its unsanitary condition to the Coucnil He re- ported many Of the houses were still using outside toilets, and very few, in one certain section, which were equipped with toilets were connected up with a sew craze line and debris was being flushed into the ground and allow ed to seep to the surface at lower levels. Council admitted that the towns sewerage system was long overdue for attention and then en- sued the discussion on how to raise the money to take care of it.
 Dr. Bangeman also said he would like to thank, publicly, the employees of the city light plant, Gus Johnson, George Gunderson 8 garage, and. R. W. McKibben for their generous and valuable help in making certain equipment for the hospital.
 Dr. Bangeman also said il was time to start thinking about an immunization program and to re- quest mothers to have their child Ten immunizeds before going to school in the fall. He pointed out that typhoid ia spread by means of c.ttrier and although WrangelI has not suffered a typhoid epidem- ic as yet, one carrier coming 10 town could spread the disease if proper precautions were not taken.
 Fine Chief William Grant and Harry Coulter appeared before the Council to inquire disposition of that body toward installation of a fire alarm system in the town.
 Chief Grant, who appeared for the Fire Department, and Frank Webb, representing Al Friedman of the telephone company, said the telephone company would CO., operate Plan is to have buttons enclosed in plywood, glass-covered boxes installed at certain parts Of the town, especially the outlying areas, where, in case of fire, the call can be put in immediately ln- stead of having to hunt up to nearest telephone. It was pointed out this system would be particul- arly valuable down on the floats where the telephone company has difficulty in maintaining a tele- phone. Chief Grant said the alarm system should not cost the town over S25 for installation of 10 or 12 boxes. The telephone company said 1t would install them and keep them in order for $l each a month. Council was favorable to the idea as an added protection against fire and requested Chief Grant to pre- sent them with a diagram and all details as to where the boxes would be installed for thelr ap- royal, or disapproyal at the next Council meeting. Chief Grant also asked the Councils permission to order couplings, re-chargers and other routine equipment for the Fire Department to the amount of. around $200. Permission was giv- en.
 Olaf Hansen, Chester Steear and Fred Cunningham appeared before the Council to ask if money would not be obtainable from the Terri tory for construction of a pleasure boat float around the head of the bay and just inside the breakwater. MT. Hansen pointed out that this was a project considered by the town for many years but the town had never had the funds to carry 1t out. However. now, he said, 1t might be possible to get money from the Territory from the gas tax fund, as, he pointed out owners of pleasure boats pay their tax as well as others.
 Council agreed pleasure boats should have their own moorage and any such float would benefit the town for both local and visit ing yachts Meredith Custard. mem-