Article Text
ALL CONSUMERS HIT By an Ordinance in Council That May Hamper Farm Hucksters. THE MATTER IS RECOMMITTED. Diamond Street Widening to be Thoroughly Looked Into. THAT MUNICIPAL LIEN BILL AGAIN After Common Council had appropriately referred a large batch of papers, petitions preliminary ordinances for minor improvements yesterday, including the greater one to widen Diamond street from Liberty avenue to Grant street, the Finance Committee reported with an affirmative recommendation an ordinance authorizing the police to arrest on view all persons found to be peddling without license and all persons found driving through the streets without a vehicle license. Mr. McGunnigle opposed consideration of the ordinance in its present form as placing any stranger from outside who might through the city in danger of arrest. It would be great injustice,he thought, to make every farmer, gardener or dairyman from the boroughs or townships outside the city pay city vehicle license. Besides, Mr. McGunnigle said, there was decision from the courts touching upon this question made a few years ago which would be as effective now as then. Mr. Magee defended the ordinance. It was necessary to have such a law in the city to prevent tax dodging. It had been his experience in the past that the man who came up promptly and paid his vehicle tax got the worst of it. This law was to prevent that. If gardener, farmer or dairyman, or an Allegheny man, came into the city with a license from his own bailiwick it would be accepted as a license in this city; otherwise he must take the consequences. This would compel all vehicle owners to pay their dues and be a great sav. ing to all interested. Moreover, he said, it would be nothing more than right to compel the farmers and dairymen to take out a license because they used the streets and bridges of the city and wore them out as much as city residents, and, if man drives out over the country roads and turnpikes, he pays license the shape of toll to drive over badly kept roads. REFERRED BACK. Mr. McGunnigle moved to recommit the ordinance to the Finance Committee for revision, which was agreed to. An ordinance authorizing the Controller to close up certain accounts of delinquent tax collectors and suspended banks, which cannot be collected and which appear upon the books of the city as cash, was reported from the Finance Committee and passed under a suspension of the rules. The ordinance authorizes the Controller to make total abatement of the balances carried in the suspended Pittsburg Savings Bank and the United Savings Bank, the deposits amounting to $28,576 01, from the amount charged against the City Treasurer. The Controller is also authorized to allow deduction of said amount from the debit of the amount of the treasurer's account current and strike off the balance from his own books. He is further authorized to close the accounts with the defunct banks, standing in the name of the following commiss for the improvement of streets under the Penn avenue act: Wylie avenue commissions, $2,950 50; Thirtythird street commissions, $43 89: Forbes street commissions, $336 26; Lincoln avenue commissions, $407 89: Hiland avenue $982 88. The treasurer authorized release from the accounts of defaulted tax collectors the amounts default pertaining to taxes prior to the year 1887 and to accept and mark the saine discharged. All the ordinances that were affirmatively mended by the Public Works Committee last ednesday were handed up in a bunch and referred to the Board of Viewers, excepting that for the extension of allingford street from Neville to Craig streets, those changing the names of Roup street to Negley avenue, Hamet street to Roup street and Landwehr street to Station street, all of which were indefinitely postponed. The following ordinances were passed finally: Authorizing a compromise with Mrs. Mary Ann Snyder for damages caused by the grading of Grand view avenue; granting Armstrong Bros. switch scale privileges on Twenty-fourth street. . The Committee on Surveys reported affirmatively the ordinance authorizing the widening of Diamond street from Grant to Liberty streets, but asked for an opinion on the matter from the City Solicitor before further action is taken. The suggestion was adopted and the ordinance was referred to the Board of Viewers with the request that they thoroughly investigate and report, in the fullest detail, the cost of the proposed improvement, the dam80 days. ages caused and the benefits to pay for it, within President Holliday appointed Messrs. Bigham, Gardner and Maguire as the Common branch of the joint committee to go to Harrisburg to oppose the Newmeyer municipal lein bill. KICKING UP A MUSS. A bill of $1,216 18 from the Philadelphia Company for regulators, service pipe constructions and other attachments used in supplying the city department buildings with natural gas, was offered by Mr. Magee, with a resolution that it be paid. Mr. Magee said, in submitting the bill, that it had been discussed in the Finance Committee, but they could not agree upon its disposition. The Philadelphia Company was under contract to furnish the city with free gas, but the ordinance which made the contract also provided that the city should pay for all pipe connections required in furnishing the supply; consequently he thought the bill should be paid. Mr. Gardner objected to paying the company $25 each for regulators which belonged to the company The deposit required for regulator in dwelling was only $5, and more gas was consumed in a dwelling than in fire engine house. Why the city should pay 80 much more to he failed see. Wm. McGunnigle thought the bill was preposterous. He believed that someone had stumbled across the figures, and thought it might be good way to get $1,200 out of the city the Councilmen would be foolish enough to pay it they could, but he would oppose any such proceeding. The bill dated back to 1884. If was all straight and honest, why had not the bill been presented before? The regulators all over the city were the property of the Philadelphia Company, and why should the city pay for what could not belong to her? streets were badly need of repairs, and he thought if Councils had 81, they had no use for, it could much better be used to the on street Philadelphia repairs than making a present of it Company A vote was taken on the adoption of the resolution, and it was defeated. MORE KICK AND MORE MUSS. Mr. Can asked to call the attention of Councils to bill that is now under consideration in the State Legislature which is designed to effect Pittsburg, providing for the extension of the fire limits to cover the whole city. He thought the bill unjust, and advised Councils to take action toward having it amended or defeated. Mr. Magee and Mr. Culbertson said the bill was good one and should be passed. It placed the erection of buildings ywhere in the city under the care of the Board on Wooden Buildings, and while it would not totally prevent the erection of wooden buildings, would restrict the erection of that class of structures where it would be unsafe and undesirable to have them. Mr. Bigham said the bill would place too much power with the Building Committee, and cause too much delay. Mr. Ferguson opposed the bill in vehement terms. It might be all right, he said, if the power was delegated to a fair and impartial board, but with the wooden building board of this city it would be a great power in a very bad place. When the roll was called on the adoption of the resolution was found a quorum was not present, and Councils adjourned without further action, SELECTMEN DID LITTLE, Except to Wrangle About on Engine House
