A Hot Meeting

The regular meeting of the council last evening was hot. The temperatura of the room was hot. The temperature of some of the aldermen seemed to be hot. They did uot give vent to their feeliugs by great bnrsts of impassioned eloqueuce, as this was headed off by reference to coramittees. Some of the tax payers may be hot, when they come to pay their increased taxes. The active members of the board of public works may be hot, and the street cominissioner hotter, at the attempt to ent down the latter's' wages. The lowest bidder on the new sewers may ba hot that the contract was not let. Bnt the laborers of the city will not be hot when they know that men like Aid. Prettyman, Laubengayer and Snyder stood up to protect home labor. It was fully ten minutes after eight o'clock before President Hiscock called the meeting to order. Among the visitors present was Mayor Walker, the flrst time since election, ex-alderman Manly and Mr. Schuh, of the board of public works. The delay in asssembling was caused by the members of the street committee discussing their proposed eastern junketing tour. The first fire was drawn by the recommendation of the board of public works that the contract for the new sewers be let to Henry Collins, of Detroit, the lowest bidder. Aid. Prettyman moved that the bid be received and adopted and City Attorney Kline be directed to prepare the necessaiy contract. Aid. Allmendinger thought they had better investígate the coutractor to see if he did satisfactory„work. City Attorney Kline said there weve some reports afloai about tlio standing of the contractor. They might not be true. They were all matters of record and could be easily investigated. President Hiscock thought this might cause delay. City Attorney Kline said that the giving of a bond by an irresponsible party was like buying a law snit. Aid. Maynard said he understood City Engineer Key had estimated the cost of the Hill street lateral at SñO.000 and Mr. Collin's bid was one half. It did not seem possible to some people that work could be done for the contract price. Aid. Prettyrnan said he had made the niotioii to bring the matter before the conucil. Last year after a pretty thorough iiivestigation they had found that nothing could be put iu tbe contract to protect home labor. He certainly would regret to see a lot of outside labor brought into the city, wh3n our own men can do the work. They had a promise from the contractors to use home labor where possible and the men had carried out their promise ftiirly well. Aid. Koch thought it was no more than right to give the lowest bidder the contract if he gave a satisfactory bond. He was a contractor himself and knew how it was. Aid. Taylor said there was such a discrepancy in the bids that they had better be investigated. He therefore moved as a substitute that the bids be referred to the sewer committee. Aid. Cady thought this might delay the work and he did not want to do anything to cause a delay. If the contractor gave satisfactory bonds they should accept his bid. ïhey could not undertake to fix the price of labor. The contractor woiúd fix the price, and if the Ann Arbor laborer accepted it all right, if not labor would be brought in from outside. The contractor would go into tb. 3 market and hire the laborer at the lowest price, as any business man would. He would not pay more just to accommodate Ann Arbor citizens. He might not want to pay moie than $1.10 or $1.15 per day. Aid. Butterfield advised caution. If the contractor was irresponsible.he was in a different frame, of mind from a responsible man. It was eminently proper that the contractor should be investigated. It was not always true that the lowest bid was the cheapest bid. The discrepancies iu the bids should be investigated and he favored the substitute. Aid. Prettyman spoke agaiu of tryiug to give Ann Arbor labor the preference. He did not believe in delay but if delay wonld help labor, ne would rather see a delay in letting the contract. Aid. Snyder and Laubengayer favored giving home labor the preference and thought the con tractors should express their viows. Aid. Prettyman by consent ftmended tho motion of reference so that the council should meet in one week to liear the sewer committee report. The motioa as amended was then passed ! inously. The cominunication of A. M. Clark, president of the board of public works calling attentioa to the ordinance pro, viding for a flve foot cement walk iu front of John H. Nickel's property on State street, was referred to the sidewailk conimitteee. He thought that perhaps through inadvertance the walk was ordered to be five feet in width when it should be as wide as the adjoiuing property. The report of John B. Miner findiug the treasurers and clerk's books in good condition was read. The old matter of a tile drain through the projerfcy of George W. Bullis on Washtenaw avenue carne ap in the form of a petition by Erumett Coon, D. E. DeForest, J. E. Wilson, Fred Baker, M. V. Wheeler, AM. Wilson andJ. Clay. It was referred to the street coinmittee. A petition for parking South University avenue so as to save the trees was referred. Aid. Brown read a long list of bilis which were allowed. Aid. Brown read the proposed tax levy for the new year. It altnost took the breath away from some of the aldermen. Aid. Taylor wanted to know if Ann Arbor ever had such a levy. Aid. Cady thought the levy would be about $11 000 more than lat year. President Hiscock said if they wanted improvements they must pay for them. Aid. Brown explained that the levy last year as $45,480 and this year $49,890, an increase of only $4,380 occasioned by the sewers. The schedule as amended was : street fund, $8,500; flre, $6,500; pólice, O00;poor, $3,500; water, $5,500; contingent, $4,000; hospital aid bond fund and interest, $3,360; bridge, culvert and crosswalk fund, $5,000; sewer, $8,000; main sewer bonds, $3,500. The motion to adopt the levy theu passed without a dissenting vote. Quicker in faot than the citizens will hustle to pay their tax. On the reconiinendation of the fire commissioners C. H. St. Clair and Dr. Conrad George were allowed to build frame structures in the flre limita. Alderman Maynard made a verbal report that the cornmitteee on the city lockup had looked over the ground and had talkèd with the sheriff and everythiug wonld uow be satisfactory. They could iise the couuty jail and there would be no trouble. The fire department ueeded the room in the city hall. He was given oue week in which to make n, written report. A lot of sidewalk repairs and new walks were ordered, which will carry dismay to those who were looking to thern to help collect damages from the city for injured toes. The bond of City Treasurer Manly was accepted. Aid. Brown reported without recommendation a bilí of City Attorney Kline for $20 for expenses in going to Jacksou and Port Huron in looking up the ruony on the recent Clark investigation. It was ordered paid, Aid. Brown, Prettyrnan, Coon, Butterfield and Cady voting no. A resolution of Aid. Allmendinger that the city advertise for bids for electric lighting for oue and for five years was referred to the iighting coinmittee. Aid. Koch moved that the salary of the street coniinissiouer be cut down one half. He said the work was being done very unsatisfactorily. There did not seeni to be any head to tlie work, but a lot of f oremen. Aid. Brown asked that Aid. Koch put his resolution in writing, , which he did making the salary, $33 per month. President Hiscock was afraid the resolutior was not in order, but City Attorney Kliue said the salary was subject to change by the oonnoil aud the motiou was entertaiued. Aid. Browu said the meaning of the resolution was to dismiss the present street commissioner. If he was wortta anythiug he was worth $800 per year. A poor man was dear at auy price. He moved as a stibstitute that the present street commissioner be continued. So far as he was coucerned he thought the street commissioner did his work well. He thought the resolution rather absui-d. Aid. Koch said in his judgmeut the (present street commissioner was not competent. He could not teil liis men what to do. Gravel was hauled all over the streets and then left in piles and not attended to. On motion of Aid. Coon a substituto to Aid. Brown's resolution was passed unanimonsly referring Aid. Koch's resolution to the street coinmittee. A resolution of Aid. Ferguson that State street be opened arcoss the Michigan Central railroad track was referred to the city attorney. The city funds were given to the State Savings bank and its bond fixed at $80,000. On motion of Aid. Prettyman the board of public works was anthorized to repair the bridge across the Michigan Central railroad tracks on Beakes street and charge the same to the railroad oompany. As the mayor and president of the council expect to be aosent from the city on motion of Aid. Prettyman Aid. Brown was elected president pro tem. It was uot until a late hour ou Monday night that the Council 1 journcd for one week, when another heated discussion may be confidently i expected,