Sigh Of Relief

The aldermen met in the city elerk's office last Monday on account of the bad s'hape in whieh the council chainber is at present. Mayor Harding was and is in Detroit selling bicycles, so President Schaffer had to wield the sceptre. Aid. Huston is dangeriiusly ill and iAld. Moore indisposed. Aid. Van Fossen was down to the Parish club talklng on birds and so he did not show top. The remaii:der of the cast of charaeters were present and tlie play went on. The Michigan 'Bell Telephone -omIany petitioned that the six telephones iii'iv in use by the city be vetained without any rental charge.-;. Aid. Da.vis moved that the petition be laid upon the table. 'AU1. Worden moved as a substituto that the petition be not accepted and the company be requested to remove the 'phooes at once. One aldeTman remarked thát tae Michigan Bell Teiephone corupatiy had 'rode the city ïong enough and it was time that the city rode the telephone company." The motio.i to have the company remove the 'phenes was carried unanimously and the New State compiuy was thereby giveu a big boost in business. Wm. Campbell made application for Ure appointmeut of scale inspector. 'i'jis is a neiv otlice and oiie wliich the aldermen had never besa introáuced to before so that they postponed action for two weefca to sea if it carne fi-om a good family and could be embraced as an alditioaal icember to the fold. The city aecepted the gift of Hrs. Oomwell of a lot near the wator ■niks for park purposes. O. D. Bassett and eight others fCered a protest against the assessment made against the premi ses Lor the S. Washington street sewer on the foliowing grounds: First, the surveyor's bill for his woi-k on :!:() feet is $33 wliich is equal to 10 cents pet foot; second, "the overseer or boss" was paid for his work $30 or for 18 days' work. líe said at the time th" work was begun that it ought to be done in a week. In ïaet, they only averaged 19 feet per da y and the pay of the boss and surveyor of nearly ?-t per day was the result. Third. The report of tliose who asceriained the imount to be assessed on a-ljoining premises eost $9. "Tliis pay altügnther too much" and they protested against such exorbitant charges and asked that they be reduced to au "honest" Tasis. It was referred to the board of public works. The board of public works, to whooo was referred back their fortner report on the petition rom the Michigan State Normal college for f ree vater ;o supply a fountain to be erected on the college gTounds, reported that they have had the matter again under eoRsideration and havo goae over the college ground.s. They vlewed the pioposed site for the fountain and cannot sea any reason why tiiey sho!viïd cliauge their forvuer report a:ul therefore again .. recominencled that tlie prayer of the petilioners be not granti il. The report was laid on the table Oor two weeiks, !President Schatter beitig the only one to vote ttr; the port. Then carne a scène of great rejoicing, it being none otter than the final payment of those celetn-ated Hillsdale railroad bonds and coupons. Wlien tin railroad was first construeted Ypsllanti bonded itself for S50.000 to help the road along. These bonds drew 8 per cent. interest. Tliey were iramediately gofobled up by Investors wlion the suprenie court made a decisión saying that su-ch action was illegal and money could not toe raised ii such a manner for such a purpose. The city 'had noHung left but to repulíate the bonds. The 'bondholders sued. The city resisted. The couit.t deeided it was a just d?bt, as the bondholders were innocent purciiaseTS. The city then had to go and rebond the issue for $S5,000 at 5 per cent. The expenses and everything made the whole thing foot up to over $105,000. This was 15 years ago and lor lü long years the pity has been paying on in overage of nearly $fi,OCK) and interest in order to wipe out the debt. A curious thiag about the natter is, that when the city repudia ted the bonds the bondholders got togelücr and made a proposición that they would sefctle tlie matter for s:5,000, and any one could have bo;iht ti.om for that amouut and cleaned up $50,000 if they liad liad the sand and money. By Aid. Worden- That fcho marshal be instructod to arrest the Sist railroad crew that bloekades the crosslng at Cross aud River streets ïtr more than five minutes at a time. Carried. The Presbyterians held a "Wlio Am I?" social at the home of Mr. aud llrs. D. O. Batchelder last Tuesday. I'iniied to the back of a person was the name of some notable person an;l tlie weart-r by questions had to guess their identïty of the person whose character he was assuming. Adam Forepaug-h and President MeKinley and all Intermedíate steps were represented. It afforded a great deal of amuse-ment.