The Cairo Bulletin

COUNCIL MEETING.
THE POLICEMEN INFORMED THEIR SALARY CAN NOT BE RAISED.
THE CITY PRINTING QUESTION FINALLY SETTLED.
EXTRAVAGANT PURCHASES OF PENCILS AND PENS. ETC, ETC, ETC.
A special meeting of the city council was held at the council chamber yesterday afternoon.
All the members of the council were present with Mayor Wood presiding.
PROPOSED SPECIAL ASSESSMENT.
The committee on streets laid before the meeting a communication recommending that a special assessment be made against the property fronting on Ohio levee to raise means to defray the expense of graveilling that street.
The communication together with the recommendations of the committee, were referred to the ordinance committee. with instructions to draft an ordinance in accordance with the recommendation therein contained.
IT CAN'T BE DID.
The committee on police and jail, to whom was referred the petition of the police constables asking that their pay be made equal to $75 in money, reported that in their opinion the council could do nothing in the matter.
CONTRACT FILED.
Alderman Morris. from the committee on printing. presented the contract between John H. Oberly. party of the first part and the city of Cairo, party of the second part for the city printing for the year ending June 5, 1874. The contract was signed by Mr. Oberly, all the members of the printing committee. and having received the signature of Mayor Wood, was ordered to be filed in the city clerk's office.
BOARD OF HEALTH REPORT.
The mayor. as chairman of the board of health. submitted a communication to the council, setting forth what the board had done and what it was doing. A synopsis of the report will appear in the council proceedings to be published in THE Bulletin to-morrow morning. At the conclusion of the reading of the report the mayor stated his object in submitting the communication to be because some of the papers of the city were endeavoring to make it appear that the board of health were "letting the city go to the dogs." He said this was not true; the officers were and had been doing all they could to have the city thoroughly cleansed. They had been embarrassed in their work by the wet weather. No sooner would they get to work than down would come a heavy rain, and then they would not be able to do anything for days. The fault was not so much with the city officials as it was with the weather clerk in sending too much rain. Not only this but the city had not money enough to employ a whole gang of men to go about and clean up. They had done the best they could under the circumstances, and that was all that could be expected of them.
SCRIP-SOMETHING MUST BE DONE.
The mayor also submitted a communication setting forth that certain parties were on the streets taking all the city scrip they can get at reduced rates: that no city taxes had been collected for a long time, and none could be collected before April, 1874; and that the expense of running the city until that time would necessarily throw a large amount of scrip on the market, and that unless some action was taken to prevent it, city orders would go down to 55 or 60 cents on the dollar. He suggested the conversion of the outstanding, interest bearing scrip into bonds, bearing the same rate of interest, and to run three, four and five years. The communication was referred to the finance committee for their consideration and report.
BILLS ALLOWED AND REFERRED.
A large number of bills were presented and allowed.
The bill of $10 from Dr. Evans for professional services on a prisoner in the city jail was reported back by the committee on claims with the recommendation that it be referred to the city attorney for his opinion as to whether the city was compelled to pay it. It seems the prisoner received his injuries in a house of ill-fame before he fell into the hands of the police.
The bill of H. A. Hannon for $10 50 for pens, ink, paper, etc., for the city treasurer and comptroller was sent back, with the recommendation that $7 50 be allowed in full of the bill
Alderman Morris said he wished to call attention to the difference in the bills made by the clerk and those made by the treasurer. The clerk used pens worth seventy-five cents a box while the treasurer had to have pens worth $2 50 and $3 a box; the clerk bought pencils worth fifty cents a dozen while the treasurer's cost one dollar and twenty-five cents a dozen.
The clerk arose and corrected the Alderman. He said he did not buy pencils at the expense of the city.