Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 May 1889 — TOWN HOARD MEETING. [ARTICLE]

TOWN HOARD MEETING.

On the first Monday in Jane the elect a County Superintendent. We think it may be taken for granted that Mr. Warren, the present incumbent, will be unanimously re-elected —as he deserves to be. - . . Through virtue of the Governor’s proclamation the laws passed by the late Legislature went into full force and effect, last Friday, at 2 o’clock p. m , or % least as many of them as have so far escaped the scrutiny of the Supreme Court.

The legislative committee in Illinois appointed to investigate the practicability of manufacturing biudmg twine in the Hlinois state prison, at Joliet, have made a favorable report They say the project is feasible and that twine can be manufactured in that institution at about 11 cents per pound. Enough can be manufactured there to half supply the demand in the whole state, v. / --- —— Gov. Hovey has appointed the "old reliable” Prof. John Collett, as State Geologist Prof. S. S. Corby, who was elected by the Legislature, is now in possession of the office, but is acting without having been sworn or commissioned. The courts will be called upon to settle the matter. If Prof. Collett succeeds in holding the place, upon him will devolve the appointment of State Mine, Oil and Gas Inspectors.

2--, The natural gas towns want the earth and all that dwell therein, and they are in a mighty good way for getting it. Consider, for instance, the increase over last year, in the number of school children, as shown by the recently completed enumeration, in the four prin*cipal gas towns of this state. In Kokomo tLis increase was 459, in Mancie 412, Marion 521 and in Anderson 630. These figures show at what a trremendous rate those towns are increasing in population.

In the abstracts of the new laws sent out by some of the Indianapolis papers, at the close of the state legislature, it was stated that the law requiring all hangings to be done in the state’s prisons put the whole state, except a few of the central counties, in the Jeffersonville hanging district. This was • an error, as all the counties north of the said central counties are put in the Michigan City district, where they naturally belong, and those south of the said counties in the Jeffersonville district The appointment of Col. Robert IS. Robertson, of Fort Wayne, as a member of the Utah Commission, was a very eommendible act upon the part of President Harrison. Col. Robertson has deserved much better political fortune than he has heretofore received, and this

acknowledgement of his high char* acter and great party services is anactwhieh the Republicans of Indiana and of the country generally, will heartily endorse. The appointment is a vfery desirable one, having a salary of $5,000 and duties that are not at all onerous. It is said that Postmaster General Wanamaker does not favor the proposition to reduce the letter postage to one cent, but thinks the better plan will be to improve and extend our present postal service. This view of the case is,, we think, entirely sound.' Letter postage is already the cheapest thing on earth, anyhow, in comparison to the value of the service rendered, and there is no general demand among the people at large for its reduction. There is no Goantry that has cheaper postage than we have, while, owing to the gi eat extent of the country and the consequent great length of the mail routes, the mail service is much more expensive here than in almost any other country that has as cheap postage. • Let, the service first be made better and faster and more absolutely reliable, and ,the reduction of postage can come later. . -

The Town Board met in regular monthly session last Monday night. This was the Board’s first meeting under the new arrangement of having the regular meeting night on the second Monday of each month, instead of the first Monday, as heretofore. The newly elected members, H. W. Porter and Emmet. Kannal, were present with their certificates of election, and took their seats as members of the Board, succeeding E. D. Rhoades and Alfred Thompson. - v The new Board elected N. W. Reeve as President of the Board. Upon him devolved the duty of appointing standing committoes, which he did as follows: Committee on Fire Protection: Kannal, Day and the Marshal. Committee on Streets: Phillips, Porter and the Marshal. Committee on Finance: Kannal, Porter and the President, The Marshal was directed to see that the alley through the middle of block 13, between the properties of Ellis Walton and J. W. McEwen, <fce., be opened within the next 30 days.

Sayler, Yates & Co., who, for some reason have not yet purchased their stone-cutting machine T asked the Board to consent to accept pounded stone on their 800 yard contract, at 75 cents per yard, in lieu of the machine-ground article. This the Board declined to do, but as test measure, a supplementary contract was made with the firm mentioned, whereby it was agreed that 100 yards of the pounded stone will be accepted, at 75 cts., per yard. This contract does not, in any way, invalidate the previous contract for the crushed stone, although it is not unlikely that if the pounded stone is found in every way satisfactory, that Saylor & Co., will be given permission later, to fill the 800 yard contract with that article.

The Misses Smith, from north of the railroad, asked the Boaid to pay them for land taken in opening Jefferson street along the rear of their five acre home property, nearly the whole width of which comes off of their land. They signed the petition for the street and were willing to give half of it,s width, bnfc no more than that. The Board decided not to grant their request The Marshal was directed to see that property owners clean up their back alleys, &c.