Santa Monica: Short Extension . . . 18 March 1896 Los Angeles Times, p. 13
Santa Monica--March 17. -- (Regular correspondence.) The Board of Trustees, at its regular meeting Monday evening, allowed Frank Moir an extension of ten days in which to begin work under his contract for the construction of a trunk sewer system. He presented a petition asking forty-five days extra time, but the request was refused by a vote of Trustees Lewis, Roth and Carrillo, Trustees Vawter and Jones voting in favor of granting it. In explanation of his request declared that he had been unable to negotiate the sale of the bonds which he had agreed to take in payment of his work, at a higher figure than 94 per cent, of their face value.
Trustee Lewis opposed the extension of time on the ground that there had already been too much delay. He said that one man who he knew would have, before this, started to build a three-story block were it not for the fact that there was no sewer.
Trustee Jones favored the extension, for he thought its refusal would necessitate a new issue of bonds at 6 per cent, instead of 5 per cent. Trustee Vawter thought it would expedite the matters to grant the extension.
A.B. Hotchkiss, Esq., of Los Angeles, representing Mr. Moir, urged that there were certain legal objections against the validity of the bonds, which objections he did not wish to make public. If there could only be some arrangement made to use the bonds as currency and pay them to Mr. Moir as compensation for his work, he (Moir) was ready to begin at once.
City Attorney Tanner said he could find no law which would authorize the disposal of the bonds otherwise than for gold coin.
By a vote of Trustees Jones, Vawter and Roth, it was, a few minutes later, decided to give Mr. Moir a ten-days' extension of time to begin work.
Other Business:
A petition asking that at the coming municipal election, the question: "Shall saloons be hereafter licensed in Santa Monica?" be submitted to voters was received. It was explained that it would be likely to complicate matters to have the question submitted at that time, as the election had already been formerly called. The petition was referred back to the petitioners to agree upon some scheme for holding a special election for the purpose.
The City Attorney as instructed to prepare an ordinance for the ample protection of birds if there is no suitable law or ordinance in existence.
A complaint of J. Titus and others about the nuisance caused by the dog pound was received and it was ordered that the pound be removed to where if would not be a nuisance.
Ordinances were adopted as follows: Ordering the regrading of Fourth street, near Railroad avenue; declaring intention to grade Tenth street, between Oregon and Nevada avenues.
Trustee Lewis favored requesting the Southern Pacific Company to bear a part of the expense of the bulkhead necessitated along the southerly side of Railroad avenue for a short distance easterly from Ocean avenue. He urged that if the company were not inclined to be liberal in the matter the Trustees might think it advisable to put a fence or sidewalk along the southerly side of Railroad avenue, past Second street, so as to block ingress and egress to and from the company's freighthouse. Other trustees objected to that form of diplomacy, as did also City Attorney Tanner, and the proposition failed to receive necessary support. It was ordered that the bridge on Fourth street, north of Railroad avenue, be torn down and the material used in the bulkhead in question.