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 City Engineer 
 
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 MDNICIPAL SITUATION. 
 
 . , ... , .., -^ .4. .,..^.. o ,' ,r r Quebec, March 1878. 
 
 i:ti v^5 
 
 The public mind has become alarmed of late at the 
 alledged mismanagementof the civic concern. It is there- 
 fore incumbent on us, at this juncture, to take a retros- 
 pective view of the management for some years past, say 
 since 1865, with the view of finding out if possible 
 where the fault lies and how it can be remedied or 
 avoided in the future. About 1865 things were near- 
 ly in as bad a condition as they are now, for in 1864, 
 the then mayor, Mr. Tourangeau, in his yearly report 
 sets forth that in 1858, the debt of the city was $2,244,- 
 000, and had increased to $2,546,000, or by more than 
 $300,000 in the interval. Mr. Tourangeau says " for 
 several years past the expenditure has always exceeded 
 the revenue. $1,242,000 worth of debentures, he adds, 
 had at that time been issued instead of the $1,100,000 
 then authorized, or $124,000 more than the city had a 
 right to issue, and $71,000 worth of promissory notes 
 had been given in addition to the above." He goes on 
 to say that the sinking fund for 1864 was $24,500, 
 that the whole fund at that date was $160,400, adding 
 to which the interest thereon, then $18,000, increased 
 the fund to $178,000. Nevertheless, says he, the City 
 indebtedness, on the other hand, has gone on steadily 
 increasing to the extent of the annual deficits. 
 
Mayor Lemesurier in 1868, reports the City debt 
 to be $2,524,883, adding to which he says, the probable 
 deficit for the previous 2 years and 4 months or from 
 1st January 1866 to 1st may 1868, $145,662, shows a 
 gross City debt of $2,670,545, to that date, though it 
 appears by the report of the same gentleman for the 
 year following to have been reduced to $2,605,000. 
 
 The city debt for 1875 is given by the present 
 Mayor, see his report for 1875-76, as $3,219,597 and 
 it may at present (1878) be taken at $3,500,000 ; so 
 that the increase since 1864-65 is about one million of 
 dollars. ^ .^ 
 
 Now the question naturally arises : how has this 
 increase in the last 12 years been brought about and 
 what is there to show for it. To this end I have pre- 
 pared and herewith submit for the information of the 
 the public the annexed statements ( Nos. 1, 2 and 3 ) 
 which cannot but prove interesting and instructive, 
 and afford material for a thorough and unbiassed dis- 
 cussion of the situation and its surroundings. 
 
 Statement No. 1 shows that many improvements 
 asked for and approved of at the time by the public, 
 though now for the most part forgotten, have been 
 carried out within the last 12 or 13 years : such as the 
 widening of Champlain, St. Ours and other streets, 
 the reconstruction of St. Johij Gate and the removal 
 of the other city gates, the establishment of the Fire 
 Alarm Telegraph and Fire Stations, the Jacquea 
 Cartier and Berthelot new market Halls, new pontoons, 
 the paving of St. Peter street, etc. ; with other im* 
 
 Krovements of more recent date under the present 
 [ayor and Council, to wit : the new ferry landing 
 pier, pontoons and stages at the Finlay market, the 
 improvement in Mountain hill, enlargement of the 
 
Jacques Cartier market, the paving of St. Paul and 
 Joseph streets and macadamising of St. John St. 
 without, the lowering of the city walls, grading and 
 improvements along Rampart street from Hebert street 
 to Palace gate, the three new steam fire engines and 
 fire wells, the $143,0(y) already paid on account of the 
 North Shore Railroad, the new line of pipe and 
 bridge 700 feet in length, over the river St. Charles 
 $30,500 ; the new Montcalm market and market hall 
 $45,500 to date, the prolongation of St. Patrick street 
 from St. Eustache street to D'Auteuil street, the widen- 
 ing of Des Soeurs street, the prolongation of Dal- 
 housie street $125,000, to which add the Qosford 
 Railway stock, the amounts necessary to make good 
 arrears in school, jail and jury funds, the cost of 
 debentures, $85,000. . . 
 
 But in addition to these improvements, for the bulk 
 of which debentures have been issued to cover the cost 
 thereof, there is another appended statement (No 2) of 
 works of a more modest nature, but which in the aggre- 
 gate figure up to nearly a hundred thousand dollars and 
 which have been in great part, or rather are supposed 
 to have been paid for out of the ordinary revenues 
 of the city, and like the former mostly done during 
 the last 4 years : such as lettering of streets and 
 numbering of houses $1,500, retaining walls along 
 cote d' Abraham and elsewhere $4,500, removing of 
 dangerous clifi* in Champlain street $1000, Durham 
 Terrace repairs $3000, widening St. Lewis and D'Au- 
 teuil streets with new railing and sidewalk 1200 
 feet $2000, widening of and new fence along St. Denis 
 and Ursule streets 1250 feet $1,500, stone crossings 
 and sidewalks $15,000, illumination in 1874 $1000 
 the last Provincial Exhibition $6,500. Add inevitable 
 outlay for additions, alterations and i/epairs, for the 
 last decade, to such municipal property as our fire and 
 
police stations $10,000, market Jialls $11,000, City 
 Hall, Recorder's Court and other city property $16,000, 
 Provincial Exhibition of 1871 $4000, new stairway 
 from Cove field to Champlain street, new carter stands 
 and repairs to others, repairs to public stairways at St. 
 Claire, St. Augustin, Buade, Champlain and several 
 other streets ; cattle stands, railings, sheds and repairs ; 
 repairs to pontoons, wintering, towing, putting iu place 
 and removing, with alterations of slips from summer 
 to winter requirements and vice versa ; winter road to 
 Island of Orleans, enclosure walls and fences not 
 only to Corporation property and lots about the city, 
 but where without being proprietors, it is incumbent 
 on the city to do the needful, in exchange for ground 
 ceded to widen streets, as for instance the enclosure wall 
 around the Protestant Cemetery in St. John Street, the 
 fence alon^ St. Charles street, &c. 
 
 ■^ ■■-■ ■ -»■,»■, .:■ . -if -■». 
 
 All these works are outside of and additional to 
 such other works as may be charged to Roads Depart- 
 ment proper. Markets Department, Water Works, &c., 
 on which thousands of dollars have been annually ex- 
 pended for miles of planked roads, sidewalks, 
 introduction of water and drainage, street cleansing, 
 repairing and watering, and a host of other items of 
 expenditure too numerous to mention. ; "^ 
 
 "•^3%* >. 
 
 I now approach the question of our yearly budgets 
 of appropriations and expenditure for the same period 
 of 12 years or since 1865. I have been at no little 
 trouble in putting together the figures which make up 
 the statement No. 3 hereunto annexed. These figures 
 could not be taken ready made from the City Treasu- 
 rer's annual reports, and hence their verification by 
 mere inspection need not be looked for in those docu- 
 ments. In 1865-66 for instance, the police and fire 
 departments were but one, and the expenditure incident 
 
to each is now given under the separate heads thereof. 
 In the summary at the heginning of each yearly report, 
 the amounts entered under the different heads of roads, 
 markets, ferry, health, fire, water, i&e., are exclusive of 
 outstanding accounts paid in the same year, and I have 
 of course added these amounts, thus in most cases 
 notably altering the figures which at first sight might 
 be taken to mean the total yearly expenditure under 
 such heads. In the same way the salaries for the few 
 first years of the series were entered under the heads 
 of the department to which they appertained, whereas 
 since that time they have been invariably grouped un- 
 der a single heading, that of " Salaries f so that to 
 render the comparison intelligible, I have eliminated 
 the items and brought them together under their pro- 
 per heads of expenditure. 
 
 ,\. A glance at the annexed tabular statementj No. 3, 
 will show that we have, like the ostrich which when it 
 hides its head, thinks its pursuers will not see 
 it ; we have, I say, been persistently and systematically 
 blind to the fact which every year stared us in the 
 face, that our appropriations under many heads, were 
 figures that could not be adhered to in the expenditure 
 under such heads. How many times have I not pointed 
 out that for items the expenditure on which was beyond 
 our control, it was useless and unfair, it w^as madness 
 to put down an inadequate sum, and as often have I 
 failed in my endeavours to bring about a reform. No, 
 the budget had to be made out and it was necessary to 
 make it appear that both ends met. 
 
 Some items of expenditure are wholly uncontrol- 
 lable, while others are partly so. Interest and sinking 
 fund are among the first, with schools, jail and jury 
 fund, jail guard, legal expenses, light and fuel, c&c. ; 
 while, under the second head we have water works, 
 
6 
 
 ferry and pontoons, winter service on roads and mar- 
 kets, together with the cleansing thereof and indispen- 
 sable repairs thereto; we have printing, advertising and 
 stationery; repairs to municipal buildings and insurances, 
 police, salaries, fire, &c. What do we find upon consulting 
 the figures in etatement No. 3 ? that while $9,000 to 
 $ll,0iOO are put down in the yearly appropriations for 
 light and fuel, $11,000 to $13,000 have as regularly 
 been expended. Again look at the item for legal ex- 
 penses which has regularly cost us for the last ten 
 years 50 per cent more than the sum assigned to it in 
 the yearly appropriation sheet or some $6,000 instead 
 of $4,000 yeaily. Next, take out the items under head 
 of ^* Schools, Jail and Jury, Elections " and we find 
 that where $3,000 to $5,000 have generally been ap- 
 propriated, the expenditure has reached $8,000 to 
 $12,000 and more, that for 1876 being $12,289 while 
 the appropriation towards the payment of such a sum 
 is but $3,034. On printing, advertising and stationery, 
 the yearly deficit has been less than on other items, not 
 generally exceeding from 20 to 30 per cent, 
 
 They early cost of mere management of our Water 
 Works, and of repairing leaks, thawing w^ater and other 
 -uncon^roZ/aWe items of expenditure under that head is 
 $10,000 ; and yet in the face of such a fact, we find 
 that the appropriation has in one year (1873) been as 
 low as $3,500. It is true that on the item for miscel- 
 laneous and unforeseen expenses w^e appear to have 
 kept within bounds, and even to have had a balance at 
 our credit, but which was more than eaten up in car- 
 rying out some of the special works set forth in the an- 
 nexed statement No. 2. 
 
 Now, what has been the consequence of our thus 
 proving false to ourselves and to the public, — and this 
 reproach addresses itself not more to the present Coun- 
 
cil than to its predecessors for 15 or 20 years past or 
 even more ? the consequence has been that under the 
 head of Boads, among others, we have yearly put down 
 an amount which had no real existence, since it was 
 made up of the deficits already alluded to on Light and 
 Fuel, Schools, Jail and Jury Fund, Legal Expenses, 
 Water Works, etc. 
 
 The result has been most unsatisfactory to the 
 public and prejudicial to the reputation of the present 
 and former members of our City Council for aaminis- 
 trative ability and wisdom. , 
 
 One of two things had to be done and must be 
 done in the future, to wit : put down the incriminated 
 items at their true and inevitable cost. The Finance 
 Committee and Treasurer could then have come honest- 
 ly before the Council, and the Council before the 
 f)ublic, and have declared in the face of broadest day 
 ight, that the interest on the public debt, the sinking 
 fund and all other items of uncontrollable expenditure 
 being allowed for, there remained nothing for roads or 
 markets, excepting may be, the mere cost of cleansing 
 them two or three times a year ; nothing for city im-» 
 provements of the slightest nature, nothing for exten- 
 sion of water works in streets as yet unsupplied. What 
 blame could then have been attached to this or former 
 Councils, to the present incumbent of the City Chair 
 or to those who sat there before him ? none whatever. 
 
 The public would thus' have judged for itself and 
 seen the inevitable necessity of increasing in some way or 
 other the City revenue, so as to leave a margin for repairs 
 and improvements to our thoroughfares and places of 
 
 {mblic ressort, to our wharves, ppn toons, ferry and market 
 andings, and for the extension of our Water Works ; 
 and would have been impressed with the necessity of 
 
8 
 
 making the whole community contribute its quota of 
 assessments and adequate water rates towards the well 
 being of the municipal situation. The importance of 
 collecting a larger per centage of the city revenue would 
 then have been made apparent and some means taken, 
 a per centage to collectors or other stringent means of 
 reducing the yearly arrears, which they certainly 
 should and can be, to a figure less by far than the 48 
 per cent of bad debts which obtained not many years 
 ago, and the still alarming figure of 26 per cent as 
 stated by the chairman of the Finance Committee at a 
 recent joint meeting of the Committee on amendments 
 to the City Charter and of many prominent members 
 of the Citizens Association. . ,3- -^ . ^. *^ .. 
 
 f.>f ri t-^." 
 
 Let it be hoped that no such unwise resolution 
 will ever be adopted by the City Council as that of 
 declaring that all arrears uncollectable shall be struck 
 from the record at the end of each fiscal year, as, 
 though no doubt well meant, was recommended at page 
 21 of the yearly report for 1873-74. What would the 
 effect of this be, but that many would, for some plausi- 
 ble reason or other, delay payment of their civic dues 
 till the end of the fiscal year and then escape Scot free 
 and laugh in their sleeve at their more unfortunate 
 neighbors. 
 
 ■n ^^v>.^_.'y-i%ii:- i^/ 
 
 
 On the contrary, when all has been collected that 
 can be, from parties willing to pay and calling at or 
 sending to the City Hall to make good their taxes and 
 water rates, one or more collectors should be set at work 
 to collect the remainder or some more notable portion 
 of it than now obtains, and if as the public seems to 
 imagine, there be any spare time among the oflScials of 
 the finance department, such time would be well and pro- 
 fitably spent in making out accounts of arrears for such 
 collectors, and their salaries well earned at that. What 
 
9 
 
 do we find at Ottawa ? I know of it, having myself re- 
 sided there for two years. The collector of taxes is by 
 law empowered on the very day he presents himself to 
 collect what you owe to the city, to seize your piano or 
 other piece of furniture which he may consider avail- 
 able for the purpose. The consequence is : there are no 
 bad debts there, but the whole revenue is collected as 
 it is here with the Gas Company. 
 
 I have already said 1/iat in 1865 matters were 
 about as bad as they are at present and I gave Mayor 
 Tourangeau's own w^ords to prove it. The great com- 
 plaint then was, as it is now, i. e., that each committee 
 overdrew its appropriations, and, wanting] in unity of 
 action, spent all it could without regard to the require- 
 ments of any other. To put a stop to this, the Legis- 
 lature enacted in 1866 " that all expenditure by com- 
 mittees should cease and that all the works should be 
 centred in a " Department of Works with a responsi- 
 ble Superintendent at the head of such department." 
 It fell to my lot to obtain this responsible situation and 
 as is well known, (the figures in statement 3 bear 
 me out in this assertion.) I managed, though with 
 much difficulty, to make both ends meet within a few 
 dollars, the saving of expenditure under one head 
 balancing the excess on another, and the total expen- 
 diture under all heads, — exclusive of interest and sink- 
 ing fund with which I had no concern, — was (as may 
 be seen by putting the figures together) within the ap- 
 propriations for 1866, 7, 8 and 9, by over $3000. 
 
 Under the administration of the undersigned, in 
 > his then capacity of Superintendant of works, under 
 that clause of the city charter of 1866 establising " the 
 department of works," the yearly appropriations and 
 expenditures exclusive of interest and sinking fund 
 were as follows, to-wit : 
 
10 
 
 A. O. Appropriations. Expenditure. 
 
 1866 $137,721 90 $120,468 55 
 
 1867 127,647 38 125,876 78 
 
 1868 112,273 38 117,377 87 
 
 1869 129,692 38 140,539 90 
 
 1507,335 04 $604,263 10 
 504,263 10 . 
 
 \ ■ t :" 
 
 $ 3,071 94 
 
 . ' y ,-■■ 
 
 Showing a saving to the city of over $3000 in the 
 four years during which the above cited clause remain- 
 ed in force ; while in the following eight years from 
 1870 to 1877 inclusively, the total deficit under the 
 same heads has attained the alarming figure of $251,- 
 351.81 as will soon be shown. 
 
 In 1870, the then committees, jealous of my pre- 
 rogatives and displeased at not having as theretofore 
 any patronage at their disposal, caused the obnoxious 
 clause in the law to be repealed under the specious and 
 plausible plea that it was not safe to invest a single in- 
 dividual with such power. The consequence of the 
 change, however beneficial to myself, in throwing the 
 responsibility onto other shoulders, has proved, as 
 might from past experience have been foreseen, highly 
 disastrous to the city finances, which the figuresi n appen- 
 dix 3 will again show. / - 
 
 The deficit in 1870 on all items, exclusive as before, 
 of interest and sinking fund, was not less than $42,800, 
 in 1871 the deficit was nearly $30,000, in 1872 over 
 $9,000, in 1873 $39,000 and over, in 1874 $30,000, in 
 1875 $31,000, in 1876 $39,000 and in 1877 the deficit 
 
11 
 
 will at the end of the fiscal year in May next amount to 
 gome $30,000 as set forth in detail in the following 
 statement to wit : 
 
 Under the old system which prevailed previously to 
 1866 and which has again obtained since 1870, the ex- 
 penditure on appropriations, exclusive of interest and 
 sinking fund, being left to the several committees, 
 
 ' The yearly deficit was as follows : 
 
 A. D. Appropriations. Expenditure. Yearly deficit. 
 
 1870 $113,031 01 $155,846 84 $42,815 93 
 
 1871 142,486 07 172,080 32 29,594 25 
 
 1872 141,413 70 150,685 29 9,271 59 
 
 1873 113,984 41 153,430 19 39,445 78 
 
 1874 133,121 33 168,582 83 30,461 50 
 
 1875 156,841 34 187,682 40 30,841 06 
 
 1876 115,936 22 154,986 40 39,050 18 
 
 1877 128,807 57 158,679 09 29,871 52 
 
 Total deficit in 8 years or since 1870 
 
 inclusively $251,351 81 
 
 Or an average yearly deficit of. 31,418 98 
 
 under all heads exclusive of interest and sinking fund. 
 
 And in taking in these two last mentioned items, 
 the annual deficits have on more than one occasion ex- 
 ceeded $60,0000, see evidence of chairman of Finance 
 Committee before committee of investigation. 
 
 Now, if the Road Department only be considered, 
 the deficit or over expenditure is found to have been 
 some $6,000 in 1870, $7,000 in 1871, $14,800 in 1873, 
 $20,000 in 1874 and $11,500 in 1875. In 1876 how- 
 ever the deficit in the roads or excess of expenditure over 
 
12 
 
 appropriations was but $5,800 and lias this year been 
 further reduced to about $2,000 only ;. that is, when 
 including the $2,000 expended on Dalhousie Street, 
 but if those $2,000 be left out, there has been no over 
 expenditure this year undei* the head of Roads. It is 
 • therefore seen that while the whole deficit, exclusive 
 as already said of interest and sinking fund, has ranged 
 during the last eight years between $27,000 and 
 43,000 or an average of over $31,000, the deficit on 
 the Roads Department alone averages but $7,500 or 
 a quarter of the whole ; so that it will not be convenient 
 now, as it has proved before, to throw the whole onus 
 of the deficit on the Roads Department as has been 
 done more than once and notably in 1875 when it was 
 asserted that " a total deficit of some $62,000 in the 
 " whole City expenditure at that time, was to a great 
 " extent brought about by the action of the Roads 
 " Department." No, the deficit on the Roads, as just 
 stated, is but 25 per cent of the whole and the remain- 
 der is made up as I have already shown, by under 
 estimating the cost of light and fuel, legal expenses, 
 schools, jail and jury fund, the cost of the Fire Depart- 
 ment and of managing the Water Works. >.: ,^> l-. 
 
 Tlie total of yearly appropriations is given by me 
 in statement No. 3 under all heads inclusive of 
 Interest and Sinkind Fund. The total sinking fund 
 for the 12 years under consideration amounts, as 
 seen in said annexed statement No. 3 to $332,695 85. 
 How much of this fund has already been devoted to the 
 extinction of our City indebtedness, I am not aware, 
 but likely the investigation committee can find that out 
 by the sworn evidence of those who for the period have 
 had control of the finance department, and then by the 
 addition, to the fund, of the accrued interest which, by 
 law, is to be added to said fund and form part thereof, 
 it will be seen what the fund has been at different time?, 
 what it now amounts to, what it should amount to. 
 
O 
 
 I have said before that we have been systematically 
 blind to the real and total cost of items over the ex- 
 penditure for which we can have no control and which 
 by entering in the the yearly appropriation sheets at 
 figures which could not be borne out, we have led our- 
 selves to believe that amounts were on hand for City 
 improvements which had no existence. Now, not only 
 have we thus expended the already overcharged figures 
 of the appropriation sheet, but we have gone far beyond 
 that and exceeded the appropriations themselves as 
 already shown. ■ ; '"/''; 
 
 ' When any work presented itself for consideration, 
 any City improvement of whatever nature to our roads, 
 markets, municipal property, &c., we have, to render 
 it acceptable to the Council and to the public, under- 
 estimated its cost to a serious and even culpable 
 extent, and that in the very face of figures to the con- 
 trary set forth and openly stated by the City Engineer. 
 The Engineer's estimate for the new aqueduct bridge 
 and additional line of pipe 700 ft. long over the river 
 St. Charles was $25,000 and yet it was laughed at in 
 open Council by a certain ex-member who stated that 
 he had the opinion of competent engineers that the 
 work would not cost more than $11,000, forgetting as 
 he evidently did that in addition to the bridge proper 
 there were some $9,000 to be paid in Scotland for the 
 700 ft. of tubing with the necessary valves and stop- 
 cocks and that considerable sums in addition would 
 have to be paid for lead for joints and for labour. My 
 estimate has been borne out and the bridge has, as I 
 anticipated, cost the $25,000 exclusive of the $1,250 
 expended on it in 1876 to remove the central pier and 
 thus widen the water way and diminish the current 
 and obstruction to the flow of ice in the spring, com- 
 plained of by D. Bell in his suit of $40,000 against the 
 Corporation to cause said bridge to be removed. 
 
14 
 
 A more glaring example however of this repre- 
 hensible system of under estimating the cost of a de- 
 sired improvement, and so under-estimated, precisely 
 for the purpose of rendering it acceptable to the Council 
 £.nd to the general public, is the new Montcalm Market 
 which, upon completing the plans therefor, I immediately 
 set down at $50 CX)0. That would not do, that would 
 not go down with the majority of the Council ; nothing 
 must be said of the necessary purchase of the Joseph 
 property, nor of the cost of levelling the ground and 
 making footways ; the cost of lighting might be a se- 
 perate consideration as well as that of hooks and other 
 inside fittings for the stalls. The consequence is that 
 the authorized amount of debentures for this work was 
 but $27,400 or that of the lowest tender to do the work 
 enclusive of the addenda hereinabove stated, and if 
 from this be deducted the discount and cost of exchange, 
 there really remains but $25,000 or thereabouts : just 
 one-half of the amount necessary to carry out the im- 
 provement ; for, as I show in statement No. 1 hereunto 
 appended, the cost of this market to date is $45,500 
 and when $4,500 have been expended as must be, in 
 levelling the ground in rear of the building, the very 
 figure put down by me at the commencement of the 
 work, will have been realized. « , 
 
 The wise way would be, when dealing with the 
 public funds, to do quite the contrary and over- 
 estimate the cost of an improvement rather than set 
 it down at an amount which can by no possibility 
 be borne out in the execution. I may, to be sure, 
 build a house for $2,000 and it is and to all intents 
 and purposes can be called a house, without the 
 danger of my being taxed with a desire to mislead 
 myself or the proprietor ; but when the heating appa- 
 ratus has been added, the baths and sinks and closets, 
 the gas fixings, winter sashes and outer doors together 
 
15 
 
 with such details as hat and clock pins (Sx;., the house in 
 question may have cost $4,000 or more instead of $2,000, 
 ar*d a wise proprietor or an agent who like a city re- 
 presei/t?tive is charged with the expenditure of monies 
 held in t":ust by him at the hands of the tax payers, 
 should and would put down the whole possible cost of 
 any undertaking, so far as he can ascertain it, at its 
 liighest possible figure. 
 
 Again, I say, we have not done this ; and not only 
 have we not done this, whi^h might be called a mere 
 fault of omission, but we have understated that which 
 we were certain could not be realized, and having done 
 so, having in our appropriation sheets led ourselves and 
 the public to believe that after having fully provided 
 for all uncontrollable items of expenditure, we had a 
 surplus for City improvements, we did not dare to 
 belie ourselves and tell the public that the whole 
 thing was an illusion, and hence the necessity (the 
 revenues of the City not proving adequate thereto) of 
 raising money on debentures and on promissory notes 
 which now foot up to the awkward sum of $400,000 or 
 thereabout. 
 
 "' There is no use in shirking the question, you may 
 issue debentures again and .again to consolidate your 
 floating debt as you have already done every ten years 
 or more in the past and are likely to do in the future, 
 but all that will not decrease your yearly deficits. 
 
 Mismanagement is often hinted at and openly 
 thrust at the municipal body. True there may have 
 been some mismanagement of the funds, some unwise 
 expenditure in laying planked roadways in such tho- 
 roughfares as St, Joseph, St. Vallier, Craig, D'aiguillon 
 and other streets, against the direct protest of the City 
 Engineer, thought under the plausible pretext of the 
 
16. 
 
 funds did not allow of doing better ; there may I say 
 have been some mismanagement of the funds, but it 
 was one of the judgment, while the true mismanage- 
 ment, that which may me called culpable, has been in 
 the management, not of the funds, but of the figures 
 representing those funds, as I have fully shown where 
 opposite to several items of incontrollable expenditure 
 the most inadequate figures have been set down. 
 
 There is no use in our our mending matters 
 for a year or two to come, but provision must be 
 made for fully 10 or 20 years or more. When 
 debentures to the extent of $500,000 have b^en 
 issued to make up the amount necessary to conso- 
 lidate our floating debt, and the interest we are 
 called upon to pay shall have been thus increased 
 by some $35,000, let it not be forgotten that $70,000 
 more must be added to this one item of interest so soon 
 as we shall have paid out the balance of our million to 
 the North Shore Kailway, and thus another hundred 
 thousand dollars added to our yearly budget of expen- 
 diture. The situation is an alarming one and no altera- 
 tion in the municipal representation can control it. r^-n 
 
 ";^**'^ Reduce your representatives at the Council board 
 to eight, to three or to one and no remedy can thereby be 
 found for the inadequate revenue of the City. Our 
 present expenditure on uncontrollable items alone may 
 be taken as fully equal to the receipis of the last fiscal 
 year or say $380,000, while the whole expenditure will 
 amount to $110,000, leaving a deficit of $30,000. Now, 
 this deficit can not be made much less, since during the 
 present fiscal year every thing has been cut down to 
 starvation level. This deficit, I say again, is not enti- 
 rely due to mismanagement and cannot by any process 
 be made much less than what it is, unless to be sure you 
 are willing to put out all the gas and coal oil lamps 
 
•17 
 
 and thus save $10,000 yearly to the City, thereby re- 
 ducing the deficit from $30,000 down to $20,000. Again 
 you may* if you consider it advisable, disband a portion 
 of the City police ( when I was in Ottawa in 1863 to 
 1865 there was but one single policeman for the whole 
 Gty) and thus reduce the deficit by another $10,000. 
 Where is the remainder to come from ? not from the 
 appropriation to water works which is but $10,000 and 
 its expenditure uncontrollable to that extent. There is 
 but one more source from which a saving can be made, 
 the fire departement, by reducing the brigade below 
 one-half its present force, or by again reducing the 
 Police to such a number of men as can be paid for out 
 of $5,000 instead of $25,000 the actual cost, with, may- 
 be something on salaries or by any possible reduction of 
 the stafil ii^ [HiH t 
 
 Already, for the last ten years, I l^ave saved the 
 City over $2,000 a year by reducing tne number of 
 gas lanterns from 400 to 300, say $22,000 and more 
 in the ten years, and it is matter for consideration with 
 us, on account of our impoverished condition and inabi- 
 lity to pay for luxuries, whether, when the ground is 
 white with snow during winter, we could not economise 
 considerably in the item of street lighting, seeing that 
 the cost thereof for the season, must on account of the 
 length of the night, be fully two thirds of the whole ; 
 and again, are we not accustomed to be left in the lurch 
 by the Gas Company, every time the moon fails to shine 
 though chronicled to do so in the calendar ? 
 
 If the public can not and will not put up with 
 ' these reductions on light, police and fire, or on light 
 and police only, and it is not likely they can consent 
 to any such curtailing of the inadequate security now 
 aflforded by our small police force, then I say, and it 
 must to every man in the community be apparent, that 
 
 2 
 
18 
 
 our City Bevenue must be increased ; first, by a sum of 
 $30,000 to cover the annual deficit, next by a fiirther sum 
 of $35,000 for interest on the debt to be consolidated 
 and again by an additional sum of $70,000 as interest 
 on our subscription to the N. S. Rail Road, as I do not 
 see that for some years to come the profits on the road 
 are likely to afford us a helping hand in that direction. 
 We have therefore to increase our revenue by fully 
 $135,000, or by more than 33 per cent of its actual ^ 
 
 ■t-. ■} -I'll* * :'.' 
 
 As I have said before, these figures are arrived at by 
 keeping the expenditure on all controllable works at 
 starvation level, as has this year been done on the 
 markets and roads ; and to allow merely for ordinary 
 repairs, and for miscellaneous and unforeseen, some 
 $15,000 more should be added to the above figure of 
 $135,000, increasing it to say $150,000. To realize this, 
 I have already shown by a statement made by the pre- 
 sident of the finance committee that 26 per cent of the 
 revenue remains uncollected. Now if the 74 per cent 
 collected produces, which it does, $380,000, the remain- 
 ing 26 per cent would increase that amount by $133,000; 
 so that if it were possible to collect the whole revenue 
 we should then have to provide but for $17,000 addi- 
 tional revenue to make up the required amount, or if 
 only $100,000 of the arrears could be collected (leaving 
 8 per cent for bad debts, on the total yearly revenue of 
 $400,000) which, I think, could and should be done, we 
 should then have to provide for only $50,000 by 
 additional taxation. 
 
 And let us not forget that all this is irrespective 
 of future improvements which, if carried out, must add 
 to our yearly indebtedness by some $7,000 for every 
 $100,000 we expend, as in the proposed new street pa- 
 rallel to St. Paul St., the widening of St. John St., 
 
19 
 
 the prolongation of Durham Terrace, the necessitj 
 some day, of a new Recorder's Court ; the inevitable 
 paving of St. Paul St. from Henderson St. to St. Joseph 
 St, the paving of St. Vallier, Craig and Desfosses Sts. ; 
 the paving of Buade, Fabrique, St. Jolin St. within, 
 Champlain, Sous-le-Fort and other thoroughfares such 
 as Palace Hill, and Abraham St. and the unpaved 
 portion of Mountain Hill ; while such streets as Gallows 
 and Hope Hills should be paved in some cheap way to 
 guard against the continual wearing away of road bed 
 by the irresistable action of water during stormy 
 weather ; or say 2i miles of paved roadway, some 
 13,000 ft. lineal at $10 a foot, another $130,000 ; or, 
 including St. Andr^ St. and the other improvements 
 above mentioned, another half million of dollars, or an 
 additional increase of $35,000 in the annual City ex- 
 penditure. . . '^ ^ 
 
 
 >^i05 I had almost forgotten to allude to our subscrip- 
 tion of another half million or more to the Lake St. 
 John Railway which may some day entail a further 
 increase of another $35,000 to our municipal taxation. 
 
 v^ How the additional amount of $150,000 is to be 
 realized, with the further annual sum of $35,000 for 
 the above mentioned improvements, if ever carried out, 
 I need hardly offer an opinion on, this matter having 
 been long before the public and our City press fully 
 capable of discussing it intelligently ; but when we are 
 told that Toronto with a population not much exceeding 
 our own, contributes nearly a million to its City Coffers, 
 it would seem easy for us to realize someting like two- 
 thirds of that amount, either by the whole community 
 contributing, inclusive of the Federal and Local Govern- 
 ments in respect to the properties thereunto appertaining, 
 or by some increase in the present rates together with 
 that from new sources of revenue. 
 
20 
 
 At the same time I shall have made out a pretty 
 conclusive case, from the comparison of the saving 
 to the City during the years 1866 to 1869 inclusively 
 under my administration as ** Superintendant of works " 
 and of the $250,000 loss to the City under the dis- 
 jointed action of committees, that to keep within tho 
 limits of our yearly appropriations it would be safe, 
 prudent and wi?e to center all certificates for payment 
 of works, supplies and services of whatever nature, 
 in one committee, leaving to the other committees 
 their full sphere of usefulness in the settement of many 
 questions of daily occurrence affecting the several de- 
 partments without the entail of expenditure. ; ? 
 
 This, the councillors themselves cannot but admit 
 and have frequently admitted to myself and others, 
 councillor Vallier having openly expressed the same 
 opinion before the joint committee of the council and 
 of the citizens association on the proposed amendments 
 to the City Charter, and it is but reasonable that such 
 should be the case, and each of the City representives 
 benefited thereby, and, by being deprived of all pa- 
 tronage, thus enabled to refuse with a good grace the 
 granting of favours in return for electioneering services, 
 or promises remunerative of services to come../ ^^ ;? v , 
 
 I have shown at the commencement of this state- 
 ment of facts that the public debt in 1864 was $2,546,000, 
 say over 2i millions of dollars ; to day, it appears to be 
 some 3 J millions, and it needs but to glance at appendix 
 2 and to take-in the annual deficits since 1870, not to 
 be surprised at the increase of debt in the 13 years. 
 For my part I am, if any thing, astonished that with such 
 a deficit as that of over a quarter of a million of dollars 
 since 1870, the City debt be not even greater than it is, 
 and the only explanation for it is the low price at which 
 the works and improvements in appendices 1 and 2 
 
21 
 
 have been carried out and which in any other City but 
 Quebec, where every thing is at starvation level, would 
 have probably cost twice the amount. 
 
 As is now seen, and all who understand the situa- 
 tion must admit it ; His Worship the Mayor has on many 
 occasions alluded to it : the whole difficulty lies in the in- 
 adequacy of our revenue to meet even current and inevi- 
 table expenses, and exclusive of every possible city im- 
 provement of the most modest nature. To this is due the 
 whole mal-administration of the civic concern, with the 
 exception of course of the deficit under investigation in 
 the City Treasurers Department. Yes, to the in- 
 sufficiency of our yearly revenue is due our yearly 
 deficits and to these last the existence of our promissory 
 notes and the necessity for anticipating on our deben- 
 tures and thus increasing by so much the figure of our 
 City debt. 
 
 •» 
 The road department I have shown to be respon- 
 sible for about 25 per cent or one quarter of the total 
 deficit and how this has been brought about I shall 
 now show. The yearly appropriation to the Roads 
 Committee since 1869 has been some $7,000 to $13,000, 
 say on an average $10,000 exclusive of votes for special 
 works. Now this amount of $10,000 is barely sufficient 
 to sweep and cleanse some of our leading thoroughfares 
 once or twice a week, othei's once a month, and most of our 
 streets but once or twice in the season, to repair dan- 
 gerous holes in planked roads and wharves, lay wooden 
 sidewalks, &c., and perform winter service ; and the 
 successive Eoad Committees have been reminded of 
 this, time and again, by the City Engineer ; notwith- 
 standing which, between 1869 and 1875 more especially, 
 the aforesaid sum of $10,000 has been constantly 
 trenched upon and made to pay for considerable sections 
 of planked roadway, macadam and other works in placet 
 
22 
 
 wlier^, however needed, it could not be afifbrded. In 
 this way the whole appropriation to the Koads has 
 generally been expended in the first 3 or 4 months of 
 the fiscal year and nothing left for fall or winter ser- 
 vice* The committee has then come before the council 
 for a supplementary appropriation which has as often 
 been granted, with the hope that it might perhaps be 
 made good out of some possible increase in the yearly 
 receipts, or that a surplus might obtain during the 
 ensuing fiscal year wherewith to cover the over- 
 expenditure. The duty of the road committee was to 
 heed the warnings of its engineer, which it seldom has 
 doncy or if not worthy of their confidence, to have called 
 upon the council to replace him by some one in whom 
 they could confide and then allow themselves to be 
 guided by his counsellings. ^ , .^ „. 
 
 That things will be better managed in the future, 
 let us hope. Most of our indispensible improvements 
 have been carried out. The widening of Champlain St., 
 formely but 17 to 20 feet in width, could hardly have 
 been dispended with. St. Ours Street was widened as a 
 protection against fire from St. Sauveur. It was 
 indispensable that a new street be opened parallel 
 to St. Peter Street to relieve that overcrowded thorough- 
 fare, and that Des Soeurs St. be widened and pro- 
 longed Irom Mountain Hill to meet it. It is imperative 
 that there be at least one other street parallel to St: 
 Paul Street, and in view of the increase of proprety in 
 that locality incident on the early completion of the 
 Harbour Improvements, it is certainly expedient that 
 no undue delay obtain in laying out St. Andr6 St., 
 estimated to cost $70,000, as in a year or two hence it 
 may cost double the money to do the work. 
 
 As to St. John Street within, if our finances do not 
 improve, I am afraid we must put up with it, as it is, 
 
23 
 
 for a few years more. Few of our streets comparatively 
 need paving, say 2 J miles out of the 36, the others may 
 be kept in repair at less than the cost for interest on 
 the outlay necessary to improve them in a more perma- 
 nent manner. No more market extension, I hope, will 
 be heard of, for years to come, and no more market halls. 
 The City Hall can do duty for another decade^ and so 
 must the Recorder's Court, unsightly though it be.. We 
 have done subscribing to Railroads, I imagine, or we 
 should be, and had we not been in such a hurry to 
 award a contract for St. John Gate, another year would 
 have saved us the $35,000 it has cost us. _ 
 
 Our ferry service, wharves, pontoons and landing 
 slips are in good condition for several years to come, 
 with the exception of course of yearly repairs to these 
 as to all our other city property. Our Fire Depart- 
 ment is now on an efficient basis. The city gates have 
 given way before public opinion. Our Rampart walls 
 have been lowered and repaired, and when another 
 $1,000 has been expended in grading Rampart St. 
 near Palace Gate, an easy access will have been secured 
 round by the Grand Battery, from the lowest to the 
 highest levels of the city. 
 
 t:^ 
 
 ,r I. A great deal of what has been considered indis- 
 pensable for teix years past has now been brought about, 
 and when Durham Terrace has been prolonged to the 
 foot of the Citadel and the finest promenade which any 
 city in the world can boast of, thus secured, I for one shall 
 feel satisfied of the achievement and look for very little 
 more towards the embellishment of old Quebec, than 
 what our Government and citizens can do for us in the 
 erection of public and private buildings on a par with 
 our matchless scenery. The Duflferin Improvements, 
 if the Imperial and Federal Governments will but 
 carry out the Vice-Regal palace on the Citadel, I shall 
 
24 
 
 hail with satisfaction ; but if our own resources are to 
 be counted on, they can hardly be looked for, except it be 
 in the rather distant future. r*^ *"; 
 
 ■ ■ .. - . V ■nix:. M \ , J. . Mv -M 
 
 ^fe< ?We h'ave, in the past, been wanting in sound 
 judgment and have done very foolish things, such as the 
 erection of the Champlain Market Hall, its cost $100,000, 
 to stable the elephant we were made a present of in the 
 shape of some paltry stone from the ruins of the old 
 parliament buildings, while a mere one story building 
 would have suited the purpose much better and not have 
 cost one tithe of the amount. ''■' '7 ' -» • ^> • ' -^^ -^^--^ 
 
 We every year calculate on an already insufficient 
 revenue and as often defeat the very object we have in 
 view by continual reduction on the agreed prices for 
 stall rentals, cattle stands, water fountains and other city 
 dues. We cause the work of private parties to be done at 
 the expense of the city, as in the case of the Champlain 
 street stairs where, by resolution of council, forsooth, 
 we are called on to remove fcnow not only from the steps 
 but from sidewalks, together with all that which falls or 
 is thrown from roofs, including ashes and all sorts of 
 dirt and sweepings, the whole year round, from shops 
 and back yards. It is a mere trifle, say we, only $200 or 
 thereabouts. Yes, but such trifles when multiplied, as 
 they are, throughout the City, help to bring about our 
 yearly deficits. The evil is enhanced by causing sidewalks 
 to be made where parties are unwilling or unable to pay 
 for the deals as was done in 1873-74, so I am informed 
 by the Road Inspector, Mr. Campeau ; it is in causing 
 drainage services to be made at the expense of the City 
 while the law plainly sets forth that the contrary shall 
 be the case ; accounts have at various times been sent 
 from my department to the Finance Committee amount- 
 ing in the aggregate to thousands of dollars, and yet has 
 not a cent of them ever been collected. It is in dimi- 
 
25 
 
 uishing the receipts in the Recorder's G)urt by the 
 remission of fines imposed by the Recorder, without 
 mentioning the deficit, in this branch of the City re- 
 venue, which was recently enough brought to light, and 
 which was at the time variously estimated at some 
 $20,000 to $25,000; whilst, the enquSte into this 
 matter is said to have been limited to the last eight 
 months of the incriminated management, said eight 
 months alone giving a deficit of $1,485. What then 
 might the deficit have been found to be, had the enquete 
 covered the whole series of years during which such 
 deficits may have existed. It is by repeated delays 
 granted to tax-payers that they manage to jump the 
 fiscal year anrl to change their annual dues into arrears 
 which are either forgotten altogether or only a small 
 portion of them ever recovered. In one word, it is 
 in a thousand well known ways that our yearly revenue 
 is decreased in its receipt and our expenditure increased 
 and then we look awry because both ends cannot be 
 made to meet. Corporation contracts and leases have 
 in this way become mere blinds and matters to be 
 laughed at and unheeded. The punishment f^r bidding 
 up a stall to take it from a party able and willing to 
 pay a fair price for it, should be the strictly holding of 
 the tenant or of his sureties to the full payment of the 
 amount, exorbitant though it be, as in this way and in 
 this way only shall we bring about a proper sense of 
 respect for written contracts and engagements, 
 
 V But enough of this recrimination, let us now turn 
 over a new leaf, put on a good and iron-clad resolve and 
 stand hard by it in the future. 
 
 In conclusion, it wUl no doubt be interesting to us 
 all, at this juncture, to draw up an approximate budget 
 for the ensuing fiscal year or from 1st May 1878 to 
 1st May 1879, to wit : 
 
26 
 
 Probable uncontrollable Expenditure for 1878-79. 
 
 ITEMS. *•■- '^e^'^';•''' ^•-"-•■^'^'- ^ '■" COST. '/^'-•'' '*^ 
 
 Sinking Fund..::!':l^!..l/J.^.:,!.. $60,000 00 • 
 
 Interest 210,000 00 
 
 Ground Rents :... ....V..V;:..... ..::^ 2,000 00 >^- 
 
 ;^^ Salaries and Pensions 26,000 00 ^^ 
 
 Jail Guard 1,600 00 - 
 
 V Jail and Jury..^i..;l........:?l:..:Vl 1,560 00 ' 
 
 Fire Commissioner . 466 66 ^t 
 
 ; Legal Expenses ;.............:,., 6,000 00 t^ 
 
 Advertising, Printing and Sta- ,, - i^^i 
 
 * tionery,....;::.:.'::fr:i:.. ....;.:; 4,000 OO /;; 
 
 I. Contingent, Election and Unfore- - - '^ - 
 
 ^S seen Expenses .........;...... 5,000 00 ^ 
 
 Conveyance of Prisoners. 260 00 '^ l 
 
 Care of Vagrants.. :.;.l.. J. ^^...^^.^ 1,000 00 ^ ^^ 
 
 Palace Harbour, Cost of Collection ^ ' 900 00 >^ 
 
 Roads, Ordinary Wear and tear' J- ^*^^' 
 only 10,000 00 ,; 
 
 Municipal Buildings and Insn- ifr • r 
 
 ranees 2,000 00 
 
 Light and Fuel ;..:...:;;:??.:. 13,000 00 
 
 Police and Clothing 25,500 00 "I 
 
 Fire, Wages, Material and Re- 
 pairs 17,500 00 
 
 Markets, Pontoons and Slips 5,000 00 
 
 Health and Dead House 600 00 
 
 .f f 
 
«l/j 
 
 27 
 
 * 
 
 Ferry and Landing Stages 2,000 00 
 
 Water Works — ^Working Expen- 
 ses only 10,000 00 
 
 $404,376 66 
 School Appropriations] 8,659 30 
 
 Extra 2,000 00 
 
 
 ( , t : 
 
 $415,035 96 
 
 ft]'-: t. 
 
 ,r It is thus seen that for working expenses only and 
 exclusive of all possible Gty improvements, with the 
 exception may be of slight repairs to roads, sidewalks and 
 other public property, the amount to be provided for is 
 not less than $415,000.00, and to leave anything like 
 a proper margin for contingencies, it should be made at 
 least $425,000.00. .. ,:,..; 
 
 * ri 
 
 Now, what the revenue or receipts of the present 
 fiscal year will likely amount to, we are not yet in a 
 position to assert, but from all appearences, it will be 
 less than the $380,000 of last year and very possibly 
 not over $350,000 ; so that however difficult to digest, 
 the disagreeable truth is forced upon us that there are 
 $65,000 to $76,000 to be provided for in addition to 
 the proceeds of present taxes, and in the absence of any 
 legislation to enable us to recoup ourselves out of new 
 and additional sources of revenue, we must perforce 
 submit to the ordeal of another special tax of some ten 
 cents in the dollar, 'unless as I have already said, we 
 can make up one-half of the amount by collection of 
 arrears, the other half by dispensing with gas and coal 
 oil lighting, and by reducing the police force to about 
 one-fifth of its present force and constituting the men 
 
28 
 
 of the fire brigade so many special constables to watch 
 the city night and day and thus to some extent, save it 
 from depredation, the provincial police lending a help- 
 ing hand occasionally. 
 
 Past occurences must have proven that there can 
 be no subserviency on my part either towards the first 
 magistrate of the city or to any other man living, but 
 simple justice and impartiality compel me to say, and 
 the Mayor's most bitter enemies will be found ready to 
 admit that he has explained the Grant business in a 
 most thorough and satisfactory manner, and it now 
 turns out, rather unexpectedly on part of the public, that 
 our unfortunate connection with Grant Brothers is en- 
 tirely due to the deleterious action of a former Mayor 
 and Council, or as some say, of that Mayor alone under 
 advice of what is now known to have been disreputable 
 Counsel : an agent to whom he paid one thousand 
 pounds of the city funds together with another thousand 
 sterling this same agent received from Grant Brothers 
 to force the City to transact its business for all time 
 to come with these same gentlemen. 
 
 * : ' 1 1 \-.- -i- . ^,A* - \ '_. - •- :-. -. . :;-^ ^ »>.■-. . * --■ . * ■ - .-• 
 
 I shall say nothing bearing on the subject matter 
 of enquiry now being investigated into by the joint 
 committee of the Citizens and Council in relation to the 
 lately discovered and unfortunate deficit in the City 
 Treasury, nothing more than that to avoid the odium 
 which might attach to the counting of the cash balance 
 at any time when its figure inspired doubt, this ba- 
 lance should be regularly and persistently ascertained 
 monthly or quarterly as deemed expedient and that, by 
 a resolution of the council in the premises ; then by 
 enacting that no payment be made except on check of 
 of the treasurer, countersigned by the Mayor and two 
 members of the finance committee, there will not be 
 any great risk of things going wrong in the future. 
 
29 
 
 Much of our past and present trouble is due to our 
 thorough ignorance of municipal matters. A report 
 like the present, full as it is of facts and figures of the 
 utmost interest to every tax-payer, should be reproduced 
 10,000 fold, so that every proprietor and tenant m our 
 midst, the members of our Legislature and all others 
 interested, or who should be, in the well-being of our 
 financial situation, might be furnished with a copy of it for 
 the information of each and every one of them respectively. 
 
 Quite the contrary is done and always has been. 
 Oar yearly reports, the treasurer's and that of the City 
 Engineer are run to a hundred copies or two and even 
 the few to whom they are addressed hardly deem them 
 worthy of perusal, while strangers evince much more 
 interest in them than we do ourselves. I have received 
 scores of demands for my yearly reports, especially that 
 for 1873, from all parts of the Dominion and from 
 almost every city in the Americain Union, while, if the 
 truth were but known, it is likely that not one out of 
 ten of those to whom it was addressed here ever took 
 the trouble to look at its contents, embracing though 
 they do, under 192 different heads, as many pertinent 
 subjects relating to the whole administration of the CitJ^. 
 
 : -y ■ ■ ■ ■.;•■• 1- „{■.;,: «..-. ■. - 
 
 r * . Will it be credited for instance that with half of 
 those who call on me on sundry business. ( The ^^poor 
 taxpayer '' who figures in the Morning Chronicle of 
 the 16th inst. is evidently one of them,) the whole 
 city taxation is supposed to be expended on our roads 
 and markets and a few other items such as salaries, 
 water, fire and police, gas and fuel ; they never dream 
 of such a thing as interest or sinking fund, legal ex- 
 penses, jail and jury fund, schools and elections and 
 the like. In fact a great many ignore the very meaning 
 of the word interest and yet as has been shown, this very 
 item together with the sinking fund swallows up two- 
 thirds of our entire revenue. 
 
30 
 
 Let every one read for himself and make himself 
 acquainted with the municipal situation as here set forth, 
 and not give ear to the political demagogues who, for their 
 own pirivate ends, are endeavouring to overthrow the 
 very institution they have so materially helped to over- 
 whelm in debt and bring into discredit. They can be 
 seen one and all at the private bills committee clamoring 
 for the abolition of the municipal concern, so that they 
 may come in again as commissioners or administrators 
 of our finances and probably enact again some other 
 such schemes for the advantage of their own private 
 property in the vicinity, some such scheme I say as 
 that which they were guilty of when, in the council, 
 they robbed the City of a $100,000 to build the Cham- 
 plain Market Hall and contributed in other ways to 
 the yearly deficits which existed for years prior to 1866 
 and have again obtained since 1870, ; , : ' . 
 
 Fair play is all I ask for ; it gores me to see the 
 present city representatives taken to task and blamed 
 for this and that, by men who have been here before 
 them, and have done as bad, if not much worse than they. 
 We have all been at sea, the outs just as much as the 
 i^s, if not more so, and instead of further bickering and 
 recrimination, let us strive together for the wellfare of 
 the City, elect proper men for the incoming year and 
 prepare ourselves to come squarely before the Legisla- 
 ture next year at^d insist on powers being granted us 
 to increase our revenue in a direction where it is well 
 known it can be done without any extra charge on im- 
 movable property which is already burdened to its full 
 power of endurance. 
 
 To the investigation committee. 
 Mayor, Councillors and Citi- 
 zens of the Qty of Quebec. 
 
 CHS. BAILAIEGE, 
 
 City Engineer. 
 
81 
 
 APPENDIX No. 1, 
 
 V 
 
 Slaiemeiit of cost of special works since 1865. 
 
 t 
 
 Champlain street widening to date $45,000 00 
 
 St. John Gate widening and rebuilding 35,000 00 
 
 St. Ours street widening 20,500 00 
 
 Fire Stations to date, additions and altera- 
 tions 20,000 00 
 
 Fire Alarm Telegraph .7. . . 20,000 00 
 
 New pontoons and slips Champlain market 13,000 00 
 
 Ferry landing pier and pontoons Finlay 
 
 market 24,000 00 
 
 Des Soeurs street widening............;......, 7,500 00 
 
 Dalhousie street, prolongation of and wide- 
 ning . 125,000 00 
 
 Paving St. Peter street 1300 feet, and St. 
 
 Paul street 2260 feet 26,000 00 
 
 Macadamizing St, J ohn street without 2350 
 
 feet 15,000 00 
 
 Paving Mountain Hill to Buade street and 
 
 breast wall 26,000 00 
 
 Paving 2025 feet St. Joseph street from St. 
 
 Koch to Crown 24,000 00 
 
.-»*' 
 
 ' i 
 
 32 
 
 Jacques Cartler market enlargement and 
 
 improvement 20,000 00 
 
 Gosford Eail Eoad Stock '. 10,000 00 
 
 New Jacques Cartier and Berthelot market 
 
 Halls .....;...... 20,000 00 
 
 St. Louis and Prescott Gates improvements 10,000 00 
 
 Champlain street widening, and wharf 360 
 
 ,_^ feet at Cap Blanc, also at Diamond '^ 
 
 ^^v^ Harbour 350 feet 7,000 00 
 
 Nouvelle (now St. Patrick street) prolonged t(<J 
 through city ramparts to Dauphine . >. 
 street 750 feet lin 3,500 00 
 
 New Montcalm Market Hall to date 45,500 00 
 
 New line of pipe and bridge over the river 
 - ■ St. Charles 700 feet long and repairs 
 
 to pipe in river... ..ri..:.. ..V... ;;.;;....: 30,500 00 
 
 Palace and Hope Gates, removal of and 
 ^«. lowering walls 2000 feet lin., grading '^' " - ' * 
 roadway, 7 oak gun-platforms, side- 
 walks, &C....V. .........;............;...... 9,000 00 
 
 3 Steam Fire Engines and fire wells 14,500 00 
 
 Q. M. O. & O. K. R........... ..;... .1..:... 143,000 00 
 
 Cost of and discount on debentures 85,000 00 
 
 To make good arrears of school fund..',?.'..'. 11,600 00 
 
 To make good arrears of jail and jury fund 10,000 00 
 
 a 4, % * 1 ■ 
 
 $820,600 00 
 
 t s • • T .;, 
 
 •i-M 
 
33 
 
 APPENDIX No. 2. 
 
 ^ 
 
 Statement of cost of sundry works since 1865. 
 
 ♦ t 
 
 •• * '--f . ■• ' -■■•••, <■ • > ...%.■.• V s .-:;>■ r 
 
 Lettering streets and numbering houses $1,466 00 
 
 Planking front of Champlain Market, Cul- 
 
 de-Sac street ..................:...:........ 1,660 00 
 
 Additional stalls Berthelot Market base- 
 ment .;....... .......;..... ^ 462 75 
 
 Illumination in 1874 : 979 91 
 
 Carters and tradesmen's numbers 2,600 00 
 
 Retaining walls, Artillery street $1,484 98, 
 V St. Real street $640 00, Cote d' Abra- 
 ham $949 20, Church $250 00, Sun- 
 dry others at Hope Hill, Nouvelle, 
 Olivier, Vallier streets, &c.. ..?.^... 4,210 63 
 
 Enclosure walls and fences protestant Ce- 
 metery John street. Cemetery in Dar- 
 tigny street, Corp. yard at Palais, &c... 718 00 
 
 Removal of dangerous rock from Cliff, 
 
 Champlain street, &c 891 53 
 
 Durham Terrace, repairs to walls, new 
 
 railing, new floor, &c 2.600 00 
 
 Monument Garden, repairs to walls, seats,.. 624 00 
 
 Place d' Armes railings and pathways 217 69 
 
 Widening St. Louis and Dauteuil streets 
 
 1,200 feet lin. new fence and sidewalk. 1,550 00 
 
M 
 
 Widening St. Denis street, new fence and 
 
 stairs 1,250 feet 1,358 00 
 
 New stairs from Cove field to Champlain 
 
 street 550 00 
 
 New Carters Stands, Mountain Hill, Glacis ' • 
 
 street, &c., and repairs 1,917 o6 
 
 Cattle stands, alterations, repairs, sheds to 
 
 do 1,006 06 
 
 Repairs to public stairs St. Augustin street, 
 
 St. Claire street, Lafleur stairs, Cham- 
 
 - plain street stairs, Cul-de-Sac street 
 
 stairs. Mariners' Chapel stairs, Buaae 
 
 street stairs, Finlay Maket stairs, 
 
 • Champlain Market stairs, &c 1,862 22 
 
 Stone crossings and sidewalks since 1871... 14,876 95 
 
 Winter road to Island of Orleans 1 ,300 00 
 
 Winter road tc Levis occasionally, slips and 
 
 piers for do 413 00 
 
 Pontoons — alterations and repairs to 2,681 15 
 
 Market Halls, alterations and repairs 11 ,181 32 
 
 Municipal buildings, additions, alterations 
 
 and repairs 15,659 76 
 
 Pire Stations, additions, alterations and re- - r 
 
 pairs 7,275 70 
 
 Police do - do . do ; ...... 2,668 00 
 
 Repairs to breakwater wharf at Palais Har- 
 bour .. 1,500 00 
 
 2 Provincial Exhibitions 10,000 00 
 
 $92,190 28 
 
■ ■ r 
 
 CiiyE 
 Water 
 Sundry 
 
 ■, t 
 
 Roads i 
 M arket| 
 Ferry, \ 
 Fire, Fi 
 Salaries 
 Manici] 
 Gas, Lij 
 Itation^ 
 Jchoolg 
 iegal 
 [iscelb^ 
 [Police & 
 [Water ^ 
 
 Jinkingj 
 llnteresi 
 
 Boads arj 
 Markets 
 Ferry, P» 
 Fire, F. I 
 Salaries i 
 Municipa 
 Gas, Lig] 
 Stationer 
 
 ! Schools, , 
 Legal Ad 
 Miscellan 
 Police.... 
 
 r- >: 
 
RECE 
 
 City Eevenue. 
 Water Works. 
 Sundry 
 
 1866. 
 
 np C. 
 
 234,511 60 
 65,902 94 
 
 1867. 
 
 300,414 54 
 
 8 c. 
 204,950 11 
 62,106 34 
 
 267,056 45 
 
 1868. 
 
 271,030 25 
 75,528 44 
 
 1869. 
 
 346,558 69 
 
 220,632 79 
 67,539 42 
 13,828 00 
 
 18/0. 
 
 302,000 21 
 
 226,363 07 
 74,371 00 
 18,975 69 
 
 319,709 70 
 
 A^PFROPB 
 
 Eoads and Public Places. ' 21,808 
 
 Markets and Palais Harbour. I 7,476 
 
 Ferry, Pontoons and Slips I 1,800 
 
 Fire. F. A. Telei^rapb & Chimnies.i 15,691 
 
 Salaries and Pensions : -i4,d»o 
 
 Municipal Buildings & Insurance . j 
 
 Gas, Light and Fuel | 9,000 
 
 Stationery, Printing «fc Advertizing 4,000 
 
 Schools, Jail & Jury & Elections. 5,600 
 
 Legal Advice & Corporation Suits. 2,000 
 
 Miscellanous and Unforeseen 10,500 
 
 Police & Conveyance of Pri soners . 20,682 
 
 Water Works 14,789 
 
 • 
 
 Totals '137,721 
 
 Sinking Fund ' 30,000 
 
 ]nterest,Commission, Discount,&c. 165,610 
 
 Totals 333,332 
 
 00 
 00 
 00 
 00 
 00 
 
 19,300 
 
 7,600 
 
 1,002 
 
 16,291 
 
 27,100 
 
 00 
 00 
 50 
 40 
 00 
 
 00; 12,400 OOi 
 
 00 3,000 00| 
 
 00 7,270 98i 
 
 00 2.000 00| 
 
 OOj 2,500 00, 
 
 10;' 19,986 50i 
 
 80; 9,196 OOl 
 
 12,100 00; 
 4,500 00: 
 1,202 50 
 
 13,205 40 
 
 26,350 00 
 2,680 00 
 8,500 00 
 3,000 00 
 5,566 98 
 3,200 00 
 2,500 00 
 
 19,986 00 
 9,482 00 
 
 90; 127.647 
 00; 28,270 
 20 161,610 
 
 OOl 29,200 00 
 20; 170,229 90 
 
 lO: 317,527 581311,703 28 
 
 15,100 
 
 00 
 
 4,500 
 
 00 
 
 1,002 
 
 50 
 
 14,514 
 
 00 
 
 26,750 
 
 50 
 
 .•{,000 
 
 00 
 
 10,190 
 
 00 
 
 3,000 
 
 00 
 
 5,567 
 
 98 
 
 3,500 
 
 00 
 
 8.500 
 
 00 
 
 26,079 
 
 90 
 
 7,988 
 
 00 
 
 129,692 
 
 38 
 
 29,400 
 
 00 
 
 169,673 
 
 20 
 
 328,71.5 
 
 58 
 
 15,934 60 
 
 4,500 00 
 
 1,002 50 
 
 14,383 33 
 
 25,000 00 
 
 1,750 00, 
 
 8,000 00, 
 
 2,000 OOl 
 
 5,567 98| 
 
 2,000 00 
 
 3,000 00 
 
 20,000 00 
 
 8,892 60 
 
 113,031 01 
 
 20,000 00 
 
 168,421 76 
 
 301,452 77 
 
 EXFEIST] 
 
 Eoads and Places ot resort 
 
 Markets and Palais Harbour 
 
 Ferry, Pontoons and Slips 
 
 Fire, F. A. Telegraph & Chimnies. 
 
 Salaries and Pensions 
 
 Municipal Buildings & Insurances. 
 
 Gas, Light and Fuel 
 
 Stationery, Printing & Advertizing 
 Schools, Jail and Jury, Elections. 
 Legal Adviser & Cornoration Suits 
 Miscellaneous and Unforeseen — 
 
 Police 
 
 Water Works 
 
 Totals 
 
 15,058 46 
 
 4,934 09 
 
 1,002 50 
 
 10,148 50 
 
 24,218 48 
 
 1,226 32; 
 
 9,818 46 
 
 4,713 81; 
 
 5,484 66; 
 
 3,103 82 
 
 5,044 35 
 
 20,199 18 
 
 15,516 00 
 
 21,804 37 
 6,147 44 
 1,002 50 
 
 14,240 50 
 
 26,703 07 
 1,542 44 
 
 10,570 12 
 1,675 91 
 2,522 48 
 1,990 51 
 7,785 64 
 
 20,696 80 
 9,195 00 
 
 120,468 55 125,876 78 
 
 15,937 46 
 
 4,425 54 
 
 1,002 50 
 
 13,332 02 
 
 25,950 20 
 
 2,159 89 
 
 10,595 60 
 
 2,569 03 
 
 4,897 98 
 
 1,839 03 
 
 4,484 35 
 
 19,770 02 
 
 10,412 98 
 
 24,095 07 
 4,936 78! 
 1,002 501 
 
 14,323 85! 
 
 26,662 76; 
 1,769 22 
 
 10,347 57 
 3,707 96 
 4,092 24 
 5,629 94 
 1,703 48 
 
 25,978 93 
 
 16,289 60 
 
 117,377 871140,539 90 
 
 21,876 
 
 09 
 
 4,448 
 
 73 
 
 1,002 
 
 50 
 
 15,863 
 
 16 
 
 24,741 
 
 17 
 
 4,339 
 
 11 
 
 13,814 
 
 33 
 
 4,335 
 
 32 
 
 6,143 
 
 91 
 
 4,941 
 
 78 
 
 6,642 
 
 13 
 
 27,343 
 
 50 
 
 20,355 
 
 21 
 94 
 
 155,846 
 
]II»T8. 
 
 1871. 
 
 1872. 
 
 1873. 
 
 1874. 
 
 3 c. 
 249,279 87 
 103,196 36 
 17,806 52 
 
 1875. 
 
 1876. 
 
 1877. 
 
 Totals . 
 
 $ c. 
 234,983 26 
 
 § c. 
 237,512 46 
 73,571 26 
 2,432 74 
 
 $ 0. 
 
 250.034 89 
 77,393 71 
 17,102 28 
 
 $ c. 
 253,091 76 
 83,749 98 
 23,781 33 
 
 S C. 
 
 268.589 67 
 91,664 77 
 20,054 30 
 
 $ c. 
 
 § c. 
 
 72,056 (i9 
 
 
 
 24,424 58 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 331,464 53 
 
 313,516 46 
 
 344,530 88 
 
 369,782 75 
 
 .. .- — *.-. 
 
 360,623 07 
 
 380,308 74 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 II^TIO^S. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 , 
 
 25,564 
 
 59 
 
 25,650 
 
 00 
 
 7,060 65 
 
 13,550 00 
 
 29.450 
 
 00; 7,212 
 
 30 
 
 12,081 
 
 23 
 
 201,811 37 
 
 6,500 
 
 00 
 
 9,200 
 
 00 
 
 9,000 00 
 
 5,350 00 
 
 6,750 
 
 00 
 
 2,107 
 
 97 
 
 5,400 
 
 00 
 
 72,cS83 97 
 
 1.202 
 
 50 
 
 1,202 
 
 50 
 
 1,202 50 
 
 1,510 00 
 
 3,000 
 
 00 
 
 542 
 
 78 
 
 1,510 
 
 00 
 
 16,180 28 
 
 15,695 
 
 60 
 
 15.802 
 
 20 
 
 14,350 00 
 
 17,163 75 
 
 18,898 
 
 00' 17,5")4 
 
 17 
 
 17,521 
 
 76 
 
 191,070 61 
 
 25,650 
 
 00 
 
 25.650 
 
 00 
 
 24,850 00 
 
 26,650 00 
 
 27,300 
 
 00 27,400 
 
 00 
 
 26,100 
 
 00 
 
 313,175 00 
 
 500 
 
 00 
 
 1,300 
 
 00 
 
 1,300 00 
 
 1,800 00 
 
 1,800 
 
 00 
 
 1,800 
 
 00 
 
 2,000 
 
 00 
 
 17,930 00 
 
 9,000 
 
 00 
 
 9,000 
 
 00 
 
 11,000 00 
 
 11,000 00 
 
 11,000 
 
 00 
 
 11,000 
 
 00 
 
 10,000 
 
 00 
 
 121,090 00 
 
 3,000 
 
 00 
 
 2.000 
 
 0(» 
 
 2,500 00 
 
 3,000 00 
 
 3,000 
 
 00 
 
 3,000 
 
 00 
 
 2,500 
 
 00 
 
 34,000 00 
 
 5,567 
 
 98 
 
 8,100 
 
 00 
 
 8,100 Oi) 
 
 9,634 00 
 
 11,693 
 
 34 3,034 
 
 OO 
 
 VrM 
 
 00 
 
 78,637 24 
 
 3,500 
 
 00 
 
 3,500 
 
 00 
 
 3,500 00 
 
 4,000 00 
 
 4,500 
 
 00 
 
 4,500 
 
 00 
 
 4,500 
 
 00 
 
 40.700 00 
 
 11,764 
 
 00 
 
 4,109 
 
 00 
 
 3,550 00 
 
 14,469 87 
 
 5,000 
 
 00 
 
 6,000 
 
 00 
 
 7,252 
 
 00 
 
 79,144 87 
 
 25,000 
 
 00 
 
 20,000 
 
 00 
 
 24,000 00 
 
 22,700 00 
 
 22,750 
 
 00 
 
 22,750 
 
 00 
 
 25,240 
 
 00 
 
 269,175 00 
 
 9,541 
 
 40 
 
 15,900 
 
 00 
 
 3,571 26 
 
 7,393 71 
 
 11,700 
 
 00 
 
 9,035 
 
 00 
 
 11,668 
 
 58 
 57 
 
 119,158 35 
 
 142,486 
 
 07 
 
 141,413 
 
 10 
 
 113,984 41 
 
 138,121 33 
 
 156,841 
 
 34 
 
 115,936 
 
 22 
 
 128,807 
 
 1,557,956 69 
 
 3,248 
 
 00 
 
 13,752 
 
 69 
 
 24,800 00 
 
 35,799 00 
 
 27,551 
 
 33 45,562 
 
 18 
 
 55,112 
 
 65 
 
 332.695 85 
 
 155,000 
 
 00 
 
 1.76,298 
 
 14 
 
 174,732 05 
 
 180,610 55 
 
 185,390 
 
 08 
 75 
 
 187,771 
 
 18 
 
 196,388 
 
 52 
 
 2,091,735 78 
 
 300,734 
 
 07 
 
 331,464 53 
 
 313,516 46 
 
 344,530 88 
 
 369,782 
 
 349,269 
 
 58 
 
 380,308 
 
 74 
 
 3,982,388 32 
 
 DITXJRE. 
 
 32,596 94 
 6,192 45 
 1,002 50 
 
 16,668 61 
 
 25,773 80 
 1,665 58: 
 
 10,8 . 43; 
 3,944 56; 
 
 18,389 22; 
 6,715 27i 
 8,715 69' 
 
 25,478 64 
 
 14,037 63 
 
 172,080 32 
 
 22,853 72 
 
 9,547 26 
 
 1,209 48 
 15,869 61 
 24,812 04 
 
 1,390 63 
 17,132 27 
 
 2,827 62 
 
 8,100 
 
 4,897 
 
 3,068 
 25.254 79 
 13,721 87 
 
 00 
 15 
 25 
 
 21,827 70 
 
 12,939 43 
 
 1,175 96; 
 
 15,334 57i 
 
 25,111 62 
 
 2,037 01 
 
 13,098 60 
 
 4,952 45 
 
 5,870 85 
 
 6,101 93 
 
 5,185 11 
 
 24,465 41 
 
 15,329 55 
 
 150,685 29! 153,430 19 
 
 33,390 
 
 02 
 
 6,522 
 
 49 
 
 3,098 
 
 05 
 
 19,646 
 
 11 
 
 26,681 
 
 74 
 
 3,034 
 
 21 
 
 12,030 
 
 H9 
 
 4,027 
 
 28 
 
 11,079 
 
 65 
 
 6,104 
 
 36 
 
 5,915 
 
 03 
 
 22,000 
 
 00 
 
 15,053 
 
 50 
 
 108,5S2 
 
 40 
 
 40,951 02! 
 
 8,339 86! 
 
 1,972 65' 
 22,100 55 
 27,348 48 
 
 2,837 55 
 12,141 91 
 
 4,377 78 
 10,155 30 
 
 6,153 14 
 
 3,803 84 
 22,000 00 
 25,500 32 
 
 12.988 13 
 5.426 60 
 2,228 65 
 
 22,691 84 
 
 27,365 19 
 1,741 89 
 
 11,799 66 
 3,411 42 
 
 12,269 04 
 6,507 41 
 5,111 lOi 
 
 22,000 00 
 
 21,445 47 
 
 11,687 74 
 
 4,896 49 
 
 1,883 01 
 
 19,500 00 
 
 26,100 00 
 
 1,827 53 
 
 14,462 51 
 
 3,500 00 
 
 11,000 00 
 
 6.500 00 
 
 10,000 00 
 
 25,000 00 
 
 22,321 81 
 
 187,682 40 154,986 40 158,679 01 
 
 275.066 72 
 78,757 16 
 17,582 80 
 
 199,719 24 
 
 311,468 55 
 25,571 38 
 
 146,710 85 
 44,043 14 
 
 100,005 33 
 60,485 21 
 67,459 97 
 
 280,187 27 
 
 199,178 94 
 
 1,806,236 56