Remarks by F. H. Gade, Mayor, at the last council meeting

of his administration, May 7th 1906.

In turning over the city administration to our successors there are a number of important matters concerning the city which seem to deserve some mention:

The traction issue, I sincerely hope, may be soon disposed of. Last spring the council was unwilling to grant the perpetual franchise asked for by the electric road, and, in place of it, passed an ordinance granting a franchise for seventy-five years, which Mr. Frost declined to accept. Since then I have personally made repeated efforts to secure a different solution of the problem. Throughout the entire consideration of the matter I have been in favor of granting the electric road the right to a double track through Lake Forest; for I believe that the company cannot give good service-that, in fact, no electric road can do so-without a double track system. I further believe that the public both need and want improved service, and that the interests of Lake Forest would be advanced by an additional track, which should be granted upon the city's receiving proper compensation therefore; that is to say, upon fair and reasonable terms. I have been disposed to favor, as the right and logical solution of the problem, the granting of an additional track for the remainder of the present franchise period, that is to say, to make the additional grant co-extensive with the company's other grants and rights in Lake Forest. While this arrangement would not secure to the city all the com

pensation and advantages offered as consideration for the the perpetual franchise, it would entirely avoid the troublesome question of additional time, beside other complications of the relations of the electric railroad company to the city.

During the last couple of years no effort has been spared to reach an amicable settlement of the issues between the city and the water company. The council has passed ordinances, which in its opinion, and I am sure also of the public at large, were considered not only reasonable, but most liberal to the company, involving higher compensation for water than paid by any other municipality along the North Shore. The water company, however, constantly changing its attitude in the matter of these rates, finally brought the city into court, where the vexed question soon should be settled once for all. In the meantime private consumers are properly protected by the injunction granted by the court restraining the company from shutting off the water supply.

The liquor nuisance should be rigorously and unremittingly prosecuted; for the slightest remissness causes this serious evil to assume alarming proportions. During the past year many more suits have been brought than ever before, and during the summer of 1905 the city went to considerable expense in employing detectives to collect evidence against the offenders. It has, however, proved difficult to accomplish any satisfactory and lasting result without the co-operation of the community, and I hope the citizens of Lake Forest will soon awaken to this fact. In many cases, when our policemen have, as they thought,

secured conclusive evidence against the violators of our liquor laws, the witnesses when put on the stand have absolutely repudiated their earlier statements, and by pretending to know nothing concerning the offense in question caused the prosecution to fail. Again, supposedly sensible juries, composed of tradesmen and other responsible citizens, have imposed upon offenders conclusively proven guilty the ridiculous fine of five or ten dollars, which naturally was not calculated to deter them from further violations. It is surprising that professors of the University, when requested to do jury duty in these cases, have shown such extraordinary want of public spirit and interest in the community as to invoke their immunity from jury service. The city attorney can say a great deal about the obstacles he has met with in his faithful endeavors to suppress the liquor evil.

While I believe the city cannot afford to dispense with the valuable services of Mr. Smoot, who has been its counsel so long and drafted the majority of its ordinances, I think the city needs the services of an attorney who can be summoned at short notice and attend to running matters as they come up. Prosecutions for violations of the liquor laws, automobile speed laws and other like matters need immediate and constant attention such as only a resident attorney can give. The retention of Mr. Smoot as counsel for the city need not interfere with the establishment of a city attorneyship to look after the running matters from day to day.

Lake Forest has of late made great strides in adopting street and other improvements, and I think it deserves

the name that Mayor Gorton used to apply to it: "The Banner City of the West." What is particularly noteworthy is that these improvements have recently, in nearly every instance, been undertaken not by compulsive measures of the Local Improvement Board, but upon request of the property owners themselves who would have to pay the cost. So far from being unwilling to incur these burdens, which in many cases have fallen heavy upon people of small means, there has been apparent, in the different parts of the city, positively a spirit of rivalry to outdo each other in making these improvements. It is to be hoped that this splendid spirit of civic pride and ambition will in no wise abate.

Tale ombord paa Dampskibet "Hellig Olav" den 3die August 1906 i Anledning Kong Haakons Fødselsdag.

Mine Damer og Herrer.

Dette er en Festdag i Norge: det er Kong Haakons Fødselsdag. Næstefter syttende Mai er det jo Kongens Fødselsdag som feires; og vi husker nok allesammen fra Barneaarene, at paa den Dag havde vi fri fra Skolen. Kanonerne paa gamle Akershus Fæstning, under hvilke vi gik ombord paa dette Skib for akkurat en Uge siden, har idag ved Middagstid skudt Salut til ære for Dagen. Flag vaier overalt i Landet lige fra Lindesnæs til Nordkap. Jeg er vis paa, at alle vi Normænd her ombord, paa Vei til vort nye Land, gjerne vil mindes Dagen og sende en kjærlig Tanke tilbage over Havet til det gamle Fædreland til Norge og dets Konge.

Vi har i Sandhed en Konge, vi kan være stolt af. Det er sjelden, at en Mand forener i sig saadanne Egenskaber, som han.

Af Udseende vakker som faa Mænd: klassiske Ansigtstræk med et Udtryk af stor Venlighed og Godhed, som det passer sig en Konge af Norge saaledes som vi kan tænke os de fordums Haakoner. Isandhed en kongelig Skikkelse! De, som saa ham ved Kroningsceremonien, glemmer aldrig Synet. Hele hans Mine og Holdning udtrykte dybt Alvor og Ansvarsfølelse

man saa der en

Mand, som vilde vie sit Liv til sin store Gjerning.

Vor Konge er besindig, forstandig, klog; det har han