The daily gazette., 1883-02-01
NO FEES FOR OFFICERS.
FINES AND COSTS TO GO TO
THE CITY.
THE MAYORS SALARY RAISED
City Councils Consideration of the New
Charter--A sensIble Move to DO Away
With the Obnoxious Fee System

City Council met at 7.3O O'Clock last even.
Ing TO further consider the new city charter
The session was occupied by some very i'm.
portant matters, but 1t passed off In quiet
ordinary manner, enlivened only by the con
tinual chatter of Mr.. Quinn, whom even
President Conrad's I" the gentleman viii
confine himself 10 the question " could not
effectually suppress. The proceedings are
given below.
Mr.. Beecher moved to reconsider the vote
by which section f47 was adopted by afix-
ing salary to the office of member of the
Board Of Education. The motion prevail
ing the section was approved in its original
shape, which affixes no salary whatever to
the position.
Mr.. Beecher moved that the blank in sec
ton 145 for the amount to be appropriated
to the Board Of Education for the ensuing
year be filed with $50, 600, and the amount
of yearly increase fixed at five per centum.
The motion for $4,000 prevailed, but on
Mr.. Bailey's motion the yearly increase was
limited to three per cent.
Mr.. Mention secured reconsideration OF
section 81, relating to exemptions of real
estate from taxation, and had the Roman
Catholic male Protectorate and the Academy
of the Visitation added to the list, they
being already exempt by law.
y
of schedule A, relating to property exempt
from taxation for ten years when used for
manufacturing purposes, by altering the
prescribed lines so as to include Moir's
canning factory.
Mr.. Bailey objected TO the propriety OF
this action, as the cannery was built outside
the exempted district, as originally defined
several years ago, and the city had already
expended large sum of money in improving
the approaches to the establishment.
Mr.. Paynter claimed that when the
Messrs. Moir located In Wilmington it was
represented to them by the parties from
whom they purchased, that their property
was within the exempted district. He
thought that under the circumstances it
was right and just TO give them the benefit
of the exemption.
Mr., Eastburn claimed that the Messrs.
Moir should look to the parties from whom
they purchased the land for redress.
After further discussion Mr.. Talley's
amendment prevailed by rising vote OF Is
ayes to nays.
Section A., defining the salaries of city
officers, was next considered, and Mr.. john
son presented the report of portion of the
special committee appointed to consider this
section. The report recommended that the
salaries remain as at present, viz: Mayor,
VI
tor, 5000; Solicitor, $500; High Constable,
500; President of Council, $50; members
of Council, 81 per meeting. The intention
of keeping the salaries as at present is TO
maintain the fee system In force. The re-
port was signed by Messrs. johnson, Paynter
and Moore.
Mr.. Mention presented dissenting report,
signed by himself, Mr.. Talley and President
Conrad, recommending that all fees be
turned into the city treasury and salaries
fixed as follows; Mayor, s., 500; Treasurer,
81 200; President of Council, $500; MEM
bers OF Council, 81 per meeting and so cents
for each committee meeting, chairmen OF
committees to keep committee roll books.
The committee reported in favor of having
the salaries Of other city officials fixed by
City Council.
In the discussion that ensued the second
report was classed as an attempt to raise
salaries, but Mr.. Mention said he understood
the Mayors compensation at present, in
Guiding salary and fees, was about $1,000,
while the report fixed 1t at 81, 800.
City Solicitor Turner addressed Council,
by request, in favor of turning all fees into
the city treasury. The change, he said,
was suggested by himself aud his colleague,
Mr.. Patterson, as means of removing an
unknown quality from politics, and reveal
ing the true and exact compensation of
public officials. He claimed that the slight
increase in the salaries suggested by the
committee would be more than met by the
amount of costs turned over to the city.
Mr.. Turner also referred to the fact that
under the present fee system the Mayor was
made an interested parry to all cases by rea-
son of the costs accrueing to him, which
formed an Objectionable feature that should
be entirely removed from the administration
aF Ia alc rfaH hat ba 40
system was a temptation to multiply wit
nesses to an unnecessary extent.
Mr.. Patterson fully coincided with Mr.
Turner's views, and suggested further that
Council retain the entire matter in its own
hands, so that the fee system can be returned
to If the salary system does not work In
satisfactory manner.
After some further discussion, during
which Mr.. Quinn argued vigorously, but in
his usual erratic manner, in favor of the
abolition of the fee system, Mr.. Moore
moved to indefinitely postpone consideration
of sections AZ and ~, referring TO this sub
iect, but voted against his own melton,
which was unanimously defeated.
vote was taken upon the report pre-
sented by Mr. Mention, and It was adopted
as follows:
Ayes-Messrs. Abele, Baugh, Beecher,
Blake, Denney, Eastburn, File, Mention,
Miller, McKenna, Newell, Quinn, Shaw,
Smith, Talley and President Conrad--16.
Nays-Messrs. Bailey, Garrett, Grubb,
johnson, Moore, Paynter and Stevenson.
On the final consideration OF section Al,
as thus amended by the adoption of the
minority report, the salaries mentioned were
taken up separately The item giving the
Mayor 50 500 was vigorously discussed by
Messrs. johnson and Talley, the former
calling attention to the fact that it was $500
more than the judges of our State courts re-
ceive, and the latter asserting that the pro-
posed salary would prove a large reduction
from what the Mayor now received.
A motion TO fix the Mayors salary pre-
vailed by the same vote by which the report
was adopted, with the exception that Mr..
Smith voted in the negative.
The salary of the President Of Council
was fixed at $500.
On the question of the members salaries
Mr.. Stevenson wanted provision inserted
to the effect that Council should not be per-
mitted to receive more SO In one afternoon.
He said he had understood that on one occa-
eion these afternoon meetings ran up as
high as $7.
Mr.. Talley thought this was a matter that
should be left to the members.
The motion fixing the salaries as stated In
the report prevailed by the original vote.
On the City Treasurer's salary Mr.. Bailey
moved to amend by making 1t 81 900, as at
present, and the motion prevailed by the
following vote
Ayes-Messrs. Adele, Bailey, Baugh, East
burn, Garrett, Grubb, johnson, Moore,
McKenna, Paynter, Stevenson, President
Conrad-12.