Morning journal and courier., 1889-03-12
oouNc.nmEN RUm.NArE.

Where 1t was Bel0re-The City Char
 ter and the OrdInances-Corpor
 Counsel Townsend EXpOunds the
 Law-ResolutfoEa I'm Favor of Con-
 solidation are Indefinitely Post
 poRed.
 Not half of the members of the board of councilmen were present at last nights meet ing, which was lengthy but very quiet. The principal matter which was expected to come before the board was the police bill and this, after being looked over, discussed, explained, abused little by Mfr. Dyer and defended with an extemporaneous gust of oratory by Lawyer Hamilton, was finally declared not properly before the board. It, however, did not ignobly fall but was checked just where 1t was for the present until Corporation Counsel W. K. Townsend explains few | points of law to the council. As it WAS last night, one side leaned on the city charter for I their support while the other side found 8 contradiction of the charter in the Ordln- ances.
 A significant action, although it did not at \ the time create any amount of discussion pro or con, was the indefinite postponement of action upon a resolution introduced to countenance and favor the consolidation of city. town and school governments. A letter from Corporation Counsel William K Townsend enlightened the board a little upon some of the corporation counsel's &C., tions in regard to business with the State legislature and gave rise to slight change in the ordinances.
 In the routine business petitions referred were: Thomas Soden estate for Clinton park; city barbers for closing barber shops on Sun day; East Rock Park commission for exten. sion of Livingston street from Gamer street north to Gold Spring street so as 10 connect with park entrance; those of Ge1main Gabri- el, Orin Miller and Frank E. Turner for ap- pointment as special constables; for raising sidewalks at entrances of JoslYn Square; for top dressing of South street; M. B. Darling and others for sewer between Lloyd and James streets; for concrete walk and curb on Third street.
 A petition for closing barber shops on Sunday was offered by Councilman Haury, and was signed by seventy-nine barbers of this city.
 The following letter was read from Corpor- ation Counsel W. K. Townsend:
 To the Honorable Board of Councilmen of the City Gentisnen-T understand that there has been some criticism by members ot your body upon my
 efore the lo Ur or f addeng nea o the mayor and board of aldermen and asking them sane sa have ave " simply foowed the practice of predecessor in accordance with the provisions of s ane @ by But the R much as the charter makes it the duty of the corporation Assenbly Sb V whenever requested by the Mayor or Court of Common Council, I would respectfully transmitted to you you should, to avoid all ques tion, have the ordinance so modified as to make it of measures pending before the legislature to the Court of Common Council instead of the board of Respectfully submitted, WM. K. TOWNSEND, Corporation Counsel. The communication was accepted and or dered on file. motion was made and passed that the committee on ordinances be instructed to prepare an ordinance as suggest ed by the corporation counsel and then re- port back to the council.
 An offer from Mir. Phelps to photograph the council free of charge was read and reso- lutions thanking him were introduced by Maj. Lee and passed.
 The police bill was then taken up. A printed copy was on each members desk. MT. Dyer moved, as the bill was long and ought to be thoroughly read before being acted upon, that it be laid over till next meeting. He said that the first section of the bill, even as it then stood, gave alto- gether too much power to few men.
 The question then arose, after little dis cussion, whether the matter was properly be fore the board. The president said that he did not consider it so.
 The bill evoked much discussion and Att torney Hamilton, in spite of the presidents ruling, managed to get in a pretty long speech. As there was to be no discussion of the bill properly before the board it was ask ed that President Baldwin of the police com missioners explain many of the sections and objects of the bill.
 Mr. Baldwin said that in the first place this bill did not originate with the police commissioners, but with the policemen themselves "They formulated bill and we revised it so as to best suit the mutual interests of the policemen themselves and the city. We will shortly need two pre- cinets, but there is nothing special till we come to who will be benefited by this pros posed fund or 'pension,' as it is called" He mentioned the case of Officer Stewart, who was disabled after long service and was paid $500 year without any rule whatever, as long as he lived. It is proposed to limit this fund by the proviso that not over %, ,O00 shall be allowed to accumulate within the next five years.
 Lawyer Hamilton said he thought, seeing the police commissioners had dealt in the matter in apparent good faith, that the board ought to take some action, and he offered a resolution that a committee be appointed to go before the legislature with the committee of the board of aldermen.
 Councilman Martin offered the following resolution as a su bstitute:
 Resolved That the corporation council be- and is next meeting as to the legality of section 4, page S5, of the New Haven city ordinances vesting in
 
 corporation counsel in regard to- affect ing the city of New Haven pending before the General Assembly.
 This resolution, after considerable debate and opposition by Mir. Hamilton was passed. !
 The following was introduced by Major Lee:
 Whereas There seems to exist some opposition of the town and city of New Haven and,
 Whereas, We consider such opposition to be pred judicial to the best interests of the taxpayers who are our constituents therefore, be it
 Resolved, That we, the board of councilmen of and for the city of New Haven, are opposed to the objections by those not in sympathy with the prop osfton. and we hereby favor the consolidation bill by which the three governments will hereafter be- come one.
 This was indefinitely postponed after 8 l short but uneventful discussion. The board ' then adjourned till next Monday evening at 8 | o'clock.
 IN LINE FOR TICKETS. The Enormous Sale For Booth and
 Barrest-The House Sold Out.