Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-24
HEDGING THE CHIEFS
Allegheny Councils Still Clinging 10
the Committee System.
CHARTER ORDINANCE COMPLETED.
Thirteen Mills Will Be the Figure Asked
This Year on City Tax.
NEW OFFICERS TO SERVE FOUR YEARS

The Allegheny Finance Committee yes
terday afternoon concluded its work of
drafting the charter ordinances for city of
the second class.
The ordinances have been afirmatively
recommended to Councils, and with them a
little instrument known as the appropria-
tion ordinance, which fixes the city tax levy
for this year at the modest figure of 13 mills
an increase of mills over 1890. In addi-
tion to this. the poor tax will be 1 mill,
sinking fund 4 mill, school tax u mill and
sewer tax u mill. maxim a total of Il 75-1O0
mills, or total increase over last year of
92-100 mills. An attempt was made to
add another millto the city tax, but it was
defeated.
Aside from the appropriation ordinance,
the most important part of the meeting was
the ordinance fixing and dividing the stand
ing committees. They are to be named by
the presidents of councils, and are as fol-
lows: Finance, Public Works, Public
Safety, Charities, Corporations, Surveys
and Library.
Work for Five Sub Committees.
there will be five subcommittee. The ordi-
nance, as drafted by the subcommittee,
called for four subcommittee namely:
Water, Streets and Sewers, Property, and
Parks. A big fight was made on there
not being enough subcommittee to look
after the affairs of this department. In
consequence, a subcommittee on lighting
was added to the list.
The Public Safety Committee will have
three subcommittee, vi: Fire, police and
health. The ordinance as reported fixed
the representation in the committees at Is
members. IL from Common Council and
three from Select. A chorus of protests
came from the members from that branch
and it was changed to IL from Common and
5 from Select The Committees on Public
Safety, Charity, Surveys and Library will
report in Common Council and those on
Finance, Corporations and Parks will report
in the Select branch The chairmen of the
various committees will be chosen from the
branches in which the committees report.
All the subcommittee and their chairmen
will be appointed by the chairman OF the
Standing Committees. All ordinances, bills,
petitions, remonstrances and resolutions
must be first presented in Councils and re-
ferred to the proper committees without de-
bate.
Many Important Ordinances Passed.
Separate ordinances providing for the col
lection of delinquent taxes and water rents,
advertising, registry of property by asses
n c. h. Ill Il
adopted. The remuneration for the delin-
quent tax collector was fixed at 81, 500 per
annum and per cent of all collections.
While these committees were being ar
ranged there was considerable talk from
persons on the outside that the Councilmen
were not very anxious to give up all their
power to the heads of departments, and
were therefore in favor of hedging each of
those officials in with committees. The an
ticipated result of this is expected to be
continual clash of authority between these
committees and the heads of the departments.
Previous to this the committee had gone
over the entire ordinance and recovered the
work done on Friday night but no changes
of any moment were made. The depart
ments will be Public Safety, Public Works.
Charities, Library, Awards, and Law. The
heads of these departments will be elected
w
their position. on the first Monday of April
next. The term of offic: will be TOUR years.
and tt. date for electing the heads of de-
partments h reaf :er will be oil the second
Monday Of Januery. This date was placed
be ore the election of Councilmen so that
politl.s, in measure, would not figure in
the choosing of these officials
New Chiefs Will Hold for Four Years
Mr. Mcdonald suggested that the heads
of departments should be elected for one
year only, at first. but his idea failed to
receive any support. Mr.. Robinson made a
motion to elect for three years, but it was
defeated by vote of to 8.
The matter of the qualifications of police
men was brought up and an ordinance
passed, the committee making provision
that every member of the police force should
be able to write and pass physical exam
ination. After this the ordinance relating
to the Department of Public Safety was
affirmatively recommended with the excep-
tion Of all that section which referred to
the appointment OF police magistrates.
Mr.. Cochrane objected to it because it
cost too much, and therefore moved to mega
lively recommend that section. Mr.. Vert
heimer took this opportunity to suggest
that good and respectable citizen would be
more willing to accept the Office OF Mayor
il, by the appointment of magistrates, the
dirty work of the police cases was taken
away from that Office. He even believed
men could be found who would accept the
office as an honorary one. This plan did
not seem to catch, and Mr.. Cochranes mo-
tion prevailed.
When all the ordinances had been read
over they were referred rs a whole to Coun-
ellis and the committee was about to adjourn
when Chairman Snalnan called for the re-
vised figures in the appropriation ordinance.
That gentleman reported that he believed
little less than 13 mills would be sufficient.
All the Floating Debt Not Covered.
Both Messrs. Cochrane and Wertheimer
wanted to know if that covered all floating
debts, to which Mr.. Brown replied that there
was still about Sc, 900 uncovered.
Mr.. Cochrane wanted to know if any pro-
vision had been made to construct a new
bridge at Herr's Island to replace the one
washed away by the food.
1t was stated that no provision had been
made and Mr.. Cochrane wanted the millage
raised 10 IA to cover everything. Both he
and Mr.. Wertbeimer argued that it was
more economical to assess enough tax than
it was to go into debt at the end of the year,
The remainder of the committee, however,
believed that Is mills city tax was sufficient
and it was SO recommended to Councils.