Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-09-17
CoUNcIL's TRUANT CLERK.
Messick Charged with Negiecting Hi
DutIes--He Blnclss CnnnciI,s business


Duties--He Blocks Councils Business.
One of City Councils briefest ses-
sions was that held Thursday night. .ys @.
Clerk Messick being absent Mr..
Cotton moved that Assistant City
Auditor Boughman serve as clerk
pro TEN, which motion was adopted.
Mr.. Cotton, after explaining that the
minutes OF the preceding session had
not been written up, moved that their
reading be dispensed with, which mo-
ton also was adopted.
On motion of the same member the
regular order of business was sus-
pended.
Next he offered the following:
1t has become necessary to charge the
clerk Of Council with neglect of his duties
and to ask for special committet to exam
inc into the same and report at an ad-
1ourned meeting by resolution.
Specification one-Thc clerk has been
absent from his office the past week with
out reasonable causeand entirely neglected
to enter the minutes of our last stated
meeting, has also neglected all other public
business pertaining to his office
SecOnd-This has occurred twice since
July LIST and is seriously jeopardizing the
public interests.
Immediately after the communication
had been read, Mr.. Cotton moved that O
committee of five be appointed to exam
inc into the charges and report at an
adjourned meeting, which motion Mr..
Dannenberg seconded. A two-thirds
vote being required, Mr.. Cotton called
for the yeas and nays. The vote re-
suited as follows: Yeas-Messrs. Col
ton, Dannenberg, McVey, Ratledge and
Benson. Nays-Messrs. Pagan, Griffin,
Magee, Murray and White. Messrs.
Kirby, Mckelyey and Perkins were alb
sent.
This motion not being adopted Mr..
Cotton made another, that Council ad-
journ until Friday at s o'clock. Mr..
Murray objected to the latter. If there
were urgent business, he said, he would
vote in favor Of the motion, but he was
opposed to putting the city to unneces-
sary expense. Mr.. Cotton explained
that he has key to the clerks safe and
had examined his papers. He had not
found even a rough copy Of the minutes
Of the preceding session. Bills were
scattered promiscuously and had NOT
been referred. BY having an adjourned
meeting matters could be straightened
Mr.. Magee favored postponement. He
thought the minutes are in shape but
he did not know where they are. Mr.
Messick, he said, had left town for q
week and possibly had been delayed o
day or two.
City Council met in adjourned session
on Friday with Assistant City Auditor
Boughman serving as clerk pro ten and
all members except Mr.. McKelvey pres
| ent.
On motion of Mr.. Cotton the regular
order of business was suspended and
the minutes of the last two stated meet
ings were read. The minutes of Sep
tember 3D., were adopted after President
Benson had been authorized and in
structed to attest them and those of las
| Thursday, which had been ettested by
the acting clerk, were approved readily
The committee on fire companies re
| ported that it, with other members O
Council, had visited all the fire com
panies and found that their apparatus
conforms in every particular with law
and recommended that the companie
be allowed their semi annual appropria
tions, which report was accepted.
The special committee on new manua
reported that it had attended to TIL,
duty assigned it and that the manual
are ready for distribution, and after tn
acceptance of the report the COMMITTEES
was discharged.
The city treasurer reported that tn
city has on deposit $50, 1864 in Uniol
National Bank and $23, $50 each in Firs
National Bank, National Bank of Della
ware, Central National Bank and Ma
tional Bank of Wilmington and Bran
dywine to the credit of current expense
and $4,454.62 in Union National BAN
to the credit Of special deposit. He ais
reported the following receipts; From
Collector Mitchell, $4,000 and SALTS
respectively city and school taxes 70
1890 and 1891; from Administrato
Mealey, 81 ,4T5 and $233.S9, respectiyel.
city and school taxes for last year an,
this year; from Union National Bank
1856. II, interest on the city's August de
posits; from Building Inspector Dlllir
SS4, fees for August; from Clerk Hylan
Of the municipal court, $1S, unclaime
witness fees for July, and $553.35, fine:
fees and costs for August. The report
were received and filed.
| Ht Gitl NNlbAhNN W viz wa
rectness of the accounts of the cit
treasurer, the building inspector and til
clerk of the municipal court. On tn
accounts Of the secretary of the Stree
and Sewer Department he made til
following report; "a difference of SOS
exists in the July cash expenditures
due to not charging an expenditur
made in July in July's account Th
above amount, charged in Angus
causes difference in the August eS
penditures. A difference OF $167a
exists in the July receipts, due to tn
secretary not depositing that amount i
the hands of the city treasurer ii
August 4th, which sum should hay
been deposited on July 3lst, in orde
that the books in both offices shoul
correctly balance. The sums of th
= July and August receipts and expend
lures are correct rs follows: Receip
for July, Sl,9l5.35; receipts for Angus
S244 ,65533; expenditures for Jul,
$7,2369S; expenditures for Angus
S23 ,4S796. The balance in bank o
September 1st to the credit of the depar
; ment is correct as follows: Currei
expenses, S107,173.72; interceptin
sewer, sic, ,365.76 paving and impro'
ing streets, S99,s41.12." These repor
were also accepted and filed.
Semi-annual appropriations as follow
were allowed; Fame Hose Compan
: and Friendship, Delaware, Phmnix an
Weccacoe fire companies, $1,000 eacl
Washington Fire Company, $1,60
Liberty Fire Company, 1880, lie
$225, the amount of an order in favC
: Of the Kennebec Ice and Coal Compan
/ Chief Engineer Robinson of the fl
!. department was allowed $100 and A
b sistant Engineers Kane and Green We
G each allowed $50, their salaries for 81
!. months.
!, The Board of Health was allowed i
u