The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-01-20

FARRIER and DINAN.
Mr.. Kenny Reminds the
Fire Board of Its
Duty.
TINE THE WIDOWS WERE PENSlONED,
Low Grade Teachers Will Get the
Increase of Salaries-0ther
Matters.

Matters.
The busiest session of the Finance
Commissioners so far this year was held
last night. The storm presumably Kept
Commissioners Hitler and Peterson
away. Under the skilful management
of President Edelstein an immense batch
of business was quickly disposed OF.
Upon assembling in the meeting room
President Edelstein announced with no
display of good humor that he had been
served with mandamus from the Free
Public Library Trustees to recover S2S,-
236. % due that institution on account OF
appropriations for the present year:
Counsel Edwards was by resolut lon re-
quested to draft bill for presentation to
the Legislature curtailing the annual
appropriation for the sustenance OF the
Free Public Library to $4,000. The
Library now gets one third of mill on
the annual assessments. After hauling
the Library Trustees over the Goals the
Street and Water Commissioners were
given an inning.
ment difficulties The Street and Water
Commissioners asked for an appropria-
| tton of $50, ,0O0 to be obtained by tempor-
ary loan bonds. to tide them over their
present difficulties. Claims against the
Water Department have been hung up
for months and aggregate seVerai thous-
and dollars. Clerks have not received
their salaries and on whole, financially,
the Water Department is in serious
plight. Water rents are due and are
coming in rapidly, and the Street and
Water Com mmissioners hoped 70 be able to
pay all claims against the Department
with the money now pouring In. Inc
enormous sums of money which must be
paid on tine S., 900. 600 Indebtedness Is pay
able monthly and SO far in the proceed
legs every cent collected has been util-
lied for the payment or interest.
COUNSEL EDWARDS OPINION.
The FinaLce Commissioners considered
the knotty affair for some time and the
opinion Of Corporation Counsel Edwards
was asked ON the matter. Last night he
submitted his opinion which was as toll
lows:-
Honorable Board of Finance:
SIRs:-My opinion has been asked as TO
whether your Board has the power to
borrow $50, 600 on temporary loan bonds
for the benefit of the water Department.
and in anticipation of water rents now
due and PAYABLE bat hereafter to be col
lected, said moneys SO borrowed to be
used in the payment of bills which have
wise you that you have no such power.
When the present Board of Street and
Water Commissioners were appointed
there was floating debt OF about S4l4, 00O
due from the Water Department to the
general account of the city, which had
been incurred and gradually increased
during the past twelve years. This debt
had grown cut of the long esta ablished
practice of the city in paying for all ex-
tensions of water mains out OF the current
water receipts, SO that when money was
required to paw the interest on the funded
debt of the department the deficiency
had to be made up by loans from
the general account. Finally. re-
lief was obtained by the passage of
Chapter 1858 of the laws OF 1891.
whereby water bonds to the amount of
$3.50, 900 were authorized and issued; those
proceeds were paid under the act 20 the
Board OF Finance, and at the same time
the balance of $4,000 was also paid out
Of the current wal er receipts. This draft
has proved too heavy for the Water De-
partment as now constituted, hence the
application. Under section l32 OF the
charter OF 1871 temporary loan bonds
can be issued i'll anticipation of the col
lection of taxes or assessments for i'm
provements, but not for water rents;
under this section most of our temporary
loan bonds are issued. No construction
OF this section can include water rents.
find upon examination no supplement
to the charter nor any general act
authorizing such bonds in anticipation of
the collection of water rents, except the
above law of 1891 under which you have
exhausted your powers. For many
years such differences have been made up
by loans to the water account from the
general account, which would be repaid
in whole or in part from the water &C
count during the months OF June and
July, when the active work of collecting
the water rents was in progress and the
department was in funds"
The matter of providing for the sweep
ing and cleaning of the streets and the
removal Of ashes and garbage was next
taken up, and Henry Byrne Will again
perform this work. The resolution of the
Street and Water Commissioners award
ing him the contract was concurred in.
The present appropriation, S30. 600, being
insufficient for the proper carrying on of
the work, Sl2, 500 extra will be set aside
tor tho purpose. making total of S42,-
500. The $l2, 500 extra will be borrowed
under the act of last year passed for that
purpose.
KENNY's VICTORY ON SCHOOL SALARIES.
Following this came a victory tor Com
missioner Kenny in the matter of secur-
ing an increase of salaries for the public
school teachers in the low grade depart
ments. Those teachers now receiving
$500 per year will receive S400. The iu-
crease was brought about in this man-
ner The sum of IS, 900 was appropriated
to the schools for gas, repairs. lighting
and veutilating Subsequently it was
discovered that the Board of Education
had no power to make such repairs, but
that such duty was a part of the work
of the Street ana Water Commissioners.
Accordingly 50, 500 was placed at the dis
posal of the latter Board, and that sum
being sufficient, the remaining So 500, on
Commissioner Kenny's motion, will go
to the credit of teachers salaries and will
be used in increasing those in low grades.
City Collector O'Neill reported that the
assessments for the improvement of
Woodward street, between Grand street
and the Canal were payable. and also
that report No. 76 of the Tax Adjustment
Commissioners had been filed in his office
for collection. The arrearages as adjusted
amount to S77, ,405 70.
THE TEXT BOOK MONEYS.
The Finance Commissioners also dis
played some curiosity as to what DISPOSE
ton the Board of Education had made
of The SIS 600 appropriated for text books.
Clerk German was directed to ascertain
how mnch of this money remained.
CHIEF FARRIER AND sToKER OMAN.
Before adjourning Commissioner Kenny
took occasion to rebuke in mild manner
the Fire Commissioners who nave as yet
failed to make pension for the widows
of the late Chief OF the Fire Department
Henry E. Farrier and Stoker Daniel