The Portland daily press., 1895-05-07


control of the mayor and aldermen over the
commissioner in making contracts. The
power to make contracts given the commits
sioner is secondary power merely inciden-
tai to dischareing the primary duties of his
Office. The extent, therefore, of the direct
ing and control to be exercised by the
mayor and aldermen over the commissioner
in the discharge of his duties may vary, as
The authority under which he is acting
varies. As already indicated in the forego-
ing discussion. the authority to prescribe
what an officers duties shall bs is not the
same kind of authority as granted to the
mayor and aldermen in chapter l66. This
latter, as have already stated. is super
visory merely relating to the manner in
which an officer shall discharge his pre-
scribed duties. 1t follows. therefore, that
in the discharge of duty made mandatory
on him by statute the commissioner of pub
lie works might not only make contract
which WAS not authorized by the mayor and
aldermen, but might, in certain cases, make
a contract against their express order. On
the other hand, as before stated. in the
matter Of sewer construction, the mayor
and aldermen might by the vote in which
authority was granted to tbe commissioner
to construct a sewer to restrict him as to
location. grade, material and manner of
construction that the power of the comM1s-
sioner to make contracts would practically
be taken away.
The report was accepted on motion of Mr..
Little.
THE MAYORS VETO OF 1HE PETERS
RULES.
One of the most interesting and important
matters of the evening was Mayor Baxters
veto message, which is as follows:
Gentlemen of the City Council:
I return to you without my approval
an order entitled Especial Regulations in
Relation to.the Employment of La bor."
My reasons for SO doing are as follows.
These rules are substitute for list of
rules presented by the Committee of
Public Works to the City Council in
March under the same title, which
shall denominate the committees rules.
The committee rules were the ones en-
ployed during the year previous, with
such slight notifications as were deemed
advisa ble,and were designed to equitab bly,
subserve the interests of the city and
that class of it's employees to which hthey
applied. They had been used for year
with success. and therefore possessed the
advantage of having been tested, and
after careful consideration by the COM
mittee it was unanimously voted to re-
port them to the city council for adoption
In accordance with this vote these rules,
fifteen in number, were presented in the
Board of Aldermen by tue gentleman
from Ward 3, and ordered to be prir ted.
Pending action upon these rules, the
gentleman from Ward 4, who was also
one Of the Committee of Public Works,
and Joined in the unanimous vote to
present them to the Council, formulated
the scheme of rules which / now return
to you, twenty-one in number and which
will denominate the Peters rules.
The first objection to these rulesswhich
l shall note is in the beginning of the
first rule, viz.
"Men who seek employment under the
Commission of Public Works shall apply
for registration" etc.
This may be construed to apply to con-
tractors on sewers, for instance, who en-
ploy men, and in that case would ex-
clude class of skilled mechanics whose
services cannot be profitably dispensed
with, and conine the work to men not
competent to execute such work in a
manner best calculated to serve the in
terests of the city. In the committees
rules registration in this department. is
limited to laborers that is, skilled and
unskilled laborers, teamsters and Others.
except foremen, the employment of
whom is provided for by the law creat-
ing the Commission of Public Works.
The second, and most serious objection
which | note, is rule Is, as follows:
Men employed as common laborers,
shall not be continued on the pay roll
more than one month at a time, and
men employed as skilled laborers, or
specialists, shall not be transferred to
work requiring unskilled labor without
being, in each case, drawn on new
requisition, except by special vote of said
committee"
The adoption of this rule I believe
would not only demoralize and disorgan-
ize the labor force to the great injury of
the laborers themselves, but would be
equally injurious to the city's interests.
The best meu would not be willing to
work for the city if they knew that at
the end of the month their services
would be dispensed with and Others put
in their places, and would seek employ
ment where the terms of service would be
longer; while large nun ber of the poorer
sort would be always waiting, clamorous
for the placs to be vacated. No business
corporation ever adopted such rule for
the employ ment of labor as this, and |
know of no reason why the city should
in the employment of its laborers. In
saying this / speak in the interests of the
men employed as well as in the interests
of the city. What we want is body of
efficient and well paid men, and to have
such men they must have as much steady
employment as possible. 1t is not to he
expected that all men who want work
can be employed by the city, and the
sooner we rid ourselves of this idea the
better. Under the classification system
the old and weak men are assigned to
light work. and get all there is of such
work, and all they oould properly get
under any plan; but in any case, the city
is not a charitable institution, but
business corporation, with a soul careful
for the interests of every citizen within
it's borders, both it's taxpayers and the