Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-02-19
oulET TOWN MEETING.
Tn ssIectmen AuthoriEed to Secure
 . Loan Of s60,OOO.

immediately took the floor and started in to explain the exact state of affairs as the present board of selectmen found them when they came into the office. Attorney Hendricks remarks were substantially the same as have appeared in the papers dur ing the past couple of weeks, with the ai- dition that he thought the present board of ,seletmen were entitled to debt of gratitude from the taxpayers of Waterbury for having the courage. honesty and com mon decency to call 6 town meeting and inform the people of the condition of things in the selectmen's office and ask to be permitted to make 8 temporary loan to meet current expenses instead of going ahead and doing it themselves and saying nothing about it to anyone. He offered the following:
 "Voted. that the selectmen be and they are hereby authorized to borrow, upon the credit of the town of Waterbury, at a rate of interest not to exceed 3h per cent per annum, such sums as may from time to time be necessary to defray the current expenses of the town to October l, 1895, such sums in the aggregate not to exceed $-."
 "I move that the resolution be adopted as read" said Kevin Drury.
 Chairman Munson thought the blank space should be filled in with some amount
 Attorney Kendrick came forward with a copy of the selectmen's report in his hand. Using extracts from the report as his text, he produced figures to show that the liabil- ities of the town up to October l, 1895, would be sl76, 600, and the assets SSI ,570 leaving a balance of almost $95, ,000. of which $3S.000 represented temporary loans on which we are paying five per cent interest. He opposed the laying of | two mills tax on the ground that the | amount it would raise, S23, 900. would be | merely flea bite He saw no reason | why if tho city can borrow money at less than three per cent, the town. with credit infinitely better. should pay five. Attorney John O'Neill gave the meeting interesting hints as to how public officials who exceed appropria- tions should be dealt with. He said. | do not believe we should authorize this or any other board, for the the present at least, to borrow any money. How comes it that we are in debt to any body for anything? NI remember right, last year there were specified appropria- tions made to pay the obligations of the | town. A speiIfic vote was passed at one | town meeting prohibiting the selectmen from borrowing money and notwithstand- ing that they have borrowed $50, ,000. Or dinarily if tell my agent that he is not to borrow money on my account and an- nOunce that if he does so will not pay it they ont always collect it. These votes have appeared in the daily papers and yet tnnderstand that the former board went to certain bankers who evidently consider ed that town meeting votes were of no consequence and they let the selectmen have more money. submit that the best way to stop the selectmen from borrowing l money when we tell them not to is to say to the people who lend it: "Get your money if you can I'll guarantee that you won't get it."
 Mir O'Neil suggested that committee, consisting of Mayor Kilduff, Mir Wells and Benjamin Sedgwick be appointed to ascer. tain the assets and liabilities of the town aud report back to a meeting to be held later. He wanted to be fully informed as to the condition of affairs before voting on the resolution. He had not much faith. he said. in selectmen's reports, for some very important information that the public ought to know cannot be found in them.
 kevin Drury was the next speaker. He talked of the soup house of last winter and intimated that Patrick Holohan and Judge Root were in a measure responsible for the panic of 1894
 Patrick McMahon moved that the reso. luton be adopted by inserting ''$60. .O00" in the blank space. The motion was put but there being some doubt as to the re. suit it was put second time and carried by an overwhelming majority.
 Mir Kendrick then submitted the follow. ing vote. which was adopted:
 Voted. that the selectmen be and they are hereby authorized to refund the pres. ent temporary loan indebtedness of $50, 000, now standing at the rate of 5 peI cent per annum. at a lower rate of in- terest.'
 Mir Kendrick seemed to have an un- limited supply of resolutions. for as fast as one WAS disposed of he introduced another. His next was as follows, which WAS passed:
 "Voted, that the town of Waterbury, in town meeting duly warned. request oul senator and representatives to introduce in the general assembly and request the general assembly to enact a statute of this state which shall require selectmen tC , verify all reports or returns involving any question of the disbursement or reception of public moneys, to any town meeting ol public bodies by their individual oaths and punishing any such false oath by tn, legal pains and penalties of p. .rjury." The next vote also came from Mir Ken , dEick and was passed as follows:
 ''G"'Voted that from this date hencefortt
 no contract to bind the town shall be made
 and no moneys from the treasury of tbe
 town shall be paid for the indexing and ? revising of any volumes of the town land records at a greater rate than $25 per vol
 ume and no money for any such work o F. any part thereof shall be paid by any or - der drawn by the selectmen on the towI
 treasurer until the entire work of indexinl , and revising of the volume or volumes fol | which the same is drawn shall be performeC
 to the satisfaction of the selectmen."
 The following resolution was read b, the clerk. but Attorney Kellogg said It wa 2 not mentioned in the call and the chair man ruled 1t out.
 Voted, that no officer or agent of thi D town shall hereafter whether by themselve Il or their agents. attorneys or employe ' incur any expense on behalf of this tow
 or use or contract to use the money or th 6 credit of this own for or in relation t l. aiding or pr EB ting or in any way affect :, ing Legislation of any sort unless they hay
 first been authorized so to do by an ex F. press vote of this town.''
 a In the matter of indexing the record h Mir KendIlck was again tIipped up by Al toTneys O'Neill and Kellogg, Mir Kendric
 wanted the matter of iI dexinR indt finitel n postponed but MT Kellogg and Mir O'Nei = argued that it was matter of great in i. portance to the public and should be al ! tended to as soon as possible. The hous
 was divided on this question and the mC
 tion lost. The following vote submitte
 by Mir O'Neil was then passed:
 Voted, that the selectmen be autho Is izei to expend not to exceed $25 p'
 volume for indexing tho town Ian records"