The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-03-23
HARRISBURG LETTER.
The New Laws Prepared for the
Selection of Officials for
BOrOughS.
ARE FAvORABLY REPORTED
EXTRACTS QUOTED FROM THE LAWS
APPLYING TO THE ELECTION OF
BOROUGH OFFICERS.
Senator John j. Coyle Has the Meas
ureS in Hand and Says They Will
be Passed by the Senate With
out Doubt.
Special HERALD correspondence.


HARRISBURG, Mar. Ex-senator Coyle's
bills providing for the election by the
people of treasurers, supervisors and town
clerks in boroughs, instead of appoint
ment by Councils, have met with much
favor here and have been reported favor.
ably by committees. Senator Coyle says
he is confident the three bills will pass
the Senate either next week, or the week
following.
The treasurer's bill provides that the
qualified voters of every borough in the
Commonwealth shall at the next regular
election for borough offices and triennially
thereafter vote for and elect properly
qualified elector of the borough for treas
urer, who shall serve for the term of three
years. The treasurer so elected shall re-
ceive all moneys due or accruing to the
borough and pay the same on orders
drawn and attested by the town
clerk and signed by the president
of the town council. He shall keep
just and true account of all moneys re.
ceived and disbursed, which account shall
be at all times open to the inspection of
the town council. He shall once in three
months and oftener, if required, furnish
the town council with statement of all
moneys received and disbursed since the
date of his last statement, exhibiting the
balance remaining in his hands, together
with the names of the persons in whose
hands any arrearages may remain, with
the amount thereof; and shall once in one
year state his accounts and produce his
vouchers, which, after examination by
the town council, shall be by said body
laid before The borough auditors for set
tlement. He shall ray over all moneys
remaining in his hands and deliver all
books, papers, accounts and other things
belonging to the corporation TO his sue.
cessor. The bill also provides that the
treasurer shall, before entering upon his
duties, take his oath of Office and give a
bond with sureties in the sum of ten
thousand dollars, to be approved by the
town council. The bill further provides
that the treasurer shall receive out of the
borough treasury the sum of not less than
one hundred dollars per year as a salary
in full for all services.
The bill providing for the election of
the supervisors is not as lengthy. 1t
states that at the next regular election
for borough officers and triennially there
after the qualified voters shall vote for
and elect properly qualified elector of
the borough for supervisor, who shall
serve for the term of three years; that
such supervisor shall perform his duties
under the direction of the town council,
who shall fix his salary.
The bill providing for the election of a
town clerk has been reported favorably,
but is not yet in print
By careful perusal of the two bills
furnished it will be observed that they in
no way change the character of the offices
of borough treasurer and supervisor, but
leaves them as they now are, with the
exception that in the case of the treasurer
the bond is fixed at the uniform figure of
$4,000. This amount has been decided
upon after some conference as ample.
A comparison of notes has shown that, in
the absence of extensive public improve.
ments, 1t is seldom that borough treas
urer holds as much as the amount of the
bond at one time. 1t is true that when
boroughs receive their share of the county
revenue the treasurer gets as high as
fifteen thousand dollars in his hands, but
it has been that outstanding orders and
other obligations quickly reduce the
amount of the holdings to figure within
that prescribed by the new law.
The bill introduced in the House giving
the Chief Burgesses of borough powers
to appoint paid policemen does not meet
with favor here. 1t does not meet tbs
requirements made apparent by the ex
isting evils. True, it practically extends
the terms of the police from one to three
years, and thus does not subject competen
men to such frequency of removal as nov
exists but it carries with it an implication
OF limit of service, namely term la st
ing as long as the Chief Burgess remains
in Office. It does not embrace the princi
pile that policeman shall remain in ser
vice as long as he is qualified and faithful
On the contrary it keeps the police fore
subject to the change of administration
and that has long since been declared baC
policy. A better plan would be to hav,
the Chief of Police elected by the peopl
and let him appoint his subOrdinates
subject TO the approval of Councils.
Steamed oysters at the Scheihy House
Pique roll collars are done, up VIII