St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-08
MEN AND POLICEMEN,S SAL
ARIES.
ALDERMEN ON TAX ESTIMATE.
THEY CONSIDER AND RAISE SOME
OF THE CONFERENCE COM
MII'rEE's5 FIGURES.
GARBAGE CONTRACT SETTLED.
1t Is. on ton, Awarded
to Fielding & shepIey-Busy
AIdermanic Meeting.

| Inc BOARD OF aldermen awarded the
garbage contract last night, and then
plunged into the tax estimate. The
latter subject consumed the greater
part OF the three hours session, the
board disposing Of ten items out the
twenty-four, whereupon it adjourned
until 2:30 p. m today,
! In SO far as the board considered
! the tax estimate as recommended by
the conference committee, it raised it
| So,oOO net so far as considered. 1t add
| ed Sl1,5OO to the estimate for the fire
department fund, and $4,000 to the
school fund for the erection of a new
school building in the German school
district. 1t reduced the $4,000 esti-
mated for the lighting fund to $780,
! 000.
Early in the evening the question of
awarding the contract for collecting
garbage for the present year required
on the motion of Aid. Murphy. Aid.
Brady, who voted at the last meet
ing to award the contract to Bircher
& Riddell, the lowest bidders, called
attention to Corporation Attorney
| Darragh's opinion that the bid Of this
He contended that the amount of the
bid. so long as it was the lowest, did
not concern the council.
Aid. Murphy moved that the con-
tract be awarded to Fielding & Shep-
ley, TO whom the assembly had already
awarded it,
The roll was called. 1t required
eight votes out of the eleven to adopt
the assembly resolution, which at the
previous meeting of the board received
only seven. Aldermen Brady, Hare
Lindahl and Montgomery voting
against it. Last night, however, Aid.
Hare changed his vote and the resolu-
ton awarding the contract to Fielding
& Shepley was adopted by a vote of 8
to 8.
The board then took up the tax es-
innate, which came before them in the
shape of a resolution from the con-
ference committee recommending the
various appropriations. Before dis
cussing it in detail, the privilege of
the floor was granted to James Morrow,
of the Trades and Labor assembly,
who presented the report Of the re-
trenchment committee appointed by
In the G / o b e. Mr.. Morrow said that
the Trades and Labor, assembly be-
ileved in the reduction of some of the
departments but was strongly opposed
TO reducing the salaries Of men who
received S75 month or under. They
were equally opposed to cutting the
wages of laboring men below the pres
ent rate Of S1.50 day, now paid by
the city,
proceeding then with the budget, the
ooafd adopted without discussion the
nfSt, second and third items of the es
innate which provide for the interest
sinking fund and certificates Of indebt
edness fund The first item to occa
sion discussion was the fire DEPART
ment fund The conference committee
reduced this from s215OO0 to 5000 900.
Ala: Murphy moved that the $1,000
De increased to S2l1,5O0, the addition
representing the proposed reduction in
the salaries of the .firanen Aid. Mark
nam opposed the increase, on the
ground that the fire board had secured
the consent Of the firemen to the pro-
posed decrease in their salaries. Aid.
Murphy contended that if the council
approved of this recommendation. if
would practically indorse the cut The
IRE department was, in his opinion the
wrong place to start retrenchment 1t
was outrageous to reduce the salaries
OF the hremen. Assemblymen Lewis.
who was accorded the privilege of the
floor, said that the city had reason to
feel proud of it's fire and police depart
mentS for the whole-Souled spirit they
had displayed in coming forward and
Voluntarily consenting to the reduc-
tCns In their salaries, and while he be-
lieved that high-salaried officials
should accept the principal cut, the re-
trenchment must be general to be con-
sistent. Aid. Mflham asked: Have
the policemen and firemen consented
to the reduction?"
Aid. Markham-Yes.
Aid Milham-It don't seem to be the
case,so far as / have been able to learn
L understand that! some Of them have
not been consulted. Now, I'm not in
favor of reducing firemen or police
men receiving $75 per month. I will
never vote to cut the salary of a labor
er below $3.50 a day.
Aid. Murphy.s motion to add 81 500
to the estimate was then carried by a
vote of eight to three. Aid Mark
ham, Montgomery and Ehrmanntraut
voting in the negative.
The accommodation of the confer
ence COMMITTEES appropriating $1S5, 900,
the charter limit for the police depart
ment, was after, some discussion, adopt
ed, Aid. Lindahl voting nay.
The board next considered the esti-
mate of S14OOob for lighting the city.
On motion of Aid. Brady this amount
was reduced to $19O,000, and by a vote
of nine to two, the estimate was re-
duced to that amount.
The seventh item providing $4,000 for
the water supply fund, and the eighth
item, allowing $21 200 for the board of
control fund, were adopted without
change.
The school fund estimate, which was
reduced by the conference committee
from $246,0 900 to $4,000, was then con-
sidered. Aid. Montgomery called the
attention of the board to the provision
OF the charter which compels the coun-
Gil to levy at least mills upon the total
assessed valuation for school purposes.
Controller McCardy explained to the
board his construction Of the section.
He held that 1t was not the intention Of
the law to say that the council should
levy mills If the department already
had on hand what a 2 mill rate would
produce. Aid. Montgomery insisted,
however, that the section was manda-
tory.
At this point Aid. Wolf moved that the
sum Of $4,000 be added for the purpose
of erecting new building in the Cor
man school district to relieve the crowd
ed condition of that school. In this con-
nection Principal Donnelly, of the Cor
man school, assured the council that the
school had been5greatly overcrowded for
several years, and that additional room
was badly needed
Aid. VOLTS amendment was adopted
by a vote Of 10 to ], aid. Markham cast
ing the negative vote. The entire item,
as amended, Was then adopted by the
same vote, thereby making it $165 900
instead of s150,OOO. sd