The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-13
THE VETO
Mayors Objections to the
Clerk Hire Bill.
He Demands Privilege of APP
proving the Bills.
More Money to Be Asked for in the
Council Today.

wa - a. NBN1Aaa 80
O'Clock this afternoon.
The object OF the meeting as set forth in
the call is to consider the Huntington
avenue question, a full account of which
was given in yesterdays NEWS. The
business, however, that will be the
principal feature of the session will be the
Council action relative to a c~ommunica-
ton that is to come from Mayor McGuin-
ness. IL Is his veto Of the bill authoriZ-
ing an appropriation of $1,000 for extra
clerical assistance in the Board of Regis
tration. The communication Is as fol-
lows:
GENTLEMEN OF THE CRY COUNCIL:
l herewith return without my approval joint
resolution of the City Council passed Feb. 3.
1886, providing for assistance in the office OF
the board OF csnvassers and registration.
The, resolution on its face purports TO apply
To clerical assistance TO he rendered IN the
future, but IL Is admittedly intended to use a
portion of the sum therein appropriated for
The payment OF clerical assistance already
rendered and which the board had no au-
thority TO hire. III. however. there was a me-
cessity for such additional assistance the
regular and proper way in which = should De
brought before the City Council for allow
ance Is in the form Of a separate resolution,
stating the names of the persons who have
rendered such service. the time they were en-
llcftb Va VIZ uhbunt VI tO4llchbhtiOh
claimed.
The admitted fact that the board Of can.
vassers AMI registration intended TO pay out
OF the appropriation for services not pror-
erly included in the resolution leads to my
second objection to its approval. the lack of
any provision therein that the Mayor should
approve the necessity OF such clerical assist
ance and the reasonableness of the compen-
sation. Such approval by the Mayor IL the
general practice in similar cases In other de-
partments of the city government. For
9NantTla- whan tho .itv clark nsrfaynlQI
duties not exercised by the board of canvas
seTs and registration and required additional
clerical assistance for exactly similaf purposes
he was authorized TO hire such additional as
~sistance rs he deemed necessary, subject,
however, to the approval o. the Mayor. SO
also the weekly pay rolls OF various other de-
partments must not only be certified 10 by
the heads Of the departments and allowed In
the proper committees, but also must DO APP
proved by the Mayor before payment. In the
city treasurer's department such additional
assistance musN be- approved by the joint
standing COMMITTED on finance. Too careful
scrutiny cannot be given to municipal ex-
panditures and " we DO not increase the safe
guards against irregular or unnecessary
expenditures we should at least retain those
which experience has shown to DO reasonable.
Tne money once appropriated. tho enden"y
10 use it II is very strong and IL Is our duty TO
place proper checks against such extrava-
gance. A reference TO the books OF the city
auditor shows that the hoard, for the first
eleven months OF its existence. from March z.
1885. tn Feb. z, 1896, has expended the sum of
SC5.O. IS. IL we add tn this the wages for
clerical assistance remaining unpaid since
December 2s. 1895, estimating tho weekly nav
roll fer clerical assistance at S57. 90, that
being the amount OF the last weekly pay roll,
there would be a SUM OF $3.50 in addition,
making the total for eleven months sCSS0. rs.
OF this amount there Was paid:
Salaries OF the board ............ 3 32G7. 81
Printing. advertising, stationory....... 1896. %
Extra clerks hire, estimated ...,...... 1872. 40
Carriage hire. ..9s4
Lunches. oj.oi
Miscellaneous 4S.o5
Total .sessO. 7s
From these figures IL will be seen that the
amount OF extra clerical assistance during
the above period of eleven months in effect
increases tho salary list over 80 per cent.
A further necessity FOR such supervision and
approval Is tho fact that the board of can
vassers and registration receives fees for pre-
pairing certified copies Of the lists OF voters.
and of these sums so received 1t is not Obliged
20 make any return TO the city treasury. The
sum charged ~ so. 80 for a copy OF each dis
trict list, making the sum OF s55 for certified
copies Of the complete voting list. The
amount of such fees so received Is not known,
nor is IL known how much OF the extra labor
which the bonrd saws it vs. compelled to per-
form g. caused hv this work for which 1t re-
ceives ample compensation.
II H. eininently pr oper under such circum-
stances that thore should be no question that
this resolution Is used for work for which the
board receives fees, and this can only be
satisfactorily done in the manner above indi-
Gated. For the foregoing reasons / feel con-
strained 10 withhold my approval to the ac-
companying resolution.
THE COUNCILS ACTION.
This comm nication will first go to the
Common Council as the resolution origi-
mated i'm that branch and will then be
sent to the Board for concurrence. A
tnree-fiftbs vote in each branch Is neces-
sary to pass the resolution over the
Mayors veto, that Is, "a votes in the
Common Council and 6 In de Board OF
Aldermen.
What proportion of this number will he
cast in opposition to the wishes of the
Mayor Is the subject of lively speculation
at city hall today.
To Judge from the opinion expressed
by the members on the several previous
occasions when this resolution has been
under Discussion Ii may he assumed that
the vote in the Board will be tie aud
she preliminary estimates of the vote in
the Common Council give at least 10 i'm
favor OF the Mayor. The resolution has
already met with the unanimous APP
proval OF the finance committee and the
contest Is considered now to be between
that committee and the Mayor rather
than a matter Of dispute between His
Honor and the registration commission
ers.
MORE o oEELEY REF
The members OF the COMMITTEES on city
property are bound to become temporarily
disiiked this afternoon because they arc
going to ask the Council for an adj
ditional appropriation Of s19, 600 which IL
necessary to complete the work at the
Greeley street school.