The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-12-19
INFRINGEMENT IS FAVORED
COUNCILMEN THINK 13 1-2 MILLS
 TAX SUFEICIENT.

Tenth Ward Engine House and Street
 Sprinkling Provided For-Sundry Ac-
 count and Contingent Fund Cut Down
 Committee of Conference on Hospital
 Refused.
 The lower branch of the municipal legislature held a lengthy session last evening. It was near midnight when an adjournment was reached.
 The councilmen refused to concur with the aldermen in the matter of re- ferring the hospital for contagious dis eases to the committee on ordinances of the court of common council of 1897, and adopted the following resolution:
 Resolved, That the matter of a con- tagious disease hospital be referred to the court of common council of 1897. All previous action taken by the court of common council in reference to public hospital for patients suffering with contagious diseases is hereby re- pealed and the city auditor is hereby ordered not to sell any hospital bonds until instructed to do so by the court of common council
 Councilman Beers moved to appoint committee of conference as asked by the aldermanic board. The motion was defeated by a vote of 20 to 4.
 On motion of Councilman Norris of the Sixth ward the city clerk was in structed to inform the board of health of the action taken.
 One of the effects of the action of the councilmen will be to further muddle the contagious disease hospital matter. It is now more than probable that the matter will go to the next court of common council with disagreeing ac- ton on the part of the retiring board of councilmen.
 The board cOncurred in the acton or | the aldermen in transferring $1, 800 for grading and curbing Edgewood avenue west of Mott street, and $2,000 for hard | ening Blatchley avenue, from Grand avenue to Clay street, from the account | for cobblestone gutters.
 The estimates for 1897 were then talk | en up and considered item by item. | When the item of fire engine house | for the Tenth ward was reached Coun- l cilman Pickett moved to place the sum | of 2000 in the estimates for that pur- pose. The motion was tabled and the reading of the estimates was contin- | ued.
 The next item questioned was the one under "sundries" Several of the mem bers wished to be enlightened. Coun- cilman Norris thought it was too large. | Under the head of this account were fnt- 1itlcfn nfsot tt,Npr a | first and third floors of the city hall | (one-half, s40O), and one of sl,00o for | tihng the first floor of the city hall l (one-halG, the town paying the other half Both items were stricken out. as was also the item of $1 900 for sum- dries, which will cut the original esti- mate for sundry account proposed by the board of finance s2,40e,
 The contingent account. which in- cludes band concerts, Fourth of July and Memorial day celebrations and all claims against the city not otherwise provided for, was reported by the board of finance at $10,500.
 The board reduced the estimate to $S,500 after considerable discussion during which City Auditor Brown was called upon to explain why the fund was so large The auditors explana- ton, which was that this fund was the only one from which any money could be taken to pay damages other thar for land did not satisfy the board.
 The $2500 reported by the finance board for damage to persons, was re duced $500 by a vote of 17 to 6.
 Councilman Norris moved to strike ont the item of s1,000 appropriated fol the payment of interest on hospita bonds. He made an eloquent appeal tc his colleagues to support his motion He failed, however, to bring even his friends, who opposed the hospital, tC his way of thinking on striking out the s1 900 and the motion was lost by 6 vote of 19 to 5.
 | The harbor commission was allowed S40O instead of $200 recommended by the board of finance. Mir. Darlington explained that when the board madt the estimate it had not come to the knowledge of the exact expenditures of the commission for years. It was ot the opinion that the $160 expended was for the year and not for the first sia months ending July 1.
 Councilman Beers succeeded in get ting the amount appropriated for har dening Dixwell avenue increased iron S2, 900 to $4,O00. When this matter haC teen disposed of Councilman Picket made a motion to take the matter O. engine house for the Tenth ward bt taken from the table and that S12,00 taken from the $30,052.SS estimated fol the purpose of paying damages arising from the extension of Union avenue from Water to Spring streets. Councilman Martin attempted tt amend by taking up the matter of eX tension of Union avenue from the ta ble. This was not seconded and Coun cilman Keegan of the Fourth ware asked that the motion of Councilman Pickett give way to the consideration of the resolution of the aldermen lay ing a fourteen mill tax instead of thir teen, as reported by the board O finance. The motion to concur wa! lost and the thirteen mill rate wa! adopted.
 Councilman Keegan asked the privi lege of the floor long enough to stat, his reasons once more why an increase of taxation should be made. He diC not wish the people of the Fourth warC should be kept out of money justly du, them. He wished that some one would make a motion to reconsider the vot just taken. Councilman Clark moved to reconsider and the point of orde