The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-23
HOBOKEN'S MIDDLE.
The Council Tries Again to
Straighten Out the FL
nanclal Difficulty.
MIR. cAPELLl's SUDDEN VIRTUE
de Wanted the judgments Against
the City Held Up Although
1t Would Cost More.
MR.. eAPELLi's SUDDEN VIRTUE

ciai difficulties in which it has been IN
volved for some weeks past.
The trouble. as has been fully related
in 1.-THE News" originated when it was
discovered thai the appropriations made
by the Tax Board for the contingent and
printing funds had become Exhausted ana
the Council found no available money 10
pay the city's debts. The claims for
printing and incidental expenses aggre-
gated several thousand dollars and the
holders of the claims demanded payment
To prevent a probable blockade in the
city's business the Council, at its last
meeting, passed a resolution directing
City Treasurer James Smith to transfer
to the exhausted funds. $5,S7S.45 the sur
plus above all appropriations left to the
credit of the city upon the collected taxes
of the year 1866. Treasurer Smith, who
is hostile to Mayor Fagan's administra-
ton, declined to make the transfer on the
ground that il was illegal.
He claimed that the funds could be re-
plenished only by the Tax Board and that
the claim holders would have to wait TOT
their money until the next meeting Oh that
body. He also instituted proceedings IN
the courts to review the Councils actloh-
Prior to the meeting last night Mayor
Pagan and the members of the Counci
held a consultation as to what course 10
pursue. The lobby was W 10 tne
doors and when Chairman Weintnal caileo
the meeting to order there was scarcely
an inch of space unoccupied.
communication from Comptroller
Kaufman. addressed to the Finance CoHl-
mittee. was read showing the exact sur
plus over the appropriations OF last year.
Councilman Bewig, chairman OF the
on Printing and Stationery
then presented the following report
To the Honorable Council of the City
Yo,r Committee on Printing and
Stationery respectfully SHOWS Ing +hiS
appropriation for the purposes Oh lmS
committee for the present nseal yea
will not be sufficient. Your comHlttes
has comparatively little conIroi ob hel
fhe expenditures of this account. De
ca1lse the prices for legal advertising
are in ali cases fixed by statute, ana
the volume of it depends entlreiy upoa
the exigencies of the pubic business.
The printing of the minutes constl.
flutes a large item of this expense. n aoa
the twelve months ending May !, aoS.,
the minutes passed by your honor-
able Board constituted go pages IN
manual f~orm.~1From May lslo9f: Gown
to the present time, a period OF eignl
bars 9q7 nages. More ordinances nave
been uasseds during the. present year
than during any other year IN the Us .
tory of the city. The expenditures lol
these purposes is mandatory upon tne
Board because the law prescrlpes ina
the minutes hall be published IN news
papers, and that the ordinances are oA-
no effect until so published.
This committee therefore ask your
honorable body to make some Pto
vision for the necessary o~Dilsatous ~
Cured and to be incurred on this ac-
count.
Respectfully submitted, -
After the report had been read Council
man Londrigan offered a resolution re-
scinding the instructions given to the CITY
Treasurer at the last meeting and intro
ducing in it's place . a resolution trans
ferring s., 900 of the surplus to the appro,
Stationery and $500 for the contingent
fund. The resolution stated that by the
opinion of the Corporation Attorney. tne
Council has power under Section A OF me
city charter to apply such surplus to such
purposes as it may direct"
Councilman Capelli was the only mem
Der of the Board who opposed the erahs-
II don't see," he said, what difference
there is between this resolution and the
YOU want to hasten the matter? Why
not wait until the Court decides whether
we have the power to make TINS trans
I6rfF ~
Chairman Weinthal informed Mr..
Capeln that the object of passing the res
olution a second time was to avoid a teen.
nical question which had arisen as 70 us
construction. At first The City treasurer
was directed to make the transfer, put
in the latter case the Council declares lne
right to apply the money to such purposes
as it so desires without placing any re-
sponsibility on the treasurer.
did you not vote to transfer money IN
this same manner last year, inquired
McGOvern of Capelli.
YES" replied the latter, but did not
know I was doing wrong"
of all the members with the exception OF
{Gapelli. who declined to vote. The City
Clerk was then instructed to notify Treas
urer Smith and Comptroller Kaufman of
the Boards action.
Immediately after the adoption of the
resolution a batch of outstanding claims
were read by the Clerk and ordered paid.
A letter was received from the Business
Men and Taxpayers Association OF the
Fourth ward protesting against the city
paying for advertisements in TWO local pa
pers. The association considered one news.
pape enough, n suggested that one OF
the two be dropped from the pay list. the
communication also stated that the work
or regarding First street was not being
carried out according to peclhea ate Ton.
drigan. ST think we are obliged to adver-
tise in two papers,"
The complaint was referred to the Com
mittee on Laws and Ordinances.
The Committee on Licenses reported ad-
yersely upon the application of Andrew
Wahner for a license to keep a saloon at
No. 157 Fourteenth street. The license was
refused because the applicant is not a
citizen.
Judgment having been rendered against
the city by Judge Nevius in the matter of
the bills amounting to $6,117.81, held by
w. D. Edwards, Earle & Harrison and
the New Jersey Title Guarantee and
Trust Company for services in the river
front appeal cases. a resolution was
adopted ordering the issue of a temporary
loan bond at 40 interest in order to pay
the amount. The bond is to be sold at
not less than par. and the Board will be
requested to make an application for the
future lyme of the interest and prin-
cipal. Capelli objected to the bond on
pense upon the city. He thought that the
judgment could be laid over until the Tax
Board made provision for the amount.
Councilman Stuhrwald said that If the
city neglected to pay the judgment the
applicants could attach the cityss property
and probably close up the City Hall.
"If the Judgment is not paid" said
Londrigan. .sthe city will have to pay SO
interest, and by issuing the bond we there
by save 10
A check was ordered drawn for $3.50, the
: Hospital.
City Treasurer Smith said this morning
that under no conditions would he sign
warrants to be drawn on the contingent
or printing funds until Judge Lippincott
had rendered a decision in the certiorari
proceedings instituted by Margaret c.
sheehy for a review of the Councils ac-
ton.
THE rule to show cause which the