The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-02-11
BEHRING'S CHARTER,

DEEhIN1 y Sr1An Chs
The Report of the Committee Unauimo u
ly Adopted.
An enthusiastic meeting of the COM
mittee of 81 representative citizens of the
city of Deering was held last evening at
the Board of Trade rooms. the object
being to receive the report of the sn b.
committee of five relative to any needed
amendments to the city charter. The
report of the committee was as follows
Your committee Fave carefully exam
ined the charter in the light of tho ex-
perienoe of two of the Nom bers, who
have had exceptional opportunities to
observe its workings during the last four
of the five years of the city's existence
under it.
Many changes have been suggested to
theicommitte which. of themselves it
would be advisab BILE to adopt in revision
of the charter but the organic inter-re-
lationship of the various parts of the in
strument, and the subtle and hidden
effects Of changing any one part, In dis
turbing the other portions, present diff
culties to be overcome only BY draft
new from the beginning.
Such an undertaking although heartily
recommended by your committee, is i'm
practicable at this time. In the opinion
of your committee, it can lie properly
accomplished only by small commission
composed OF men who repre- eaI ext eri-
enoe rs we'll as legal knowledge, ana who
shall have tie time and the facilities to
give the matter caieful study and atten-
ton and who. should be appointed for
TINT purpose by the city council.
Il Your committee have, therefore, con-
fined themselves to correcting those am
biguties, and to supplying those wants
which actual experience has brought to
light, leaving all questions political,
economical, or the oretical merely TOR the
consideration of any such commission
which may be created in the future.
The principa! alterations and additions
recommended, and made in the bill re-
ported by your committee, are as follows:
1.-The board of aldermen is Increased
from seven to eleven members, the four
additional members being elected by all
the voters of tie city.
The Dpering board has been exception
ally small as compared with other cities
of the same size, and as result the COM
mittee work of each member has besn
un usually onerous. The election of MEM
hers at large is praoticed in Westhrook,
where the board consists of 1S mem bers.
10 ID HlSu t;6luk tCIt BcbCidhy lhOCi po-
rated AS a provision in the charters Of the
cities of Massachusetts,. 1t is also said to
have its advantages from the standpoint
of political economic les as such members
represent the whole rather than any par
ticular ward.
IA provision has been added en-
towering the city to grade all ways
within it's borders which are not exclu-
Eiyely within the Jurisdiction of the
nouutv 1piasiouorS
ga provision Las been added author
izing sidewalk and curling ordinance,
and assessments upon AUDITORS thereun-
der, not, however. to exceed 80 per cent
of the OF the cost. This provision is
made to be uniform with the provisions
of the enforcement of sewer assessments.
4-The section on sewers has been
amended so as to clear up some ambigu
ties of meaning. and SO as to include all
sewers heretofore built or hereafter to be
built by vote of the city council.
"a provision for the election of the
auditor by the people, and for defining
his duties and salary by ordinance. and
in accordance with the auditors duties
performed in other cities, has been added.
This is lack in our city charter upon
which your committee have heard fre-
ouent comments. Auditors should be
elected by the people, not by the very
officials whom they are expected to watch.
This is undoubtedly what the original
trainers of the charter intended.
Gan additional paragraph relative to
the vet, power of the mayor in case of
appropriation bills has been added. The
provision authorizes him to veto one item
in such bills, without thereby vetoing
the whole bill.
Respectfully submitted.
Fred V. Matthews,
Augustus F. MOIlton,
Scott Wilson,
John Z. Sawyer,
VIM. w. Mitchell.
Sub Committee.
The report of the committee with their
was unanimously
adopted.
Ii was voted to DO the sense of the
meeting of the committee of 81 that Mr..
Moore, the representative of Deering in
the legislature, be instructed to use his
efforts to secure the passage Of the bill
on the amendments to the Deering city
charter.
II was also voted as the sense of the
committee that all citizens be and are
he. eby invited to attend the hearing be-
fore thu legis Iature which occurs Febru-
ary 23 at Q p. M. and express their opin-