The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-10-05
SECOND TRYFOR HARDENING
ALDERMEN PASSED THE ORDER
 FOR IMPROVING STREETS.

garding decentralization Carroips
 Petition Concerning Contracts Tabled
 One Recommendation Not Adopted-Nfr.
 Blakeslee to be Given Another Hearing.
 At the meeting of Che board of aldermen held last evening several matters of impor- tance were considered The resolution or dering street hardening, which was pre- scented at the special meeting of the board held on September 20 and referred to the committee on streets to hold hearing and report back, was passed unanimously; the committee having reported favorably. The order passed by the common council a short time ago ordering street hardening was vetoed by the mayor, as it was said, because he was in favor having assess ments for two-thirds of the cost of hard ening the streets mentioned in the order levied on owners of abutting property, and thought that if the order for hardening was signed by him the court of common council would refuse to vote to assess property owners
 After the order had been passed last night Alderman Chillingworth presented the following resolution, which was passed unanimously, after unanimous consent for
 
 WRereas-Doubt has arisen as to whether or not the court of common council under the new charter is required to lay assess ments, and as to when they should be laid: Therefore-Be 1t resolved, that the cor poration counsel be, and he hereby is, re- quested to submit to the court of common
 council on or before the 18th day of Octo- Der, 1897, his written opinion as corporation counsel, in answer to the following ques- | tionS:-
 First: Is it obligatory upon the court of assess upon the persons. whose property Is, | in the judgment of said court, especially benefited by repairing, hardening or other- wise improving the streets?
 Second: Must such assessments De Iald prior to the execution of the order or or ders for sad street improvements? Third: Without action of the court of common council does unexpended in.a balances of specific. appropriations revert into tne treasury of the city?
 The petition of Anthony Carroll for 2
 change in the wording of and m T manner of ferred to the board of finance to hold hearing and which that board referred back with. the opinion that 1t had no lurlsdlc- tion in the matter was taken up last th nlght 1h petition be placed on file. Alderman For, syth, the aldermanic member of the board
 of finance. stated that the board had de- ferred to the committee on retrenchment and reform. Alderman Chillingworth then withdrew his motion.
 Alderman Brennan thought that the mat ter ought not to be referred to the com 1 mittee on retrenchment and reform, but that consideration of it belonged prop erly to the board of finance. He said:
 S4O0 of the citys money Is being thrown away because of the manner of letting contracts. Now, I thin. that as this touch
 board of finance If Director Beecher has acted unwisely, the board of finance should take this matter for hearing if 1 the petition is presented in good fnith If i-city money is thrown away, us Is charged ] in that paper, the board of finance should
 act. If money is spent unfairly, it should 1 be considered by the board of finance and
 not by the committee on retrenchment and
 reform I amend to refer back to the board 1 of finance
 1 Alderman Forsyth: ''The board of finance l cannot find that is has Jurisdiction in this i case, and as this seems Il matter of re, l form and Mir. Carroll agreed that he would | be- satisfied if his paper WAS referred to 1 the committee on retrenchment and reform,
 endeavor to have it referred to that com
 mittee for a public hearing"
 i Alderman Bromley: "Why, dwell on this
 further? What is the need of 3 hearing
 board of finance. What more have we goe to do with it."
 Alderman Rourke: T think that this mat
 ter belongs to the board of finance Sup pose we refer it to the committee on re- l trenchment and reform and that committee
 reports back that it has no Jurisdiction,
 then what are we going. to do?" | Alderman Chillingworth T made the
 motion at previous meeting to refer this
 to the board of finance, because I thought
 that board suitable committee The
 were referred to him. probably decide that the board of finance is not suitable com
 mittee. l think that the committee on re.
 trenchment and reform would deal fairly ur n m q fn1ps
 Alderman Rourke: If what the gentle- l man from the Tenth says is right, then
 several things have been recently referred
 to the board of finance i'll which that board
 had no jurisdiction and was not proper committee,---the resolution transferring S10O
 for the lamp committee, for instance" l City Clerk Lyon: "The charter provides | to the board of finance"
 | Alderman Rourke: ''Yes, when the board
 of finance seems to certain parties to be q
 meantime conferred with Aldermen For
 syth. and Brennan while Clerk Lyon was
 l,a reading Mi, MT. Carrolrs petition, and when
 matter. be placed on file. Alderman Bren-
 nan withdrew his amendment, Alderman
 E6ii,y EE61iriSytn withdrew his motion and Mir. | The recommendations of the committee on claims were all adopted except one l Ihat one was in regard to the petition of oiai cite 1' 1'iaks,Hice loE qua dtelnenC or sewer l assessment. The committee recommended 1 that the petitioner be given leave to with | draw, but as soon as this recommendation | had been read by the city clerk Alderman | Chillingworth rose and said that as Mir | Blakeslee was out of town at the time 1 when the committee on claims held Il 1 hearing, he moved that the matter be re- ferred back to the committee on claims for | another hearing. The alderman explained 1 that Mr. Blakes!ee had been represented I by his brother at the hearing held by the committee, but thought his brother had not l fully stated to the committee the facts in ] the case. The motion to refer back for another hearing was carried.
 1 The recommendation of the committee on l claims that George M Gr1swold be allowed 1 S1o00 for damage to his property because of the. regrading of Union street was 1 adopted
 | The recommendation of the board of | finance that the transfer of $40O from the | fire alarm telegraph account in the fire de- I partment be allowed, $500 to the account of 1 hydrant repairs and resetting, and S1OO to 1 the sundries account, was adopted Corporation Counsel Ely, who was di- | rected by the common council to appear at | the hearing to be held October 6 in regard 1 to the building of drawbridge over West ! TiVer on Kimberly avenue and to oppose
 the building of such q bridge, sent to last nights meeting a communication askin" mat he be given reasons for opposing the l building of draw. Alderman Cbillinp worth moved that the mayor be authorized to appoint a committee to appear at the nearing and sustain the corporation counsel
 el,ia Alderman asi Brennan thought that If such a committee were appointed. it should he an poinfed by the president of the board of 1 aldermen. Alderman Chillingworth tban withdrew ms motion, but said that if any