The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-13
MCARDY HAS A
LONG LIST FOR THE CONFER
ENCE COMMITTEE.
SOME FUNDS NEED WATCHIN
OTHERWISE THERE'Ld BE SHORT
AGES IN POLICE AND CITY HALL
CONFESSION.
PAYING INTEREST ON GAS LAMPS.
The Comptroller Also Desires Au-
thOrity to Keep Certain People
From Going Over His Books.

1t is about this time Of the year that
City Comptroller McCardy gives the
conference committee a few pointers
about the municipal departments that
are not keeping within their incomes.
Consequently not single memter of
the conference committeeman the en-
tire dozen were present at yesterdays
regular meeting-eXhibited any sur
prise when the comptroller, in his omj-
nous tone and manner announced that
he desired to call the attention of the
committee to one or two matters.
Two departments" said Comptroller
McCardy, will have to look after their
expenditures pretty closely hereafter,
otherwise they will experience IL shCrt-
age at the end of the year. They are
the police department and the court
house and city hall maintenance de-
partment. The police department will
be short on salaries, if it is not very
careful A contract for a new 'Black
Maria" to cost $500 has just reached
me. I don't see how can sign it, with
the police fund in its present condition.
LAS for the court house and city hall
commission" continued the comptrol-
Ter, you are aware that it has some
extraordinary powers, not possessed by
the common council or the board of
county commissioners, but it seems to
me that it is within the province Of
this committee to suggest to that body
that it ought not to incur any unusual
expenses; for, if it does, it will surely
wind up with a deficit. We should adj
wise that body to go slow"
DO you refer to the proposed new
elevators?" inquired r. B. c. Bement,
Of the water board.
The comptroller replied that that was
one of the unusual expenses he had in
mind. The comptroller said that out
of the $4,000 representing the citys ap-
preparation for its share of the mainte-
nance of the building, there had been
paid out the sum of $4,000 for lighting,
which charge was not originally pro-
vided for but had to be met.
Comptroller McCardy then called the
committees attention to the fact that
the St. Paul Gas Light company WIS
charging, and the city was paying, in
terest on the cost of the gas lamp posts
that are no longer in use in the dis
tricts lighted by electricity. This inter
est amounts to about $1.08 per post per
ion these posts ought to be ordered off
the streets, or placed where needed,
and the conference committee, ought 20
advise the common council to cease
paying interest on these posts.
AsSemblyman Arosin informed the
committee that some three months ago
he had offered a resolution instructing
the gas light company TO remove all
dead and unused posts and also di-
recting the city comptroller to stop
paying interest on such posts, that the
resolution had passed. the assembly,
and that it had in course of time
reached the aldermanic committee on
streets and been referred to the ccr-
poration attorney for an opinion as to
the power of the council to pass it.
but that no report had been rec1.ved
as yet from the corporation attorney.
The mayor expressed his surprise
that the St Paul Gas Light company
should charge the city interest on it's
posts after disseminating their use.
Mr.. Bement suggested that there
might be some clause in the gas COM
pany's franchise that entitled them to
the interest on their posts whether in
question of law was involved that the
courts might be called upon to deter
mine.
IF the council will pass a resolution
instructing me to stop paying that in
terest," remarked the comptroller, dry
BY the matter will get into the courts
very quickly"
Upon motion of Mr.. Arosin, the con-
ference committee decided to recon-
mend the passage of such a resolution
by the common council,
But Comptroller McCardy had some
thing more to say. The comptroller
alluded to what he termed a growing
Industry" on the part of certain at
torneys in st. Paul, who visit his Office
and dig into the records after old con-
tracts, for the purpose of securing data
on which to draw complaints and sue
the city for interest on those contracts,
under the decision Of the supreme
court allowing such interest Mr.. Nc
Cardy admitted that as a general prop
osition, the citizens of st. Paul were
entitled to free access to it's books and
records, but he did think 1t was crowd
ing the mourners for these attorneys
to come into his office or any other
and insist on being permitted to dig
out data for complaints to be served
on the city. If these people had claims,
why not make them wait until their
cases are brought to trial, when thew
can easily have the records brought
into court. They ought to be required
to bring their actions first. The COMP
troller declared that he had no author
ity to prevent these attorneys from
examining the records. without an
order of the council, and he thought
something ought to be done. Mr. Nc
Cardy also called attention to an Gin
stitution calling itself a legal bureau"
which he said was industriousy dig
ging up oUtlawed claims against the
city. old assessments, &C., on which to
base suits.
In view of the doubt existing as to
the right of the city comptroller to re-
fuse access to any records, the COM
mittee adopted the following resolution
offered by Mr. Arosin
Resolved, That the corporation attorney be
requested to submit to the conference com
mtttee an opinion as to the power of the CITY
to refuse examination of its books in cases
where 1T Is intended to establish Claims against
the city in matters of contracts which have
already been completed and paid.
In conclusion Comptroller McCardy
had few words to say concerning the
cfty's bonded Indebtedness. He in
formed the committee that S373000
worth of the city's bonds at 5 and
per cent were coming due next year,
and that the water board, out of It's
sinking fund of $454,000, proposed to
take up $780, worth of these bonds
and refund them in per cent bonds,
payable In 1907. Such an investment
with accrued interest, would be suffi-
cient to take up 100000 of the water
board bonds due in 1908 and 1909. The
remaining $23, 900 worth Of bonds matur-
ing in 1898 would be paid. BY this