The Portland daily press., 1897-12-23

minute and said he had something
to say about this matter before it was
acted upon by the board. GAS i mem
| Der of the committee on investigation L
would say that the order as Introduced
| by Alderman Rounds is $500 more than
is necessary to pay the bills of the inves-
tigation committee. ] find that the bills
of the committee which have been pre-
sented amount to $3.50 and little over.
l see no necessity of making the approx
nation $500 more than is really needed
! by the committee to pay its lids. l will
say for the benefit Of the board that the
extra $500 is intended by the gentleman
from Three to pay his own private secre-
| tnry.
Alderman Mcdonald moved 10 amond
Alderman Rounds's order by making
the appropriation $500 instead Of $500.
Alderman Rounds-The gentleman
from Seven has just told the board that
bills to the amount Of Sla9 havs been pre-
sented to the investigation committee for
approval. He is mistaken. The amount
OF the bills SO far presented is $139, and
$50 have been allowed by the committee
to cover the witness fees. Now if the
city clerk Will lock up the records he will
find that q report of tho doings of this
committee on investigation was present.
ed to this board and that this report was
signed by all the mem bers OF the commit
tee on investigation. That report had to
be paid for and that is what the 5000
additional Mr.. Leighton speaks OF is In
tended for. You couldn't expect any
man to make out such a long report as
that one was for nothing / don't pro-
pose to sit up nights to make out report
that the city is fully able and willing to
pay for. +"
Alderman Leighton Alderman
Rounds is correct about the amount Of
the bills SO far presented being Sl59. The
+fa III +, isJ t, tt,a
witness fees. The majority of the com
mlttee has approved sl39 worth of bills
and is willing to approve OF the $50 nd
ditionaI for witness fees, but it will not
approve of the $500 additional asked for
by Alderman Rounds. The Sl39 includes
the bills of the stenographers for making
out this very report Alderman Rounds
has spoken of.
Alderman Ilsley-" Personally I don t
know anything about this matter, but
when the committee on investigation
signed that report to this board, made
cut by this very attorney whose bill Of
500 for services they now refuse to ap-
prove, they put themselves on record as
accepting his services and they should
pay this bill. Tho attorney, whom l
understand was Gen. Mattocks, was hired
to obtain the facts at these Investigations
and the committee availed themselves Of
the facts he obtained
into that investigation committee it was
understood that no outside help should
be employed by the committee. If Alder
man Rounds hired outside help after this
agreement be will have to pay for IL him
SELF"
Alderman Rounds said that the bill of
500 was not to pay Gen. Mattocks for
making out the charges against the COM
missioner of public works or his assis.
tants, but was for making out the report
of the committee.
Alderman Leighton-''We have ap-
proved stenographer's bill for making
out this report and the amount of it was
a little over 81"
Alderman Pagan asked if the bills
would have to be approved by the COM
mittee before they could be paid
Z 1he Mayor said that they would have to
be SO approved The city auditor was
called and read list of tho bills SO far
presented against the inveEtigation COM
mittee, amounting to about $3.50.
Alderman Rounds asked Alderman
Leighton how many summonses had been
sent out. Alderman leighton replied
! that there were 157 sumlnonses in all
and all but the city employees would re-
ceive 90 cents apiece.
Alderman Kehoe-"If only $500 in bills
have been presented, what is the. other
$500 in Alderman Rounds's order intend
ed for?
Alderman Rounds replied that it re-
presented the cost of making a report of
the committees doings to the city. He
had a copy of this report originally. but
it was taken from him by the city solici
tor, and as he considered it to be the
city's property and not his own, he had
not asked for another copy of this re-.
port
The vote on the amendment of Alder
man Mcdonald reducing Alderman
1eSz from, tr,c
} taken Aldermen Kehoe, Mcdonald and
Leighton voted for the amenc ment. and
Aldermen Ilsley, Rounds, Moors aud Ea-
gan voted against it.
The question was then on tho original
order of Alderman Rounds.
Alderman eighton-''lf Ii the aldermen
} vote to pay Alderman Rounds's S private
attorney Tor his services, I call it out.
rageous. The majority OF the investiga6-
ing committee have voted not to approve
this bill.
Alderman Ilsley remarked that there
were thousands and thousands of bills
paid every year that the board of alder
men never saw, but ell of which passed
through the hands of the gentleman from
Ward T. He could approve q bill or not
as he saw fit. The aldermen had moth.
ing 10 DO with it.
Alderman Kehoe-"What right had
the committee on investigation to spend
money anyway? If this extra $500 is fer
the purpose OF covering the attorney bills
on one side, why not make the appropri-
alton large enough to cover the attorney
fees ON the other side. 1 understand that
TIE attorney fees of the assistant commits
ioner and the commissioner were very
heavy. II we don't make this appropri-
alton large enough TO cover their atGor-
ney bills they will be coming in here
with orders, too. Why not make this ap
preparation a $1,000 anyway? 1t ISM t
our money we are spending, remember
gentlemen" said Alderman l<ehoe, in q
sarcastic tone Of voice. ''it Is the taxpay-
ers' money. Why not make the appro-
. priation for $4 eco and be done with il. -
0 Alderman Rounds's order was here laid
or, the tahIa for few minutns 1vhila he