Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-02-20
CITY BUSINESS.
Prospect of a Lively Session Of
the Council Monday.
The Salary Order and the Annual Appro.
priatiop Bill to Come Up-An Old
Scheme to Be Revived.

The city council is to hold its regular
meeting tomorrow evening, and from
present indications it promises to be
lively as there are some important cues
tions coming up for consideration and
all the members are not of one mind re-
garding their disposition. The salary
bill will probably be one of the chief
items of the evening and it is expected
that the disputed points in this measure
Will be settled in accordance with the
report Of the committee of conferences
Whlca met last Monday night. The dis
puted points, it will be remembered,
We're the salaries of the city treasurer
the superintendent of sewers. the CITY
messenger and the firemen. The com
mittee has decided to split the difference
tnat existed between the two branches
OF the city council, and there is little
douot that its report will be accepted
Inc committee on finance will report
on the appropriation bill, final action on
this having been taken by the commit
tee at a meeting held Saturday after
noon This action was postponed be-
cause five of the departments neglected
TO send in detailed reports Of their ex-
penditures for last year, and a detailed
statement of what they wanted the
money for the coming year. These de
partments were the trustees of the city
hospital the police department, the
parks commission, the trustees of the
Tree public library and the school de-
pAfument. The required statements
were submitted at yesterdays meeting
and the finance committee will recon-
mend the adoption of an order for the
appropriations as made by Mayor
Dodge
At yesterdays meeting, the finance
committee also considered the salaries
OF the inspectors Of meat and provi-
sions, and the members had before them
inspectors Ellsworth, Monahan and
Streeter. They gave a detailed state
ment of the work which they had done
last year in the way of visiting provi-
SION stores, slaughter houses, etc, and
then subcommittee, consisting Of
Alderman O'Connell and President Hall
OF the common council, was appointed to
confer with Mayor Dodge regarding the
duties of the inspectors and their sala-
ries.
An item which promises to develop
some oratory will be report from the
committee on claims, recommending
that $197.25 be paid to James H. Madden
for his services as captain of Hose
Company No. 2, last year. When Mr..
Madden was appointed captain of the
company, he was a member of the COM
mon council, and as a member of the
council he was prevented by
the city charter from holding an
| ONCE which received remuneration
from the city treasury. He made no at
tempt to draw a salary while his term
OF service as a councilman was running.
J but when it expired at the end of 1897.
! ne put in petition for remuneration for
ms services. This petition was referred
TO the committee on claims, and the COM
mittee has voted to recommend that he
be paid the amount stated above. Some
Oh the members of the city council
while they are not opposed to Mr.. Mad
den, and do not think that he should
work for nothing, are little fearful that
1t will be illegal to pay the money in the
manner named, and yesterday they
seemed to think that the matter would
be opposed.
The old scheme of a central shop fol
the several departments of the CITY viii
be brought up again Monday evening by
President Potter of the board of alder.
men, who will introduce the following
order:
Ordered, that joint special commit
tee, consisting Of four aldermen and
eight councilmen, be appointed with in
structions to consider the advisability OF
the construction by the city of central
workshop for the USE of the street,
water, sewer and public buildings de-
partments and the establishment of sep
arate sub-stations at convenient locali-
| ties. The committee shall also consider
the advisability of the purchase of such
| land as may be needed for this purpose,
and of the sale Of any the city now owns
that would not be needed in case a CEN
/ trail shop should be constructed, and
generally to take under advisement
anything relating to the project, to OBJ
tain all available information ON the
subject and to report their recommen-
dations relative thereto
This matter was considered by the city
/ council last year and it got so far then
that the committee in charge of it re-
ported a recommendation that the city
| purchase a lot of land for the site of the
| shop on Crescent street from George D.
| Webb. The city council failed to act IA
vorably on the matter, but the idea
/ seemed to be a good one, as it is claimed
| with central shop for the departments
named to do their work in, a consider
able sum of money might be saved the
/ city in the course of a year, the saving
in teaming alone being big item. One
of the arguments against the lot on
| Crescent street was that it is too far
from the center of the city.
| In addition to the matters referred to
above, the city council will have a lot
of petitions and orders for regular rou-
| tine business to consider, and some of
the members are looking for a commu-
nication from Mayor Dodge on the lake
| bridge question.