Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-03-01
SALARIES VETOED.
Mayor Dodge Does Not Approve
$500 for License Board.
He Also Finds That the City is Paying T 90
Much for It's Telephone Service Will
liam Hart Appointed Parks Commits
sioner-othe City Council
Business

The meeting of the city government
Monday evening was long, but quiet.
The unexpected happened, in a commu-
nication from the mayor, returning the
salaries Of $500. recommended by the
finance committee and agreed to by the
city government, for each member of
the new license board, which is com
posed of tine chief of police, chief en-
gineer of the fire department and clerk
of the board of health. The veto was
sustained, by vote of 4 to 5, Aldermen
Brannon Huot, Mellen and O'Connell
voting to sustain the veto, and the re-
mainder of the board against it,
The communication from the mayor
in connection with veto referred to the
matter in the following words:
THE members of this board, with one
exception, deal with matters which
were referred to them as heads of their
respective departments before the pass
age of the ordinance giving them their
present authority:
If, by performing the duties required,
they are now neglecting their regular
work, then this extra labor should not
working on time already paid for by
the city in their regular salaries, while
acting as members of the license board.
II these officials are not receiving ade-
quate compensation, it would be bet
ter to deal with that question direct, in
stead of dividing their salaries, thereby
increasing the same without the sum APP
pearing. | am aware that this is done
in some other cases, but it is not, to
NV mind rom a hle r,,pNe1nnf
the principle ought not to be applied to
new cases"
A communication from the mayor say
ing that the city was paying more for
its telephone service than was neces-
sary under a contract made in 1885, was
sent in as follows:
To the Board of Aldermen: Gentlemen
Understanding that there are some Pc
tltfons before you for the granting of
certain rights to the New England Tel
ephone and Telegraph Company, I
would sugg st that if those rights are
OF material benefit to said company,
that you consider in connection with
the matter the rates which are now
charged the city by the said company
for the use Of the telephone also call
your attention to certain contract EN-
tered into between the Bell Telephone
Co., New England Telephone and Tele-
graph Co. and the city Of Worcester,
which apparently provides for the use
OF the telephones by the city at a rate
very much below what is being paid at
present, copy of which is hereto an
neXed.
Some time ago a conference was held
with the company through its local
manager and attention was called to
this contract and an assurance was Civ
en- that the matter would be considered
by the officials in charge, but since that
time nothing has been heard which
would indicate that the company in
tends to give such rates as it would
seem the city is entitled to by the terms
or said contract | also annex hereto a
schedule of telephones used by the CITY
ana the prices paid therefor. Respect
fully,
Rufus B. Dodge. Jr.,
Mayor
Inc contract was dated June l. 1888,
and by it the city shall have the use of
~ telephones in the various mllnfciual
offices, together with Such as mas be
added for use in the municipal offices up
to the number of 80, for the rate of $40
per year for each set of telephones, this
TO include service through the central
office, the New England Company fur
nishing the wires to those municipal
stations to which it now provides them,
ana all wires and poles to be subject to
the ordinances substantially as now es-
tablished. All other telephones used by
the city, including the police telephones,
to be paid for at the rate of SIS, or at
the usual rates if the prices be made less
than that per year per set of tele-
phones This agreement to continue dur
ing the life of the Bell telephone patent
and any extension of it. The city cleo
trician to take care of the city lines and
instruments
The schedule of telephones now used
by the CITY number "a, and the contract
price for them to individual subscribers
would be 1901. They cost the city $106S,
while under the agreement of 1888 thew
should cost only S240.
After the matter had been brought be-
fore the aldermen, Alderman Barrett
said he proposed to introduce an order
at the next meeting, calling for the en-
forcement of the contract. He said he
thought it was wise to withhold the
granting of the request of the company
until the matter had been settled. Pres
ident Potter thought that no order wasl
necessary if a contract existed, and
asked why the mayor had not enforced
it.
The communication was finally laid
on the table and ordered to be printed.
The nomination from the mayor of
William Hart to fill the unexpired term
of Calvin L. Hartshorn of the parks
commission, resigned, met with some
opposition from Alderman Mellen, who !