Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-01-29
SALARIES RAISED.
Common Council Makes Holes in
Salary Bill.
Mayor Dodge Vetoes the Order for the
Appointment of Ten Additional Patrol
msn-Grade Crossing Order
Adopted

The, special meeting Of the city coun-
ell, Friday evening, called by Mayor
! Dodge for consideration of a com
mun.cation from the grade crossing
commission and the salary bill, turned
out to be rather lively and important
the city council adopting an order au-
thorizing the mayor to petition the
! Legislature for an extension of the time
in which to abolish the local grade cross
ings; the common council making sew
eral changes in the salary bill by rails
| ing the salaries of the city treasurer.
| the superintendent of sewers, tine city
| messenger and the permanent and call
men Of the fire department; and the
board of aldermen receiving a commune
cation from Mayor Dodge, in which he
vetoed the order passed at the last
meeting, authorizing him TO appoint 10
additional police patrolmen, on tine
ground that it would conflict with the
| city ordinances, and also on tine ground
| of economy.
The grade crossing matter was passed
! without a word of debate i'm either
branch, the communication from the
| grade crossing commission and the or
/ der being as follows
The commission ON abolition of grade
| crossings respectfully reports that it has
| held several meetings to consider the
important question before it. We found
/ ourselves confronted at the outset with
the fact that the act of 1893 providing
that the provisions of the general grade
| crossing act should be suspended as to
| all crossings in the city of Worcester
| between and including Garden street on
| the north and Worcester junction on the
| south, viii expire ON April Z, 1898 When
| that act expires the plan embodied in a
| report of a commission appointed by the
| supreme court relative to the abolition
| of the crossing at Grafton street might
| be confirmed at any time, which would
seriously interfere with any further con-
sideration by this commission. We there
| fore recommend the adoption Of the ac-
| companying order, solely for the pur-
pose of giving the commission opportu-
nifty to study and settle the grade cross
| ing problem. In making this recon-
/ mendation we desire TO make it dis
tinctly understood that it is not the de-
| sign of the commission to delay or sus-
| pend at all our work upon the matters
referred to us in the order creating this
commission. 1t is our purpose to proceed
| Immediately with the investigation and
solution of this most important problem
and report without delay to the city
council.
The action we herein request is SIM
ply means to that end.
l. For the commission,
w. Henry Towne, Clerk.
The order accompanying the report
was as follows:
Ordered, that the mayor be and is
hereby authorized and empowered and
requested to petition the general court
lin substance for an extension of the pro
lxrsc oh fAS.1 Of aG la
for a period of two years from and after
the seventh day of April. $685. in rela-
ton to the grade crossings in the city
of Worcester between and including
Garden street and the Union station and
Worcester junction, so called.
The veto of the police order by Mayor
Dodge was something of surprise to
! the board OF aldermen, which body it
reached about $780, while waiting the
action of the lower branch on the sal
airy bill The veto was as follows:
i To the City Council of the City of Wor-
cester:
Gentlemen herewith return to you
the order adopted Jan. a. 1898, author
! izing the mayor to appoint ten addl-
tional police officers, without my APP
prevail.
[ am informed by the city clerk that
no order has ever been adopted by the
city council, fixing the number of pa
trolmen of which the police department
shall consist. 1t would seem that the
proper course of procedure as indicated
by section one of an ordinance relative
TO the police department, duly approved
on the ninth day of March, 1897, would
be for an order to be adopted by the
city council determining the number of
patrolmen, so that it would be possible
to determine by an inspection of the rec
ords of the city council the number of
patrolmen authorized. Then, if it were
desired to increase the number, such
increase could be indicated and the
mayor authorized to make additional
appointments. If such general order
were adopted fixing the number, 1t
would then probably be competent for
the mayor to fill vacancies which occur
for any reason, about which now there
may be some question.
Another reason why / withhold my
approval is on account of the expense
Of the contemplated addition. 1t would
undoubtedly add to the efficiency of the
department il the number of police Off
GERS should be increased. In fact, there
is no department which could not en-
large its usefulness il a greater eXpend-
iture was made. The most rigid econ
omy, however, must be exercised this
year to keep within our revenues, and
until the appropriations are made, and
it is found that the finances will prop
erly allow, it would not seem advisable
to materially increase the running ex-
penses of this or any other department
without most urgent necessity. Later
in the year it may be found that some
increase of the police force can be prop
erly provided for from funds not now
at our disposal, and. if so, l shall be
glad to approve a sufficient order there
for. Respectfully,
Ruflls r DOdpe MaVOr
Action on the veto was postponed
by the aldermen until the next meeting,
Monday evening.
In addition to concurring in the pas
sage of the order requesting the mayor
to petition the general court for an eX-
tension of the time for consideration
of the grade crossing question, the
common council took a fall out of the
salary bill and punched several big
holes in it by amending it so that the
city treasurer and collector Of taxes
shall receive his old salary CT $3400 in
stead of $500, recommended by the fl
nance committee, that the city messen-
ger she'll receive $1400 instead of the
$1,000 recommended, that the superinten-
dent of sewers shall receive $500 in
stead of the $4,000 recommended, that
the permanent hosennen of the fire de-
partment shall receive SO per month for
the first year of their service instead of
$50, as they now receive, that they shall
receive SIS per month thereafter in
stead of $6S for the second year, and
then SIS per month, and that the call
men of the fire department shall receive
1915 per year, instead Of 1929 as they
now receive Attempts were made to
further change the bill by reducing
some of the salaries, but the majority
of the members were feeling in good