The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-12-07
FINANCE BOARD CENSURED
BY HEADS OF DEP 4 HTJEENTS AT
 LAST NIGHTS HEARING

LAST NIGHTS HEARING
 Before the Special Committee on Esti-
 mates-An Itemized Account From the
 Board of Education Called For Ex-
 priations Recommended Are Inade-
 quate-Another Hearing Tomorrow
 Night.
 The special committee of the common
 council appointed to consider the esti-
 mates submitted by the board of finance
 held it's first hearing last night. Presi-
 dent Holcomb of the fire board Presi-
 dent Mix of the police board, Superin-
 tendent of Police Wrinn, Director Troup
 of the department of public works and
 Superintendent Spier of the department
 of charities and correction appeared and explained the needs of their de- partments. Just before the committee adjourned Alderman c. F. Brennan called the attention of the members of the committee to the fact that the board of finance had submitted temized ac- counts of the amounts recommended for appropriation to all the departments ex- cept the amount for the board of educa- tion. He moved that the board of finance be instructed to submit an item ized account showing what the item Current Expenses" $377,950, recom- mended for appropriation for the board of education, is wanted for. There is in the list already submitted no itemi- zation of the purpose for which the ap- propriation of this large amount is de- sired, it being simply referred to in general way as current expenses
 Alderman Dove, a member of the board of finance, in reply to this, quoted sections 112 and 113 of the charter and said that he thought that the common council had nothing whatever to say on the appropriation for the board of education.
 Alderman Staub said that this was true, and he called attention to the fact that the common council had passed
  to have the board of education submit itemized estimates of its needs for next year and to transmit such an itemiza- ton to the common council. This re- quest had been utterly disregarded by the board of finance. If his constitu- ents were to ask him what the $377,O00 was to be used for. he would be obliged to tell them that he didn't know be- +I,z o,,I 1f frc a nd board of education wouldn't tell. He thought that the board of finance could get the itemization and submit it if it wanted to.
 Alderman Dove said that he hoped the gentleman from the Eighth did not blame him. He didn't think that he was responsible. He said that he had an itemized account of the estimates of the board of education, but he didn't care to give it out publicly. Each mem- Der of the committee might, however, look at the statement if he desired to.
 Councilman Keane held that under the charter the board of education, as we'll as other departmental boards, l should submit itemized statements of it's estimates. In reply to him. Alder man Dove said that the board of
 
 corporation counsel on the matter. He | said that it appeared so plain that no [ opinion was necessary. He said that | the charter did not say that the board of finance should submit itemized esti- mates to the common council. Coun- cilman Keane amended MT. Brennan's resolution to provide that the corpora ton counsel be requested to give an tiyrr off fIa committee on the question as to wheth- CT or not itemized estimates must be submitted by the board of education The resolution so amended was adopt ed.
 After the hearing opened the first es- inmates taken up were those of the fire department President Holcomb of the board of fire commissioners appeared and said that the fire department with the present force required about $113,000 for the payroll and the board was anxious to have the finance board give them enough to equip houses Nos. 9 and 10. The fire board felt that it was necessary that those two houses should be equipped and if there was any way to provide for eight men to equip them, the board would be pleased. He said | cially were complaining because the house there was not equipped with an engine and men to work it. He thought that about $7,O00 would pay for the equipment of engines for the two houses. The board was also anxious to get S1 ,OO0 for changing the fire alarm which now strikes too slowly some 1 times requiring the firemen to wait 1 twenty seconds or longer until the | alarm has struck before responding and ) If there is an alarm in the day time the crowd could get to the fire before The firemen. If the alarm struck ' ,uicker this would be avoided and the { difficulty of getting through a crowd 7voided For fire alarm boxes the de- I oertment was allowed nothing and if ( fire alarm box should burn up during i he year there would be no money to l mt in another. A storage battery was needed and would cost 3,000 and could 6 10 maintained for $50 per year, but no f mount to provide for this was appro- r ,riated. The board had desired to have q m appropriation to provide for the ap- s ointment of more men in the depart f ,,aut hut that could be dispensed with ] n