The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-04-14
PITTSTON NEWS
Mayor Harding Uses His Little
Hatchet and with Good Effect-The
Garden Village in Bloom--A Sue
cessful Entertainment and Several
Late Items of Local Interest.

Garden village IN bloom-A SuS-
cessful Entertainment and Several
Late Items of Local Interest.
The members of the select council,
who met in regular session last even
ing, were not n little astounded when
they were informed that there were
several communications from Mayor
Harding. and that the contents were
nothing less than four vetoes. The We.
toes were: One to increase the salary
of the street commissioner from hfty
to sixty dollars a month; another de-
Claring Thomas Henry and Harvey
Edison. employees of the city; another
directing the payment OF five labor
claims, from money withheld from the
Broad street sewer contract. A vote
on the latter resulted in sustaining the
veto, while action on the others was
postponed. Upon the question OF in
creasing salaries of officers, the mayor
included the following sensible argu-
ment in his veto:
The tendency to create new city
Offices, to be filled with officials under
a salary, and to advance the salaries
of the present officials, is, in view of
the financial condition Of the city, be-
coming II SeIlDuS uuSSllOll III llic illhiuo
IF cur people who have to foot the
bills. The revenue of the city is on "a
serious decline Since the first year of
our existence rs city, it's income from
one source alone has fallen off $1,000.
The income of the city from this
source, viz: the license tax. was last
year $lS,4OO; this year it is $4,000,
showing "A decrease from last year in
this one item of $4,000. And the prob
ability is that the downward tenden-
CY Of the city's revenue has not reach
ed its bottom Add to this fact an
other consideration, viz: the strained
condition of d large number of our
business men, and the grinding condi-
tion, financially. of nearly two-thirds
of the workingmen, and 1t must be
clear to every rejecting citizen, that
instead of pursuing a policy that will
increase the expenditures of the city,
there ought to be an effort made to
reduce them. No safe business man
would hesitate for a moment to adopt
that rule in the management of his
own business. ! believe the same rule
should apply in the management OF the
business of the city. IL ought not to
be lost sight of, that the wages of more
than one-half of the men from whom
the taxes are received to pay the sal
aries of the city officials. and other ex-
penses of the city, do not, and have
not for years, averaged $24 per month.
Taking all these facts into considera-
tion, and the further fact that / re-
gard the work done in the commission
er's office to be amply paid for, ! cam
not approve the ordinance increasing
the salary Of the street commissioner
from $50 per month to $50 per month"
A walk through several of the ave-
nues on the West Side yesterday af
ternoon convinced the reporter that
the average resident of the Garden
Village" was awake to the fact that
the dreary days of winter had been
supplanted by spring.
The commencement exercises Of the
several classes that during the past
winter We're instructed in the Young
Mems Christian association building
were large attended last evening and
the programme presented was not only
entertaining, but showed that perser-
verance and hard study had been ex-
perienced to attain the result. One
of the best features was the introduce
ton of w. II. Taylor, the Times ar
tist of Wilkes Barre, who executed
several crayon sketches in an artistic
and deXterous manner All those who
were included in the programme ac-
quilted themselves with much credit.
At the conclusion Of the programme
light refreshments were served.
On next Monday evening Svengali,
the great hypnotist, will commence a
weeks engagement and as he will
make you do nothing but laugh, it
ought TO be good thing to attend.
John NJ. Carson, of Oswego, n. Y,
a companionable and excellent bust
ness gentleman from that city, was
registered at the Eagle hotel yester-
day.
Doctors O'Malley. of Wilkes Barre,
and Hutchins, of this city, will start
today for Pixies Creek, twenty miles
across the mountains and tomorrow
morning will cast their lines for the
first trout of the season. They are
expert Nimrods and never run up
against any hard luck on a trip of this
kind.
The Lehigh Valley company will pay
their employees today, and tomorrow
the Pennsylvania Coal company will
do the same, likewise several of the
individual operators. This will give
business an impetus that is very much
desired. as everything has been eX-
tremely slow for the past week
Eddie Connors, on off-shoot of our
army of base ball players. has Just
been signed by the Wilkes Barre club
and was notified yesterday by Mana
ger Stegmaier to report at once. He
played with the Reading club last sea-
son and made such a record that the
Wilkes-Barre club agreed to give him
trial The bleachers here will be
glad Of his advancement in the game.
Detective Ferrel Of Ithaca. n. Y,
was in this city yesterday morning
and went to Duryea in search of an
individual who is wanted up in that
section for a serious offense.
Lessons from Last Summers War"
will be the subject Of Rev. DR.. Way
land Hoyt's lecture this evening at
he East Side Presbyterian church and
as the speaker Is of national fame and
The admission free, of course there will