Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-01-19
THE MOVEMENT FOR REFORM
Important Steps Taken by the
Board of Trade.
EMPLOYMENT OF PRISON LABOR
|And Reduction In the Cost OF
Tax Collecting.

10Th Recommended by Committee and APP
proved by the Board-Purchase of "a stope
2& Quarry for Prison Labor suggested-The
VA New City Charter Receives the Boards EN-
4Y dorsement.
3M The Board of Trade, ut special
injecting Thursday night, approved pro-
bositions for reform in city and county
4 yFpvernments. It endorsed the action
NpM one committee, which, reported
with some amendments on \
Il; She city charter bill, which had been
h prepared by the Municipal Commission
q IND presented to the Legislature in
X 1897, and authorized the committee to
endeavor to secure the support of City
Council for the measure and latcr to
&aurge its passage by the Legislature
And the board approved the action of
2snother committee which reported a
u plan for reducing the cost OF collecting
taxes in the rural districts of New
y Castle county by having one collector
u for each of the three Levy Court dis
y tricts, instead of one for each Of the 10
M hundreds. and a further plan for re-
n quiring short term prisoners to quarry
Il stone to be used on the public roads.
NJ Vice. President A. S. Reed presided
n and Daniel w. Taylor acted as secre-
Il tary. Others present were Joseph L.
Carpenter, Jr., Calvin l. Swayne,
George W. Bush, o. c. Purdy, Frank
Woolley, j. Newlin Gawthrop, DIR. II.
E. Smith, Patrick Neary, M. P. Sat,
terthwaite,. w, D. Mullen, Jr., Max
II Ephraim, Samuel Slesinger and John
n 8. Rossell.
First, the committee on reform in
municipal government, comprising
Messrs. Carpenter, Satterthwaite,
Reed, A. L. johnson and Rossell, made
its report, Mr.. Rossell acting as spokes-
man. He announced that the COM
mittee had read the city charter bill
and approved it and believed that under
it the city government would be
economically administered. A number
OF amendments to the bill were, how
ever, suggested by the committee. Thus
in the matter of bridges, the bill would
have taken those in the city out Of the
care Of the county and placed it in the
municipality; whereas the amendment
leaves all county bridges in the city
still under county control. The charter
bill limits the debt of the city to 10
per cent of the assessed valuation of
the real estate; the amendment cuts it
down to per cent. The original pro-
vides for the publication in the papers
of nearly all ordinances; the new
directs the publication Of general ordi-
pances. 1t is provided that the mayor
shall call weekly meetings of the adj
visory board, instead of monthly meet
ings.
As to the heads of the departments, it
is expressly provided that they shall be
selected with special reference to their
qualification and fitness for their
respective positions, and that they
n shall devote their entire time during
business hours to the duties.
1t is required that all contracts call
ing for the expenditure of $1,000 or
E more, must be authorized by Council.
II All claims must be approved not only
Il by the head of the department which
n contracted the debt, but also by a
majority of the advisory board. The
Nj committee struck out the regulation
VA which limited the number of patrolmen
"A to i in ], 200 Of population.
IA Instead of having the expense OF
x codifying acts Of the General Assem-
Il bly, and city ordinances, it is provided
that this work shall be done every
second year by the city solicitor. Mr..
& Rossell announced that in 1893 it cost
n the city $1,000 to have a codification
made.
WOULD COST LESS TO RUN THE CITY.
The committee thought substantial
4 reduction could be made in salaries
under the new charter. 1T now costs tc
receive and disburse the taxes, for col
lectors and assessors, city treasurer,
city auditor and board of appeals
Sl6,370; and the salaries in the Water
IA Department are S9,504, total Of
L S25,S74. By bringing the departments
M under the new system, the committed
|% figures that the first item would be blu
VIII SS, 700 and the cost of the Water De
,# partment but S., 800, total of S14, 500
W. The committee felt sure that none,
W could be saved in other departments, al
I'M well.
j# Vice President Reed expressed tn,
M opinion that there would be larg,
W saving under this new scheme.
# Mr.. Carpenter said that the onl.
w thing the committee left open in tn,
II bill was the question Of salaries, whicl
| he thought Council might be allowe,
X to ok, although he favored placing tn
salary of the heads of departments il
the bill.
Mr.. Woolley desired to know whethe
the committee had ascertained why tn
charter did not pass the last Legisla
A ture, and If it had found out, whethe
WI 1t had tried to fix the charter to NEE
x any objections that may have bee
raised to it.
81 Mr.. Neary replied that he did no
think there was any objection to tn
charter bill.
& "Why didn't they adopt it?" querie
Mr.. Woolley.
1T didn't get enough votes" re
piled Mr.. Neary.
A He added that there were some people
NJ not in the last Legislature, who wer
opposed to it. One class of oppositio
was as, to names in the bill anotht
did not want any charter. Besides, th
charter did not get the general suppol
of the citizens. Whether that outsid
influence still exists, If the people tax
an interest and demand its passag,
Mr.. Neary thought it would pass.
Mr.. Rossell was also hopeful. As
result of his Investigations he ha
learned that opposition which had al
81 peaged from a certain quarter last ter
was not likely to appear at this tim
M He felt quite sure that the influence
<x the Pennsylvania railroad would not
against the bill.
The report Of the committee wi
adopted, the committee continued ar
a requested to present the matter
Council and ask their approval OF
and empowered also to carry the bill
the Legislature.
FOR COUNTY REFORM.
George w. Bush, chairman of Il
committee on county reform su
gestions, which included j. Newl