The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-02-06

Into each other TO the pest potsiolo hu-
vantage, in other words, In the opinion
furni shes abundant OPPORTUNITY for lax
ness in attentions to details, and unless
the utmost care Is exercised. waste Is sure
20 result. The difference 10 the exrendi-
tures In tkis department. during the last
few yenrs IL in support Of this oonten-
tion In 1876 the expenditures of this
department. was only thirty-three thou
sand dollars; In 1897 they were forty
thousand; In 1875, forty-fivs thousand.
and during the present year will un-
doubt dlY apprf ximate the sum OF nifty
thoutani dollrrs. situation In the
minds of your COMMITTEE that calls for
action. The feoyetary OF this department,
In his last report. calls attention to this
increase In the expense. and iutimntes
that i'mst hods could he adopted to bring
the expense back to somewhere near
what they were leEs than ten years ego. :"
At the beginning of the present year, the
May or in bis inaugural address called at
tention to the Increase In the expense OF
maintaining the 'outside poor" This
year. by careful attention to this branch.
two thou sand dollars has been saved over
Inst year. thus showing what careful at
tent,on IN ona branch will do. So large
q board, and with tho duti es 80 divided.
and In some cases shifting from month
TO month from one set of men to another.
must niece ssarily make ID difficult to give
close attention to and keep careful
owe sight Of all the details. The effec-
tivoness of the beard must necessarily
vary ( ON year to year, according as II Is
made up of men who habitually give
strict tattention to the minutest details,
or OF mar who are inclined to alaissez
faire policy In all matters not I'm madi-
ately concerned with their own welfare.
No one but the most conscientious should
be asEsd to or should accept position
on the board Of overseers Of the poor.
There is no reward except the conscious
ness CT duty faithfully performed. Men
to whom that affords no satisfaction are
very liable to neglect their duty or seek
for more substantial compensation by
exploiting their office to the detriment of
the city. At all events your committee
would reoomn end jndioious care in the
selection Of new members SO long as the
present system 10 continued, II Is, how
ever, the opinion of your committee that
II Is a change In system that is needed,
rather than change in the personnel
of the board, and two have been sug-
ges,ed-aiiher n com isslon OF three with
q sufficient salary, or board composed
OF ore member from each ward elected
by popular vote. In either case minority
representation should be assured rs In
deed IL olght to be under the present
system. An election by popular vots
In each wrrd meets with greater favor
among the majority Of the present board
OF overseers Your committee would REQ
ommend q commission OF not more than
tive, as 10 their opinion board Of mine
would contain the same elements of
weak ness rs the present system. namely,
that the duties and consequent respon-
slbilitles are spread over too large a sur
face The consciousness OF duties uu-
performed rests more lightly on twelve
pair OF shoulders than on three. In case
Of a revision of our charter at the next
,in IF this foafnra Ghnnll
be given careful confederation.
Your committee have to thank the pros
ent bCard of overfeers for their many
courteIi 9 shown them In explaining the
workings of the present system, aud In
showing them over the grounds and
they have given us In furnishing to your
honorable body Information IN regard
to thu needs and conditions of that
department.
RESPECTFULLY submitted,
John j. Frye,
i. ii. johnson,
Scott Wilson,
Il. A. Burke,
L.. A. Goudy.
Joint Special COMMITTEES.
The council voted to refer the report
to the next city council
The council extended vote Of thanks
to the comm ittee for Its fire report.
The upper hoard oonourred with the
council that the report be referred to the
next city government. The Mayor took
occasion to say a good word for this COM
mittee expressing his approval of the
thoroughnsss of the report.
REMAINING STREETS.
Alderman Smith. from the committee
on remaining streets. reported that the
name Of Glenwood street be changed to
Glenwooi avenue, that the part OF
Vaughan street from ..Bramhallto Con-
gress street, be changed to Bramhall
street; that the square at thu junction
OF Congress, Grove and Bramhall streets.
be called BramhAll. square, and that
Garter street be called part OF Gilman
street.
These orders were approved and passed
by both boards.
OLD HOME WEEK.
An order was passed by both boards
appointing u special joint committee to
confer with a committee appointed by
the Board of Trade regarding Ola Home
Week. In the council the president sp-
pointed Messrs. Wilson, Burke and Dyer
on this committee.
MIsCELLANEOUS BUSINESS. "a
Edward L. dyer, Albert L. Wallace
and Bert c. Hight were appointed special
policemen without pay.
Alderman Sprague introduced as an
order that the Portland klectrio Light
company remove pole in front of house
at 1913 Congress street. On this order
o hearing was ordered for February 10th
at p. m.
The matter of sbating the tax Of the
New England Silver company which Ia
the sum of S73 so was referred to the
committee on claims.
Alderman johnson moved that the or.
Millions Given AWAY.
1t is Ger tninly gratifying to the public