The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-30
THE FIRE SALARY SCHEDULE
OPINION BY ASSISTANT CORPOR4-
TEON COUNSEL ROBINSON,

Ffremeh's Pay Roll Referred Bncx To
the Fire Board, Disappro vcd by tho
Finance Board-The Property Re.
assessment Completed-Thc List VIM
be Open for Inspection by Citfzcns--
Other business Before the Beard of
l. Finance Last Night.
The board Of finance at it's meeting
last night received from Assistant Cor
poration Counsel George W. Robinson
his opinion of the legality of the sched-
uleo soloriesfo for firemen recently adopt
ed by the common council. This matter
has been unsettled for some time, and
the opinion Of the citys legal adviser
has been awaited with considerable in
| terest. In the opinion which Is pub
| lished in full below Mr.. Robinson goes
into an exhaustive discussion of the
case and places the legal phases clear
ly before the board of finance, to which
the payroll made up under the new
schedule was submitted for approval
Acting under the opinion the board
of finance voted to return to the fire
department the payroll disapproved
with copy of the opinion. The pay
roll was for the past two weeks, during
which the salaries have remained un-
paid. The finance board will hold a
special meeting to attend to other mat
ters on Monday evening, and it was vot-
ed to instruct the city clerk to notify
the fire board that if payroll was
made out under the old schedule 1t
would be approved at that special meet
ing, this action being taken In order
that the firemen might not be deprived
of their pay any. longer than was nec-
essary under the circumstances.
The board of assessors last night
notified the board of finance that the
re-assessment which the assessors have
been working out for the last two
years or more was completed and would
be ready for transmission to the board
of finance on April 2--next Monday.
Upon receiving this announcement the
finance board passed. the following
vote: Voted, That In pursuance Of
house joint resolution, No. 470 of the
general assembly, approved July 2,
1885, and house joint resolution substi-
tute for house bill, No. POI, approved
April 2, 1899, the board Of finance will
hold special meeting at s p. m. on
Monday, April 2, to receive from the 7
assessors their report and tax list cys
property as re-assessed.
Also, Voted that said report an%
list when received. be placed iy
dy of the controller to be pla&
it can be conveniently examint I'll
citizens and that the controllet
thorized to employ such clerical
ance as may be necessary to as$ 4ti-
zens in examination of the list. V
A. communication was received from
Director Troup asking for the trans
fer of $400 from the account for repair
of the fender pier at Quinnipiac bridge
to the general account for the repair of
bridges Action on the request was
postponed until the next regular meet
ing.
The opinion on the firemen's salary
schedule submitted by the assistant
corporation counsel was as follows:
NIr. RObtnsOn's Opinion.
To the Honorable Board Of Finance Of
the City of New Haven:
Gentlemen-I am in receipt of your
communication of March %, 1900, the
substance of which is as follows:
I'm view Of the fact that the corpora
tion counsel, before his appointment to
office. served as counsel for certain
members of the fire department in their
attempt to secure an increase of sala-
ries, and in view of his wish that he
therefore be not called upon to render
a decision in regard to the bills for in
crease Of pay now before this board for
action it is hereby
"Voted-That the bills for increase OF
pay of members of the fire department.
be referred to the assistant corporation
counsel for opinion as to the validity Of
same and as to the legality of the in
crease of pay as voted by the court Of
common council"
From the above there appears to be
two questions to be answered:
Flrst-As to the legality of the in
crease of pay as voted by the court Of
common council. which involves the
question as to the right of said council
to pass the order as adopted and pass
ed, and,
Second-If said order was one which
said court Of common council could le-
gally pass, are the bills for increase Of
pay of members of the fire department,
bills against the oty?
The order of the court of common ~
council was passed by the board of al
dermen on November 6, 1899, by the
board of councilmen November 1S, 1899,
and approved by the mayor November
81, 1899, and Is as follows
"Ordered-That the compensation of
the officers and employees of the fire de-
partment be fixed and determined as
follows from January l, 1900: Superin-
tendent, $2,500; fire marshal, S1,70O; SUI
of fire alarm telegraph, ST.
500; assistant superintendent Of departs
ment, $1,350; clerk, $1,000; captains, first
year, $1100; captains, second year, ST.
l5O; captains, third year, $1,000; lieu
tenants, first year, $3.50; lieutenants,
second wear, 81 900. master mechanic,
B, $50; engineers first year, $1,050; en-
gineers, second year, $1100; engineers,
third year, $1,150; engineers, fourth
year. 81, POO; assistant engineers, $1,000;
stokers, $3.50; drivers $3.50; hosemen and
addermen, first year, $500; hosemen
and laddermen, second year, $3.50; hose
men and laddermen, third year, $780,;
inemen, first year, $3.50; linemen, sec-