The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-05-01

Common council last Thursday night
| defeated, by a vote Of fourteen to five,
an amendment to the appropriation Or
| dinance, providing for q city detective
at "a salary Of $1,000. In the four days
intervening between last Thursday
and last night, certain influences were
brought to bear upon the fourteen
members, so that at the special meet
ing held last night, when the amend
ment was again offered, ii was passed
| without a single dissenting vote.
The amendment was offered by A.
l.. Lewis, after council had gone into
committee of the whole. 1t reduced
the number of patrolnen by one and
took the extra 500 from the iudg-
ments appropriations. Mr.. Lewis
also offered an amendment providing
for a clerk to the chief engineer of the
fire department, at q salary of $500
a year, the money to come from the
appropriation for twenty-five addi-
tional permanent men. These men
will not take their places until some
time this month. so that the April
salaries, amounting to $l,100 will be
unused.
Chief Zizelmann was given the floor
and pressing need for u clerk in his
office. Such a clerk was indispensable.
he said. Mr. Calpin vigorously op-
posed the amendment and declared
that the clerk of the director of pub
lie safety, who got a raise of $500 last
week. should be forced to do the de-
tail work IN connection with the bu-
reau of fires. The motion to adopt the
f1t,,nt ,taI NoI
pin and NaEel being the only ones
who voted "no."
NO FIRE MARSHAL.
Mr.. Lewis then offered another
amendment, taking 81 900 from the ap-
preparation of $4,000 for the purchase
of Il new steamer to the salary of a
fire marshal. Chief Zizelmann again
took the floor and pointed out the
need of a fire marshal, who, he said,
was also an indispensable necessity.
The sum Of $4,000 would purchase an
engine, he said. Council voted the
amendment down.
Mr.. Coleman offered an amendment
inserting an item of S1S6.92 for the pay
ing of the city's share of the construc-
ton of a pavement in front of the
Handley estate on Penn avenue. This
item was stricken out at the last meet-
ing and council last night refused to
re-insert it. Mr.. Calpin offered an
amendment transferring $1,000 from
the item for fire engine and the $500
remaining in the appropriation for
permanent men to the judgments ap-
preparation. and it was unanimously
adopted.
1,.,l,s oaf.
ing clause in the ordinance when intro
duced, and one was inserted, at the
suggestion of Assistant City Clerk
Morris. who was acting as clerk in the
absence of Clerk Lavelle. An amend
ment offered by Mr. Roche was also
adopted. directing the city controller
merged and not otherwise provided for
to the judgments appropriation.
LICENSE TAX ORDINANCE.
MIR. Coleman called up the ordinance
providing for the imposition of a IL
cenSe tax upon huckSters, etc, and it
was passed on third and final reading,
only Mr.. Rush being recorded against
it.
Mr.. Calpin introduced. "by request"
he said. an ordinance regulating the
method of paying claims against the
city in the future. 1t provides that
the head of each department shall. on
the first day of every month, send to
the city recorder a list of all matters
of Indebtedness contracted during the
previous month together with item
lied bills and labor and time sheets.
The recorder is to prepare a sched-
Gle in duplicate of all the bills and the
amounts and send the same to the
city controller who is to determine
whether there is sufficient money to
ray them and If so. Is to say which
shall be approved. The list of bills
approved he Is to send to the city re-
corder who Is to deliver it to the city
clerk. whose duty it shall be to draw
the warrants and present them for the
signature of the recorder. When they
are signed they are to be issued by
the city clerk.
The Joker" in this ordinance is that
it does away with the auditing COM
mittee. 1t was drawn up by City So
licitor Watson and is known to meet
the approval of the recorder.
Mr. Calvin offered resolutions di- |
rectins the city engineer to prepare
plans for the grading of Moosic street |
between Prospect and Irving avenues,
and providing for the location of a
fire alarm box at the corner of Orch |
ard street and Irving avenue.
Council adjourned TO meet tomor- |
row night when the ordinance will he |
passed on third and final reading and |
sent over to select for concurrence in |
the amendments.