The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-12
In Board of Aldermen

After several conferences the board
voted to grant number of locations tC
4 the New England Telephone & Tele.
graph Company under a modified
form of the original order. Alderman
lLitchenfels and Mcmahon contended
lstoutly for retaining clauses IL and Ia
of the original draft the first in sub
stance being that the company shall al
low other companies or corporations to
use its poles for reasonable compensa-
ton subject to order of the Board of
ALDERMEN and the second that the COM
lpany shall remove poles and place
wires under ground whenever ordered
| by the aldermen.
| Mr.. Mcmahon finally moved to amend
( the order offered by inserting clauses
i12 and 10, but the motion was voted
down six to two. Mr. Mcmahon again
took the floor and asked that the mat
ter be recommitted as the agreement
by which the telephone company fur
nishes the city So free telephones and
agrees to furnish one additional for
every increase of 1000 in population, is
not satisfactory but has a good strong
rope attached to it. His motion to
recommit was voted down by the same
majority, the Democrats being the only
ones in favor of recommittal. Orders
were then adopted granting the COM
streets and Millbury and other streets.
Those who looked for anything like
a scrap in the Board of Aldermen over
the mayors veto of the order for a re-
serve police force were disappointed.
The veto was sustained unanimously.
When the veto message was taken up
Alderman Mcmahon said he wished to
state two reasons why he believed the
veto should be sustained. He believed
bn for odnnffnr1 nf Che Q1A
of the Acts of 1896 unnecessary. The
city charter provides for establishment
of a reserve force.
Mr.. Mcmahon was not prepared to
say he believed in a reserve force. He
believed Worcester had emerged from
a state of villagehood and should keep
pace with other cities in many things,
notably its police force. He called at
tention to the fact that the City of
Providence covers only about II square
miles while Worcester covers 30 square
miles. Providence has a population of
about $4,000 more than Worcester, but
its police force numbers about 300 as
compared with 11S in Worcester Mr..
Mcmahon believed 1t was safe to say
that one-half the city is not adequately
policed. He would be prepared later
on to offer an order for consideration
by the police committee, looking to the
Alderman Lancaster, chairman of
the committee on police, said it had
been suggested repeatedly that more
men were needed, but 1t was impos-
sible to get them. 1t was suggested
that it might be a wise move to pro-
vide a reserve force and the order was
brought in. He felt sure that no
member of the committee contemplate
ed the appointment of 26 men. urSSer
the act. Instead it had been decided
to recommend the appointment of six
men on the reserve list. Maj. Lancas-
ter thought that members of the police
committee would vote to sustain the
order.
The veto was sustained unanimously
and then Maj. Lancaster introduced
an order which was adopted. authoriz-
ing the police committee TO consider
the ACCESSIBILITY of adopting an ordin-
ance providing for the appointment of
a reserve force of six men and that ap-
pointments to the regular force be
from the reserve force.
The report Of the committee on
water recommending leave to with
draw on the petition of the Worcester
Wooden Mills Co. was laid on the table
until such time as Alderman Lancas-
ter can look into the matter.
Alderman Mcmahon called attention
TO the petition Of residents Of South
Worcester for the purchase of land
for site Of a fire engine house at the
corner Of Cambridge and Millbury
Streets. Mr. Mcmahon said he wanted
the committee to report at the aext
meeting
The committee on streets recon-
mended that the street Commissioner
be directed to set curbing on Downing
Street at an estimated cost Of $40. The
report was accepted