The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-15
HEARING ON THE ESTIMATES
CITIZENS BEFORE THE BOARD OF
 FIN4NCE LAST NIGHT.

Board Asked to Keep Down the Ta,
 Rafe-The Police Department Dis.
 cussed-The Mayor Spoke of Trolley
 Lines in Relation to the Reassessment
 The board of finance last night gave
 a public hearing on the estimates o1
 the city departments for the coming
 year, and the room In which the hear
 ing was held was filled with citizens
 given an opportunity to be heard.
 The first to appear was Anthony Car
 roll, who deviated somewhat from dis
 cussion of the estimates and spoke of
 some of the permanent pavement re- gently laid in the city. He said that
 the pavements in Chapel street, Con-
 gross avenue, Grown street, Temple
 street and Elm street were defective
 and not according to specifications.
 Henry C. O'Sullivan objected to MT.
 Carroll discussing other matters than
 the estimates, but the mayor said that
 he wanted to give MT. Carroll an op-
 portunity to say what he had to say
 and it might help towards getting
 things properly done in the future. Con-
 tinuing Mr. Carroll said that he had complained to the mayor concerning
 the Chapel street pavement and that
 the mayor had inquired and then in- formed him that the contractors doing
 the work on Chapel street were honora- ble men. Mir. Carroll did not believe in increases in the appropriations for any of the departments.
 Henry C. OSullivan next appeared, and by questioning ascertained that the estimates for the police department had been amended since they were submit
 ted to the board of finance and made public, and that the amendment con- sisted in an increase of several thou sand dollars, the total amount now ask ed for being s223 S36.31; $193,237 was ap- propriated for the present year.
 Mir. O'Sullivan spoke against any in- crease for the department over the amount appropriated for this year. He said that in other cities about the size of New Haven the police service cost $50, 900 less than in New Haven, and the administra ton of those cities was no more inefficient than was that of New Haven. He said that the president of the United States, though a brave man, was afraid when he came here recently because of the inefficlency of the New Haven police department.
 Reuben H. Brown, former member of the board of finance spoke in gem eral way in favor of economy in the city administration. He said that saw ings bank men and real estate men did not give very rosy accounts of property in New Haven, and that the majority of the citizens of the city would back up the board of finance in keeping down expenses He hoped that the board would feel that the taxpayers were back of them.
 MT. Curtis, of the beard, asked Mr. Brown what he would think of cut of s2o, GOO or s25,000 in the payroll of the police department. Mir. Brown said that the police were paid more than they could get at anything else. He thought though that the cut suggested by MT. Curtis would be too radical. He se.id that If the board of finance finds it necessary to reduce the appropriation of different departments to get down to a satisfactory rate he would rather see the cut come from the police depart- | ment than from tho fire department or the street department.
 Charles IT. Pabor appeared and called ! attention to the fact that the present | condition of the Boulevard is very dan- gerous nights owing to the absence of i any lights. He referred to the recent fatal accident which occurred there by a carriage being driven off the en1bank- ment, and said that the driveway is so dark that carriages are very liable to be driven off the embankment, render- Ing the city liable for damages. He said that there was not a light on the Boulevard. except a few at the foots of streets which end at the Boulevard.
 Edgewood park and Park avenue were other places where lights were greatly needed; and citizens in the vest arn part of the city and in the vicinity of the Boulevard along it's course had 1etitioned the lamp committee to es- .ablish lights in those places, where hey were so badly needed. Neither he Boulevard nor the Edgewood park 'oads are lighted, and driving there llGntS IS QdOSSTUuS. heQueSLS nave | been made to the lamp committee to establish lights there, only to be met with the reply from that department hat there was available no money to establish more lights MT Pabor urged that an appropria- ion to the lamp department be made ufficient to permit of the much needed lghts being established As an in- tance of the need of more lights, he poke of the end of Rosette street on { he meadows. This street has been ma , adamized it's entire length and ends ( bruptly on the meadows there being f 10 light there. There is nothing to pre- ent a horseman speeding along the $ treet to drive off the bank. ( William Trueman appeared and urged ( conomy. He said that some officials I we're receiving more money than they ( ,ere worth, while others were not get ing as much as they earned. He pre- f erted the following to the board: V Now that the annual grab on the city C reasury is being made is it not a good i me for the citizens to arouse them- t elves and at least give a cursary q lance at their income on the one hand t nd their expenditure on the other s Ninety-nine per cent. of the people c -ho complain of our high tax rate e laim it is owing to the high salaries aid our city officials. Now while 1t is