The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-24
FIRE BOARD OBJECTS
WANTS CITY TO PAY CLAIMS FOR
ARREARAGES OF
SALARY
ACT OF PREVIOUS BOARD
Conference Committee to BE Ap-
preached With Reference to Sc
curing Adequate Funds for
Department Requirements.

In the settlement of the claims of Hart
N. COOK, Arthur Martin and Thomas Ca
rey Tor arrearages of salary alleged to be
due them as members of the fire depart
ment, the present board of fire commits
sloners refuses to assume any responsible
lty for any Indebtedness which will in
voiVe draft upon the fire department
appropriation for this or any future year.
mat point was unanimously decided as
Tar as the disposition of the board is con-
cerned at special meeting held last
evening. The meeting was called for an
other purpose, but before adjournment
the question referred to was taken up in
the form of communication from
FRANKLIN b. Griggs, assistant corporation
attorney, the substance of which com
munication was published yesterday in
The o be.
Mr.. Griggs, in this communication. set
forth that he has arranged with Messrs
How, Taylor & Mitchell, attorneys for
the claimants, compromise whereby the
city VIII save 1914, that amount repre-
sentlng reduction in the claim of Mr.
Carey, the others to get the full amount
of theirs.
The Carey claim was originally
S3'61,33; that of Arthur Martin $3.50. SO, and
: tnats, of Hart N. Cook $22139f These
claims all arise out of reductions in SAL
aries of members of the fire department
made by the board in 1896. At that time
MI. COOK was chief, Mr. Carey superin-
tendent of fire alarm service and Mr..
Martin was assistant chief, which posi-
ton he still holds. The basis of the
claims is the fact that the salaries of the
oH1ces held by these men were fixed by
charter, and that the board had there
lore no authority to change them, even
though, as has been set forth in this ac
tloh as a defense on behalf of the city,
the men had agreed to the reduction.
In MS letter to the board Mr. Grfggs
says that the city has no defense against
the claims, and they would go into iudg-
ments if taken to trial. He cites fbe
decision TO Judge Brill in a similar suit
brought bya John Jackson, the present
chlef of the department, at a time while
ne was out of Office and also the SUI
preme court decision in the case of Rowe
VS.. The City of st. Paul.
burden Should Rest on CITY.
When the communication had been read
commissioner Schweizer said that he
could not see why the corporation attor-
heys ONCE should try to unload the re-
sponslb1lity in this matter upon the fire
BOARD and he for one should most en-
phatlcally protest against any such
course. II former fire board
mad made a mistake in judgment, he
could not see the justice of visiting the
consequences upon the present board. He
did not propose to criticise the former
commissioners, who, he believed, had act
eo IN good faith. but he did object to
taxing the consequences of their actions
Inc SUIT as he understood it, was against
the city of st. Paul and not the fire
board, and if such was the case The CITY
should attend to the settlement
PRESIDENT Warner said he understood
mat there was city fund for the settle
ment OF all docketed and unpaid judg-
m menus against the city, and that should
DC called into requisition in this case.
On motion of Commissioner Schweizer
the matter was referred back to the cor
poratlon attorney, and the secretary was
instructed to notify that officer that the
hre board considered this a matter beyond
It's jurisdiction; that the board had not
at any time requested the corporation
attorney to make a settlement On it's be-
haI' ana must at this time refuse to
enter IN any way into the settlement re-
ported by the corporation attorneys de
partment as having been arranged.
Inc primary purpose of the meeting as
announced in the call was to: consider
suggestions from the city legal depart
Inent as to some means of securing char
ter amendments increasing the limit of
annual expenditure to which the board of
IRE commissioners is at present confined
In letter addressed to President war
ner Assistant City Attorney Griggs calls
attention to the fact that the regular
oally meetings of the city conference
committee. at which will be taken IN the
snnual ouuget for 1902, will begin Nov. 3
Inc representative of the fire board he
says, ordinarily announces merely that
MS department will require the full char
Ter anoWance of $2l5,O0O. He, suggests,
4 1l<,L
noweVef' mat at this time the fire com
mlssloners come before the conference,
committee prepared with facts and fig
ures to show the crippled condition of
Inc department under the present limit
Iallons and It's needs in detailed form
! hell perhaps other departments similar
~ clrcumscribed would, he believes ioin
IN an effort to secure amendment of the
charter. and \the matter could be carried
INTO the city council and by that means
olought IN a favorable manner before
the charter commission
Chief to Prepare Report.
This plan met with general approval
ana after some discussion the chief en-
g-Eeer was instructed to prepare a re-
tcIl 10 DC submitted at special meet
ing of the board to be held FRIDAY even
ing of this week, showing the number
and character of all pieces of apparatus
III service in the department and the age
OF service of each. He was also In
structed to present before the board in
writing at that time his recommends.
tions in detail as to what additions and
improvements are needed in the euuip-
ment OF the department In connection
Win the came matter the secretary was
diI ected to prepare data as to salaries of
an members Of the department at this
time and previous to the reduction in 1896
and at any other time when 2 eeneroI
reduction was made.