The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-04-15

| The estimates committee of councils
completed the work of framing the
appropriation ordinance at it's adj
| journed meeting Saturday night, and
| forthwith issued a. call for special
meeting of select council Tuesday
night that 1t may be advanced to third
reading for the regular meeting
| Thursday night.
| The ridiculous salary increases which
were mNe on Tuesday night were cut
out and several items which, 1t was
| certain would not pass the councils
| were allowed to go by the board.
Among these latter was the $1,000 ap-
propriated for the national guard
| companies. An effort was made by
some of tho members TO reinstate the
400 that was taken from the $13,s0O
appropriated for the library. but the
effort was futile. The best that could
be done was to have the COMMITTEES
put back $400 Of the sl,4O0 cut. This
leaves the library appropriation at
S12S00.
The ordinance was gotten into shape
by combination consisting of Messrs
| Keller, Wagner, Vaughan. Merriman,
| Oliver and Partridge. They got to-
sether during the week, had a give and
take compromise. and practically
framed the ordinance before coming
! into the meeting. Messrs. Norton,
| Coleman and Phillips left the room
hen they realized they were not in
it. The other member Of the commit
tee, Mr.. shea, sat the thing through
and Went along with the majority.
COMBINE DISCLOSED.
The combine was disclosed by the
vote on the first item that was taken
| up for reconsideration. 1t was the sal
| ary of the recorders private secretary
The old estimates committee fixed it
at 5000 Last Tuesday night ii was
raised to $1,000. When it was reached
Saturday night. Il. motion was made
ana seconded to reduce it to $1,000. Mr.
Coleman made speech against the re-
duction, but none of the combine said
word till it came time to vote. Then
all six were heard from with a. vigor-
| Gus "ayn."
The item of s15OO for clerk hire in
| the city treasurers department was
reduced to it's original figure $1,000.
| and the $50 for Il telephone for the
| treasurer was eliminated. Clerk hire
| in the city controllers department was
cut from $4,000 to $1.5o0. where it stood
| before Tuesday nights meeting, and
in the law department the salary OF
| the assistant city solicitor was made
81 200 instead of s1.500 This convinced
! Messrs. Coleman, Norton and Phillips
| that they could not accomplish any
thing by hanging around there. SO, af-
| ter Il brief whiapered conversation,
they Withdrew. They propose to at
| tack the ordinance when 1t comes be-
| fore the lower branch.
When the frozen -out trio had depart
ed the combine proceeded with its
slashing. All the salary increases made
on Tuesday night We're taken off and
| the allowance for extras in the city
| traasurer's department was Whitfield
down by cutting off the $500 for clerk
| and pairing down the allowances for
| books and stationery.
The allowance for an extra corps OF
| three men for the engineers depart
ment was allowed to stand, and to the
| bureau OF health appropriation was
added $1,000 for superintendent, and
! S.20 for an assistant sanitary officer,
the positions filled respectively by DR..
w. Z. Allen and T. V. Lewis. The SAL
airy OF the superintendent of parks.
which was fixed at $500 originally. and
| then raised to $1,000, was cut to $500.
| The $4,000 for the purchase of the
crematory lot and $4,000 for a first class
engine for the Nay Augs We're allowed
to stand. The item of $50 for stokers
of fire engines was cut out, the COM
mittee being of the opinion that the adj
ditional permanent men can do the
| work.
| WATER RENT CUT OUT.
In the original ordinance there was
an item of $3.50 for water rent for hy-
drants supplied by the Spring Brook
Water company in the extreme SOUTH
ern end OF the city. Mr.. Vaughan had
this eliminated, after explaining that
the new contract with the Scranton
Gas and Water company covered the
whole city and the company would
| have to live up to its contract When
the contract was under discussion, he
said. he explicitly asked the represen-
| tativeS of the Gas and Water com
pany il IL was to cover all the city and
he was told it did This being the case
there was no necessity, he argued, OF
| paying water rent to a second COM
pany. II the Gas and Water company
has no mains in the territory in ques-
ton, he said, it will have to lay them.
When the committee started in on
it's work Saturday night it had to pare
down the appropriations $4,000, When
City Clerk Lavelle finished his figuring
at the close of the session he announc-
| hat q l,A r>rin