Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-01-10

u luG CIIiItVI W llIVl
 were laid on the table for a week
 Vice President Beach presided and
 there were present Aldermen Filling
 Stanley, Holmes, Hewitt, Macaulcy
 Murray, Brophy, Hurley, Tobin and
 Bergen. The democrats made hard
 fight to get hearing on the charter
 amendments for the public, but the
 other side of the house had no use fol
 expressions of opinion from the tax
 payers and two attempts to request
 the public to come in and be heard on
 these questions were voted down, the
 five democrats favoring such action
 and the six republicans opposing it. Ii
 was q splendid illustration of the pub
 lie be damned policy.
 The matters tabled until next Mon-
 day, which will be known as charter
 night, nothing else to be considered at
 that lMeeting: Transferring of power
 to settle boundary line disputes from
 the selectmen to the aldermen; life
 tenure of office for the principals and
 teachers of the public schools and the
 formation of pension fund
 for teachers: changes in tine fire and
 police department, such as have al
 ready appeared in the papers,: Il change
 with reference to the plan of collecting
 assessments due for public improve
 ments; laying tax of one fourth of d
 mill on all ratable property the pro
 ceeds to be used for park purposes.
 These together with the recommenda- tions asking for a bond issue Of SIP coo and that $900O0 worth of the sewage disposal bonds already authorized. be sold. all went over until next Monday.
 While they were passing along Mir Murray made q very vigorous protest against lcvying tax at Hartford. He said that the aldermen. the direct rep resentatives of the people. exercise this power now and that he considered it a mistake to barter it away. There is nothing. continued the alderman ito prevent this board from making as large an appropriation as it thinks well of for parks. We made it about ScO.OOO this year and we could have made it twice that if we saw fit and on the other hand if in the opinion of this board it was not advisable to make the sum so large as it is we could have governed ourselves accord ingly. Isn't that law all right What do you want to change it for. then Isn't it only fair for Us to assume that our successors will be as competent to deal with the question of parks as we are You gentlemen on the other side of the house have all the say.
 Why not keep it : Even though every member on this side should object you are still ill position to run the city and make the rate of taxation what you think it ought to be. I'm q mem- ber of this board going on three years and I have always found if so. Any thing you wanted all you had to do was to say so and it went because you can carry any measure. I think you are better judges of what the people want than the legislators at Hartford arc. A time may come when it would not be deemed advisable to lay q heavy tax for parks and it would be just and proper that the aldermen shollI be in a. position to diittt, sucli contingency
 Alderman. Holmes said he was not fin favor of the aldermen giving up any power they have provided the enc aimed at could be accomplished In any other way. He wanted some assurance that a sufficient sum would he raised every year to give us good park accom-. m01ations. The alderman from the second could not imagine any situation which could present itself which would make it good policy on the part ef the aldermen not to make a liberal appro- priatiOn for parks. Even if we ha.l panic and large numbers were idle. he considered that that would he just the time the parks would need most atten. tion.
 .Ir Murray inquired whether there was any objection to giving the tax payers an opportunii.c to appear be- fore the board and Inc heard on thcss amendments. especially on tho ones with reference to Il tax for parks to be fixed at Hartford and matter o' permanent tenure in office and pen sionS in the schools. He thought it would he well to hear what some of the principal rate payers think about such proposed legislation. adding that a man who was going to help pay the freight should be given q chance to show what he thinks of the increased burden. Mr Hewitt. MT Holmes and Mir Filling didn't think favorably of this. Mir Holmes fearing that it wouldn't amount to anything more than T talking match.
 What is the objection f" giyfng the people hearing on these uucsiions:' inquired Alderman Hurley. "SuppoS- ing they do talk out good and loud. isn't that privilege that belongs tc thcmI l think every taxpayer in Wa tcrbury should bc given Iu opportunity to come before this board lII say what Inc thinks about these matters if hc wants to-
 AldYrman Stanley: What does the 1 public want to be heard on this schoo! question for anyway! Ii isn't going I fo cost the taxpayers T cent. The l funds will be made m from time lost l by the teachers and Il certain amount l from their salaries. and so I long as they are satisfied don't see [! that il concerns the public at all"
 Alderman Bergen: "Thc draft >ub- | mittcd provided that if the fund is not !, large enough the deficit will have tn l be made up by the city. and you'll nnd i |f the bill passes the deficit will exist I right along and in addition to paying I thc teachers their regular salaries they uiIl have to come down with some thing for the pension fund too. Re | sides. many like to express an opinion I ,n the advisability of adopting the per tenure of offire plan l think we should hear the people
 Chairman Beach then left ilir clIaif l ,nd calla.l Mir Filling fo fIc fhrone. NIT I