The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-03-29
THE MAYORS VETO.
Mr.. Barclays Reasons for Not Approx
ing SOS Month Salaries.


ing SOS Month Salaries.
Mayor Barclays veto in full follows.
To the Honorable Board Of Aldermen:
Gentlemen: On March 2Ist inst, you
passed i resolution that the salaries
Of captain, drivers, hook and ladder men,
and hose men, who should be appointed
to positions in the permanent fire de-
partment, should be sixty-tiye dollars
per month, and that the number of such
men should be five, including captain
and drivers. The same resolution pro-
yided that call men should be paid
thirty-fve dollars per annum SO far
as the call men are concerned, / agree
with the aldermen that thirty-fye dol
lars would be proper compensation, but
would suggest that twenty, instead Of
thirty, be the number of call men. You
will see by the tables hereafter given
that the city of Burlington, with pop
ulation Of 10000, has twenty call men;
Rutland with population of $4,000 has
twenty call men; st. Albans with a
population Of 1000 has twenty call
men. cannot see why our city should
require ten more call men than the above
mentioned places. Our business blocks
are encompassed in a radius Of a little
over one quarter Of a mile; none Of them
high, compared with buildings IN large
cities. We ought to start out with a
reasonable number Of permanent and
call men; if we find more are required
to do good service, we can add to their
number, but to take from. is not 50
easily done.
1t is with regret that I find myself
unable to approve Of the salary Of six
ty-five dollars for the captain. drivers,
etc. ! regret this the more, because it
is the first instance since [ have held
the office Of mayor when have returned
d resolution without my approval. /
have intended, and intend, as far as
possible in regard to this matter, to
make my Judgment conform with the
board OF aldermen, since they share the
responsibility OF any action with me.
But an investigation of this matter has
led me, with all due respect to the
Judgment of the aldermen, to ask them
to give II further and careful re -consid.
Grafton. The reasons that have led me
to this course are quite numerous and
will not attempt to give them all.
ANfA9hf AAN i{toAbAo3A VI " ptIUAAiEAl
member Of the fire department il III
many respects a desirable employment; ;
the firemen work under healthy sur-
roundings and are we'll housed in inclem-
ent weather when on duty, unless there
should chance to be call.
Second The duties of his position
are not physically exacting. By the
report Of the chief Of the fire depart
ment, there were twenty eight calls dur
ing the past year. II we allow two
hours as the average time for these calls,
il would make ffty-six hours for their
actual service in attendance upon fires,
Or two days and eight hours. If last
year Is taken as an average year, it win
be seen that during nearly three hundred
and sixty three days out of every three
hundred and sixty-five days. Ave men
will have nothing to do, except to lool.
after the station, teams and apparatus,
and such duties as examining buildings,
etc, as may be assigned to them.
These duties certainly are not severe.
The expense to fireman for clothes,
etc, would be less than the average
granite cutter, while he viii work under
better sanitary and healthful conditions.
Third: In q place where the build