The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-12-03
WILLIAMS. ARRAIGMS
/ FINANCE COMMITTEE
Post-OGce Receipts
Receipts of the RicI,mond post
Office for the month of October were
$I5,:05.5G, as against S4i,?73.33 for
tue same period Of 1905. This Is un
Increase for the month OF S0DO.:3.
nance. charter and Refor,n. one has

dinance, Charter and Reform. One has
been in the Conmittee on Finance since
properly considered serious questions
OF finance: one involves 4 saving OF
several hundred dollars u year: one is
change in details of administration
| which is more likely To save expense
| than to increase 1t. and the other is
| the only one in which the question OF
| finance is really involved. by provid-
ing, better nursing facilities and arr
ranging the salary of the combined Of
! flee OF first assistant superintendent
/ and pharmacist. The ordinance recon-
involve the question of expenditure. but
was designed simply to protect the de-
partment against impositions which
those best informed say unnecessarily
as designed. be exercised, it would in
crease the revenue and diminish the
expense. The only ordinance carrying
out any of the recommendations of the
has passed the Council. was the one
providing morgue or dead house.
This passed because by narrow vote
it escaped being sent to the Finance
! Committee. 1t will thus be seen that
the Committee on Finance is impeding
tho progress of n department of the
city government in matters which are
not questions OF france. hut are Dues
! tions of administration. which under
our form of municipal government. the
committee In charge is supposed to SUI
/ perVlSe ana nave special kUoWiSdSe
of. and the unanimous opinion and
recommendations of such committee are
entitled to resuect. courtesy and faVrr-
/ able consideration or at least definite
and intelligible eXDlar alton of why
such consideration Is not given.
Delay In Committees.
| TOO often heads Of departments and
officials are criticized for unfortunate
conditions existing in their department.
How can they be held responsible for
committee, united and unanimous. are
not able even to have their recon-
mendations considered upon their mer.
/ It's by the Council in eleven months.
"rhe situation existing in the De-
partment of the Relief of the Poor and
| a history. of the attempts made on the
| part of the Council committee in charge
| of this department to bring about ms
! orovements are sad, interesting anr
/ Instructive commentary on our present
| system of municipal government. such
| history should be studied by every
member of this Council; and by every
be taken deeply to heart, particularly
| by that special committee appointed
| more than seven months ago to devise
! a new system of municipal governme y
! and more especially by the chairman
! Of that committee whose methods anC
actions, as shown In his relations tt
/ the ordinances under consideration anG
4 methods of a similar kind. more thar
/. ANYTHING else have tended to make thu
present system of government iall'
ure.
DR.. Williams's resolution recited the
history of the ordinances in brief, and
nance to return the ord nances to the
! Council at its next meeting The res
! oluton was adopted with an amend
Iment offered by Mr. Davis that the
nance sent to it more than a Year age
relating to the purchase OF Clark
i Sphing property.
Other Matters.
Two bids for the burglar alarm sys,
, TEN franchise, one for SIS, from the
American District Tclegraph Company
and one for $50, from f. &. Kerns. wer,
rejected after q long discussion. the
, Council authorizing the clerk TO adrer,
tise for new bids Alr. Mills and Mr.
, lynch led the fight against acceptance
i cnntending that such offers were far
!; lcical.
s MIR, Pollard offered a resolution tina
: the io'nt special committee report wha
: Charter amendments are NEEDED to Gre
!, ate an advisory board on municipal
= management
At the request OF the School Boar,
e Mr. Pollard introduced an ordinanc,
: anproprating $4,000 for the erectio,
d OF a colored school building In TIL,
: southwestern SECTION OF the anneSe,
: territory. and sl55oo for a schoo, sit,
! for Whit. children in The West End.
= Mr. Mills offered q resolution re
e nnesune the Committee on Grounds an,
y Buildings 20 report on the advisabflit,
r.tof sfeurins bark site north Of Fair
e mount e ns known as Fairmount Park
RI Mr., Mills failed to secure immedia.
e. s9nsilera ton OF an ordinance ia abolisl
= me office OF CITY Tax Collector and pu
2 IN duties on the CITY Treasurer.
4 Ely vote of 25to 8 the Council con
~ CURED In the resolution to npr,ronri
= ate s5O oto continue stringer lights al
n NAN and BROAD Streets until Januar-