The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-22
NEED FOR CENTRAL
BOARD of CONTROL
from First Page.)

continued from FIRST PaSe.)
should be exercised in tearing up
streets paved at great expense 1t is
equally necessary that n leaking gas
or water main or an elcctrolytic pipe |
shall be removed and reISaced by a
sound one. 1t is necessary that the |
fire plugs should be kept always in
condition to use In fire cxigencies. 1t
is certainly desirable II not necessary,
that when the streets are filled with |
snow and slush, which The Street |
Cleaning Department Is expected to
remove, teams and carts With which to |
remove 1t shall be had, and had
promptly. If a delay OF two or three
days ensues. conditions Will have gone
from bad TO worse, and possibly the
necessity for carting snow away VIII
have passed, and barrels, instead OF
carts, will be needed
Admitting all these facts and the zeal
OF each head OF department In looking
A., after his own department and the proper
ty Entrusted to It, the necessity Is every
day becoming more imperative that there
| shall be some centralized authority which
| shall have power and discretion to act
| at once In the emergency. It Is to provide
!, such n medium of facilitating the prompt
| and effective transaction OF tho city's bus
!
I troll to which each department shall be
i subordinate. IS being proposed and urged.
| The demand for 1t ls growing. Council
| men on the floor Of the Council have
| expressed themselves In favor OF dlmins
/. ishing the number Of Conncimen and
\ Aldermen and OF paying them salary.
1 That would require an amendment to the
State Constitution and of the charter
| Of the city, a process requiring years
Mouor'c Succession
l Mayor Mccarthy In discussing the CO.
| operation idea, declared that he had long
been thinking OF the ACCESSIBILITY of plac-
ing tho Police and Fire Departments un-
der one head: that is to say, co-ordinatlng
! them under the direction of board OF
public safety. He added further that 1t
might be wise also to have the city am
bulance placed under this department and
4 REQUIRE that it respond to fires and be
1 subject to control OF the chief of the
Fire Department at such times, and to
respond to calls from the Police Dcpart-
ment at other times The Mayor suggest
ed that the city be divided In fire and
police districts or subdivisions for con-
yenence and accuracy. and that when
a fire occurred in n certain district all
police officers within that district should
be ordered by their captains to report TO
the chief of the Firo Department for
duty. The Mayor had not formulated this
| Z,
tntively in a general way. as applied to
these departments
There is friction not only among the
departments, but among officials OF the
city government occasionally. Publca-
ton has been made Of an alleged 'al-
tercaton" between the Mayor and tho
City Auditor at Il meeting of the FL
nance Committee on Tuesday night, but
the Mayor denies this. lie declares that
not an angry word was spoken. and that
all that was said was in good hunlor
and was 50 understood. From time to
time complaint is heard that this or
that official Is arbitrary dictntoral or
nutocratic, and some even charge that one
or more has on occasions been brusque
end positively offensive to persons calling
at the office, whether Intentionally so or
not Executive Officers elected by tho
people are not subject to disciplining by
tho Council or its committees, how