The morning journal-courier., 1908-01-17
NO INCREASE
 FOR ENGINEER Kelly Reminds Finance Board, But it Decides to Do Noth-
 ing About His
 Raise.
COURT AWARDS PASSED
No One Appears on Request for Teachers Added Pay, So the Matter Goes Over for
 One Week.

City Engineer Kelly made another intellectual effort before the board of finance last night to have his salary raised. He had been explaining to the board the need of providing money for the employment of another transitman for his department, and before he went his salary be increased. After he had made short statement, Mayor Martin told him that the board of finance had decided it had nothing further to do with the matter of the increase of his salary up to the present time.
 The city engineer, last fall, before the estimates were madeup, asked for an increase of salary from $2,50O to s45OO. The aldermen voted to allow him $S, 00o The question then went to the board of finance This board cut down the allowance in their estimates to $2,750. Subsequently the estimates were adopt ed by the aldermen as whole. but 1t seems that proper procedure had not been followed in order to give the city engineer an increase. Under the so- called Home Rule act of the last leg islature it is provided that in order to raise the salary of a city official. there shall be concurrent action by the ald- ermen and members of the board of finance, and that the aldermen by a two-thirds vote shall take separate ac- ton. In the city engineers case there was not concurrent action except as to the estimates in bulk. and so the finan- ciers have held that Kelly cannot have his increase
 In regard to the extra transltman it appeared that the board of finance in making up the estimates last fall in- tended to provide for two extra transit men in the engineering bureau, Through misunderstanding they pro- vided $Ss7 for one man only The city engineer now asks for sss7 for another man.
 Before the fnanciers last night MT. Kelly stated that the work of h.s de- partment has been running behind for some time. The engineers, he said, had not made up maps for assessors as re- quired by law, had not kept up with the park work, building line work, sewer work and street extension worK, An extra man. he slid. was very much needed. and in fact he had bsen com pelled to temporarily employ an extra man.
 The board voted to refer the request n .t-bp 5t,tx shall be to investigate as to the needs of the. bureau and report to the next meeting of the boardi ..'
 The mayor appointed Messrs. Logan and Miller on this committee.
 Among the bills approved by the fin- anciers were those ordered by the su- i perior court. in relation to the assess inent of damages on account of the extension of Humphrey street and the widening of Grand avenue. The bur- eau of compensation awarded dam ages but the court, on an appeal, rais- ed the figures as follows.
 Emma L. Rogers, from $2.95o to S3,5c0: Austin B. Fuller and Harriet B. Fuller, from ss25 to sl,945; W. J. At water from $50 to s625; Michael J. | Fox, from $500 to sSS0.
 1 No member of the board of education put in an appearance regarding the request that the sum of 5000 be added 1 to the teachers salaries increase ac- count so that the teachers may be paid more as per arrangement, the increases to begin on Seputember | Mayor Mar tin said that James E. Wheeler, a member of the board of education, had telephoned him and asked that the | matter go over for a week as he was i'll and unable to appear last night.
 The financiers signed a small cart load of bills and seemed weary. a con- dition of mood that was accentuated when J. Edmond Miller proposed clear ing up the matters that were. on the table and have been lying there for weeks, months and years.
 The mayor said he had business engagement and preferred to let the pigeon -holed matters rest in peace and so the Miller suggestion was dropped
 Among the tabled matters is Di- rector Foley's bill asking the city to pay him $500 to settle his counsel fees in the suit brought against him by William E. Dunn, formerly deputy reg ! istrar of the Ninth ward