The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-02-09

Hydraulic Co. so he urged it be read It proved to be a communication from Joshua Meltzer, taxpayer protesting against the twenty year contract which famous epithet of Commodore Wander bilt "The public be d--.' (The com munication is printed in another column of this issue.)
 MT. French then said that the Bridgeport Hydraulic Co. had not re- ceived any notice of the public hearing which the board had held relative to the appropriation. President Hincks replied" o yes. we gave the company notice.' and City Clerk Buckingham assured MT. French that he had served notice of the hearing upon Secretary Wilmot of the company. The Meltzer communication was received and placed on file.
 The board next proceeded to make up the preliminary list and when it reached the bottom of the budget in the Second district MT. Loewith moved that the appropriation of $12,O00 for water supply be included in the pre- linninary list. MT. Phelan said: ''I have no objection to the item going upon the preliminary list but I do believe we ought to take a position on this mat ter here at this point We ought to make ourselves clear on this contract to the people. As I understand it the appropriating of this amount is prac- tically renewal of the 20 year con- tract. l myself have a great deal of respect for the committee which re- commended the making of the con- tract. I feel that the council which made the contract is worthy of a great deal of confidence. But it is very evi- dent that the contract is obnoxious to a great many people. There appears to be a great deal of dissatisfaction among the people-the press tells us from day to day of the strong Sentl- ment there is against this contract. At the hearing we had the other night we couldn't get the specific details that we would have liked. We couldn't get the per capita cost of water in this city compared with other cities. We have not had time to measure condi- tions with chose of New Haven. We ought to take the matter away from this board and I think it ought to be passed upon by the people. In pre- senting this preamble and resolutions l do so believing that we ought to go back to our source of authOrity-the people. 1 don't know that we are un- der serious disadvantage at the present time from this contract but let us leave it to the people who are our masters Let this matter be taken to Hartford with other charter matters so that it can be voted upon at the next election. In the meantime the city and the water company may get to- gether and make a new contract
 You don't mean the same kind of a vote that is cast on the license ques- tion do you?" asked MT. Smith.
 ''No,' said MT. Phelan, 'I mean a vote where more than half of the electors voting for regular ticket would have to vote on one side or the other. If there were more than 14,O00 ballots cast in the election I should not be in favor of breaking this contract unless more than 1000 people voted to do so. So it would not be a case of ,00G or 1,500 voters deciding a ques- tion. We ought to give an opportunity, to the people to express themselves"
 MT. Paige undoubtedly was aware that February 11th is the last day for the presentation of new business at Hartford and the next meeting of the Board of Apportionment is not until February 23rd.
 MT Setzer said he understood that MT. Phelan meant to associate his resolution with the appropriation. MT Phelan said he might change his mind in the matter and vote against the ap- propriation unless the resolution was acted upon. MT. Setzer said that un- less the resolution went through with the $1200O he would not vote for it.
 
 Withdraw it at this time and let us proceed with the making up the list" said MT. Paige who moved that the $12,000 be included in the preliminary list. MT. George Windsor seconded the motion. MT. Phelan moved that MT Paige's motion be tabled.
 The motion to table was lost by a vote of to 4. Messrs. Hincks, Osborn Setzer and Phelan voting in the af- firmative. Messrs. Paige, Sherwood LoeWith, French. Windsor and Smith voting in the negative. The absentees were B. D. Pierce, Jr., and A. M Cooper.
 After the vote was taken President told where he stood on the question without mincing matters. He said: 1T consider it my duty to vote against this appropriation as I believe we should have a judicial decision on the matter"
 'T shall have to dissent from that opinion," said MT. Paige.
 This contract was carefully con- l sidered by a committee of which MT 1 keating was a member. It got prices l from other cities and it thought the l prices named in the contract were fair l It is reasonably we'll known that if we want to attack this contract there are l various other ways of doing so without l the contract. If we vote not l
 
 contract-all the other features of the 1 contract remain alive. In my judg- l ment we would be seeking to put this l (the Hydraulic Co.) on the 1 Offensive. It seems to me that the i natter ought to take it's ordinary proper course. Let the city take ac- 1 ion in another way rather than ask ] IS to break this contract. Here MT. Paige said that the Fly i lraulic Go. would collect it's money 1 anyway.
 MT. Setzer asked if the action of the i board did not say whether or not the i contract was to continue for another year. He cited the opinion of the city l ,ttorney in the matter. Mir. Paige sald l le did not care what the city attorney i ,r MT. Wilson had said upon the mat CT the only feature that he objected l 0 was that if the board did not ap- ,ropriate the city refused to pay what had agreed to pay.
 MT Hincks said that the unanimous l lction of the Common Council in the 1