Norwich bulletin., 1910-01-04
PAGES NINE to TWELVE

s1Die.
 .~I believe that this committee should also investigate the question of the purchase of water works under the rights given to us by the legislature under the amendment to our charter passed June 29. 1905.
 Taxation.
 | The question of inequality of taxes and also the question of assessing property at its true and full valuation | is wholly matter of town assess | ments and over which this council has ! no jurisdiction, and I therefore have | only to say that we should take more pains in the future than we have in the past in the collection of our taxes. I have only words of commendation for our present city collector, and believe that he has done his duty. But the power of taxation is the very founda- | tion of the ability of a municipality to live and every citizen should bear his | just proportion of the public tax, and call to the attention of the common | council that there now remains a number of thousands of dollars of un- collected taxes back of January, 1908. I most earnestly recommend that these | taxes be put in the hands of competent attorney with power to act within req | son behalf of the city and endeavor to collect the same; or, upon his i'm ability to do so. to report back to the common council the reasons of such inability in each and every instance. PeddIers' Licenses. l IECOIiIueuu LIldL d J1eW OJQlnaDGD be passed by this council, under conn | potent legal advice, fixing d fee for licenses for peddlers and hawkers, which shall materially increase the affect farmers and others vending the products which they raise themselves. Ordinances.
 I believe that all the ordinances of this city should be collated, investfgat- | ed and revised.
 Revision of the Charter. Our charter Is faulty in many ways. 1 In some parts 1t seems to be incon- | sistent; in many parts it is not easily understood, and think the charter should in any event be revised At present we are one of the small est although one of the best cities in l the state. and we are located within l the limits of a town. We have prob ably about eight thousand people fin the town, and still we are governed by two sets of oficers; a part Of our roads are cared for by one set of officers, a part of our roads by another set qG officers. Some things one set of oMl- cers take care of; other things anotk1r set take care of. I believe that tA9e town and city government should NA consolidated, that this duplication of officers be thereby dispensed with. believe that the city government should extend over the whole town, and that the city government should be prRcti- cally town government, the select
 
 away to a commission of say 4hrea men, who, like the se1ectmen, shall have the responsibility and work and proper compensation for their services.
 I recommend the appointment by the common council of committee, conr sisting of not less than ndne men, flve at least of whom shall not be members of the common council, on revision Sk the charter.
 Sunday Observance. that Ina passed by the last administration con~ cerning Sunday licenses be repealed, and that some good way be devised whereby with due regard to the rights of all the Sabbath ehali be observed in a manner which shall not be of- fensive to our best citizens, but which will. at the same time. afford Co oux citezens in general the opportunity @f procuring the things which they ordl- narily demand on the Sabbath day fer their proper enjoyment and always having regard chat all places of buee- ness shall be closed at such hours when their being open would offeEd those who are attending to th@AF church duties.
 Fire Department. wish to request that the committee ton to the recommendations of the chief of the fire department, and espN- cia1ly do want the committee to maRe recommendations to the council wher0- Dy tft IlObe CAH D6 pfOpETIy taken C1NG of, a satisfactory and perhaps extravA- gant amount of good hose furnished. proper horses obtained promptly. ol1 the buildings kept pToperiy heated. believing that the fire department should have the things 1t needs im preference to any other department. Police Force. recommend that the appointment Of all our police force be absolutely with out prejudice and absolutely free from politics.
 Health Department.
 It is with much annoyance that ' many cases of contagious diseases la this city the past years. believe that the sanitary conditions have been unsatisfactory, and recommend the reorganization of ouTs health board.
 wish to assure each and every cit- izen of this city that they will be well any time and will be welcome to ouR meetings. and any suggestions which any citizen has to make will receive due and respectful attention.
 Fire Chiefs Recommendations.
 The following recommendations are extracted from the annual report of ment for the past two years:
 The purchase of two hand chemi- calls. I also recommend that the city keep the department supplied at all times with a large quantity of new hose and I feel that the city should purchase a certain amount of hose each year. recommend the purchase of two new nozzIes and one dozen spanners. The city has on hand today in good condition $500 feet of hose. Eighteen hundred feet of this hose I am thorouhgly satisfied is fin first class condition. The balance, 1,700 feet has been on hand some years, and do not feel that it is any too good. for hose deterforates very fast
 think the fire police could be im- proved quite a little in some ways. With the exception of the captain, none of the members seem to have any idea that they should answer an alarm.
 The danger of the present low wa ter pressure also forcefully brought forth in the chiefs report.
 Tie ceremony of the transfer was brief and businesslike and was marked by the cordial good will of the retir- ing mayor toward his successor. May or Macdonalds first message as head