The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-02-10

and other members of the Board of find that in spite of their successful fight of Tuesday night. the appropria- tion for a supply of water had been written into the preliminary list.
 They communicated with $. B. Vim cent and s. I4oewith and kept the wires hot until they ascertain where the trouble lay.
 The question soon came down to a difference of opinion between City Clerk Stephen F. Boucher and Hobart French, president of the board.
 City Clerk Boucher sturdily declared throughout the discussion that MT. French ordered the item written on.
 MT. French, for his part replied: "I would be a very foolish man to make such a break"
 ''Take it off the record. It doesn't belong there,'' demanded MT. Phelan.
 The same demand was made by MT. Osborne in person. but the city clerk insisted that the item, being on the record, cannot be erased. and so the record remains in a state of fiXity.
 This is as far as the matter got. At 3 o'clock this afternoon the item mak- ing an appropriation for water still re- mained upon the preliminary list.
 Its continued presence there may make a very material difference to the water monopoly.
 It takes seven votes to put the ap- propriation on the list. But once on, right or wrong, it will take seven votes to take it off.
 The mystery of how the confusion of ideas between Mr. French and the city clerk occurred still remains.
 The members of the administration, from Mayor Buckingham down, are striving to find a way out of the diff ficulty the effect of which may be to load the 20 year water contract upon the city for another year.
 It was with considerable jar this morning that the intelligence reached the ears of several of the members of the Board of Apportionment that the SIP. 800 appropriation for water supply had been placed upon the preliminary tax list by City Clerk Stephen F. Boucher.
 City Clerk Boucher was asked by John J. Phelan and Stephen F. Os- borne if the item appeared on the list. The clerk replied that the item was there because it was declared on the list by President Hobart E. French of the board.
 Messrs Cooper, Phelan and Osborne maintained that the item should not have been placed on the list and that President French is only one mem clared that the very reason the board adjourned until tomorrow night was for the purpose of discussing the wa ter item and that there would be no adjournment taken if the item had been allowed to go on the list.
 The matter settled itself down to a question of veracity between City Clerk Boucher and President French
 Stephen F. Osborne, who threaten ed to take the matter to the courts if the item was allowed to stand oil the preliminary list, was closeted with the city clerk relative to the matter, when President French ar is just a misunderstanding between myself and the clerk. When we reached the item of water supply on the Second district list I noticed it was next to the last item. The last item was for watering troughs. I said let us enter this last item and then come back to the one on water supply.
 "The clerk thought that I meant to complete the list and entered the item for water supply. I have no such power as to enter items with out the consent Of the board. It will be corrected on Friday night"
 City Clerk Boucher, declared that his records would stand unchanged until changed at meeting of the board and said:
 When the water appropriation was reached MT. French said, There is only one or two more items left. We will add them to the list tenn porarily and then go back to them later The item was not added by motion.
 ''I took particular pains to ask Mr. for water should be added.
 .sHe said, Yes That had been the regular procedure all during the evening.
 ''Votes were only taken on two ouestions-the appropriation for block maps and the matter of appropriating for nurse. No vote was taken on any of the other items and the Second district appropriations have not been finally acted upon.'
 After President French had had a conference with the city clerk MT. Boucher said, "Of course there is a misunderstanding somewhere. But the list will stay unchanged until the board changes it.'
 Before his arrival, at city hall, President French was asked about the water item over the. telephone He replied, 'I guess it's a mistake"
 When he arrived at the city hall and before discussing the matter with the city clerk, MT. French said: Why I would be a very foolish man to
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