Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-12-12
WITHIN THE TOWN.

y Miss Maggie M. Moore, the post
master at Yorkville, has been noti-
fed that the postal savings depart
ment of her office will not begin OPP
erations until January IL.
There are only thirteen more days
between now and Christmas, and now
Is the time to do holiday shopping.
Most of the big stores begin taking
stock the day after Christmas, and
the work requires several days. Be-
sides, there is wider range Of choice
than there will be later on.
There Is a slow but steady increase
in the number of patrons Of the
creamery. Old patrons who quit be-
cause of the dissatisfaction existing
some time ago are coming back and
new ones are being added to the list,
which now numbers over forty.
The fire department was not quite
as prompt last Friday night in an
swering the alarm for the reason that
some Of the men suspected that they
were being made the victims Of prac-
tical jokers on account Of the supper.
But the firemen were not long In get
ting matters Strengthened out and In
doing what they could.
- The fire department had Its an
Friday night. Supper was interrupted
by an alarm Of fire, which was at first
thought to be within the corporate
limits, but which turned out to be the
barn of Mr.. ]. W. Mcfarland, half
a mile beyond the limits. The firemen,
however, responded, and went to the
full length of their hose before they
learned that they could be of no SER
vice.
- Although there are those who
will defend the practice that Is being
followed by the town council In CIV
ing to it's own members and all other
officials of the town, light and water
as compensation for services, we de-
sire to say the idea is wrong and, In
our opinion, the thing should be cor
rected. Although in the first place 1t
Is commonly held that while a town
council cannot fix its own salary, II
can fix a salary for succeeding coun-
Gil, we do not believe that this is law.
If 1t Is law, it Is a very dangerous one.
For instance, by resolution of coun-
Gil some time back, the mayor receives
a salary of 5000 a year, and as the
result of a resolution Of subsequent
council, which resolution has never
been published to the people or
the community as 1t ought to
have been, the members of the
council were given free light and free
water to the extent Of the minimum
charge. Under the same principle, II
there should be a division among the
people of the town and there should
be elected a council hostile to that
which Is now in office, the present
council If it saw proper could rescind
that old resolution and prevent the
incoming mayor and council from re-
ceiving any compensation whatever.
The danger of the free water and
light idea is illustrated in the fact
that. while the original resolution
only provided that this privilege
should be extended to the actual
members Of the town council. 1t was
afterward extended to practically all
Of the town officials, including those
who receive cash compensation and
those who do not receive such com
pensation. The idea is inequitable In
many particulars, one of them being
that since under the present policy
of the management of the pubic ser
vice departments the water and light
consumers are paying an undue pro-
portion of the expenses Of those de-
partments, these water and light con-
sumers are made to pay expenses
which should more properly come out
of the general municipal funds. We
are decidedly of opinion that from the
nature of the case the position of al
derman of a small town like York
Vile is one that should be regarded
as purely honorary, and we think that
men should be found to perform that
service without expecting or asking
compensation: but, If compensation
is to be insisted upon, that compensa-
tion should be paid in cash. And
since the town charter is silent on the
subject of compensation, 1t would be
well for the people to amend that
charter so as to specify the amounts
to be paid the mayor and members Of
the council The present arrangement
has already made a good deal of dis
and bad feeling, and II it
continues it will make a good deal
more,