The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-24
Broad dStret& Opposite Pos

the city's attorneys office-for work that the city attorney cannot perform why would it not be advisable to expend it for maintaining regular office.
 Senator Paddock said he was fami- liar with the duties of the office first hand as an alderman as well as Senator, and he knew personally that the office was worth more money. He was in favor of the bill and could not see why the system of employing an assistant which would cost the city no complaining the supplementary work of the office, would not be a good thing.
 Representative Bent then requested the committee to withhold its report on the measure until the bill providing for a referendum to the city of char ter changes having to do with the city is reported.
 Attorney John c. Chamberlain said no lawyer good enough to fill the of flee capably ought to cut prices, and that s3,000 was little enough to pay him. But he personally thought there was no need of paying an assistant s1,500 a year.
 Judge Carl Foster of the city court said his law partner was the city at torney from 1898 to 1902 and that since then the city had grown rapidly and the work of the office in proportion
 Judge Foster said the committee should consider what a private corpor- ation involving several millions of dol Then to bear in mind that the city, worth many millions, ought to pay enough to get a competent man.
 Former Mayor Henry Lee said he was we'll aware of the qualifications of the city attorney now in office. But the raise to $3,000 he argued was ex- cessive. The city attorney has to give up his time, true enough, but that's his duty, that's what he takes office for, said the former mayor MT. Lee said he believed s2,500 would be fair and equitable. The best lawyers ought to be glad to take the position entirely independent of the salary. for the honor of serving the city. ''New offices have been created and salaries mayor, until we're in the same posi- tion as the State, we're spending more than we are raising. That's why our taxes in Bridgeport have gone up from 10 miles to 174 mills.''
 Representative Meltzer took issue with former Mayor Lee, and recalled the episode of Mayor Lees consulting with a private attorney while he was in office, when the city paid the bill And even then the judgment of the outside lawyer was not final. Lee retorted that when he consulted the other lawyer. there was no city at torney in office. Later when there was a Democratic council the salary of the city attorney was raised from sl 5a0 to s1.SO0, and the city attorney himself. the present incumbent, drew the measure. If the raise was justi- liable. Lee declared the Democratic council could have put it through at that time.
 '.Was there ever any difficulty" in quired Representative Parker of the committee, ''in filling the officer The reply was that there had been no such difficulty encountered.
 The matter of the city court salary raise was then considered. Attorney John c. Chamberlain fired the opening gun for the advocates of the salary raise He said that way back in 1876 the city court prosecutor was paid s1,5O0 That year there were $50 eases. He held office for a number of years and when he left the place. which subsequently, he believed he had occupied at a loss to. himself. the