The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-10
|STRATFORD TOWN MEETING CRITICISES | INACTIVE OFFICIALS
STAMFORD
Especial to The Farmer,

Stratford, July 10-The committee
 system of doing town business which has been in vogue here for years re-
 ceived a black eye last night in the special town meeting held to hear the report of the committee appointed at
 previous meeting to confer with the
 railroad company and ascertain just how much land was wanted for the
 proposed piers and to demand some thing in return from the railroad com pany. The committee appointed in
 the original town meeting was com
 posed of Elliot w. Peck, First Select
 man Charles H. Welles, John Conroy, James McShane, William A. Stagg
 and Charles F., Judson. This com
 mittee met and appointed Elliot W.
 Peck and Selectman Wenes. as a sub
 committee to do the business. No | lbusiness was done. The Sub-commit- tee failed to report to the whole com
 mittee and the matter stands in thei same position as it did before the town meeting was called.
 The adjourned meeting was called to order by Town Clerk Harold c. Lowell. Judge Charles H. Peck was
 elected chairman. Elliot w Peck wished to report for the committee
 but as selectman Welles was not pres ent the meeting waited for his arrival MT. WeIles stated that with MT. Peck i he had visited the general offices of the company in New Haven and that | have maps and all the desired infor
 mation before the town meeting last
 night. John Conroy, a member of the committee asked why the sub- committee had not reported to thej
 committee as. a whole. He got no
 reply James McShane asked permis- sion from the chair to address the members of the sub committee. Hei asked whether the subcommittee had
 obeyed the instructions or the whole o7>ai% %nn ond hn1 fnd %0 ha.
 railroad company a demand for foot
 bridges over the tracks at Hollister Heights. He received the reply that
 the subcommittee had not mentioned
 the matter preferring to wait until
 the report came in MT. Conroy ob- jected strongly to the methods of the
 subcommittee and said 'I don't in tend to be a dead head on this com- mittee. intend to do my part and I intend to also know just what is1 to do the business with the company then why not appoint them from the floor and do away with the other memb CTS. 7 James McShane suggested
 that the railroad company be allowed 30 days 10 submit the information de- sired by the town. Frank Sammis wanted to leave the matter till the se- lectmen had received the information.
 MT. McShane accepted the suggestion that a shorter time would be advis-
 
 meeting adjourned to July 23.
 The special town meeting for which a warning had been posted was then called and Judge Peck was elected graphic description of the deplorable condition of North avenue between King street and Nichols avenue He
 explained how by cutting off twol
 knolls in the road and by using the material for filling in the low places the mud holes in the hollows could be eliminated. The voters appropri- ated $500 for this work without a mur-
 mur. There was no other business
 before the meeting and 1t developed into a general discussion in which the1 selectmen received the severest grill- ing ever administered to those worth iss, in a. Stratford town meeting. E. l H, Conine got the floor and said that the easiest way to avoid this eternal discussion on the condition of the roads was to organize borough orl city government. He asserted that hel would build no more houses in thel town until this had been accomplish l ed and the town was provided with asked why the State Highway Com missioner was not taken over Strat- ford avenue when he was in town the day before. This is a state road also and it is in a horrible condition
 Those who have to buy automobile tires know something about how much they are out of pocket on account of | it's condition. The West End Civic club was well represented at the meet ing and made it evident that they propose to see that money appropriat- ed for the district governed by the club is used and used economically.
 James McShane, president of the club, asked why work had not been begun on Bruce avenue. The town had appropriated $3.500 for the work,
 but no move had yet been made. First Selectrnan Welles answered that the selectmen had not had time to get at the work yet It was suggested that the work would probably be done be- fore election. John Eckler said that the selectmen were busy with their having and that after that they would be making cider and 1t was doubtful in the light of past events whether lthey would ever get at it. He asked why the work could not be let by con- tract and said that there were any number of contractors who would be glad to get right at the job and do it right. w. B. Booth asked if any one
 knew of fifty feet of road in the town which did not need repairing. If there l was such spot he would like to- look 1 at it. Every one of the speakers was loudly applauded and every attack 1 upon the seleetmen WoS received with l pleasure by the voters present. Never has the general dissatisfaction with | the town officials been so openly ex- pressed One man said: "The select men cannot complain that they have no money any longer The town has