The Detroit times., 1913-06-20
PLAN TO ABOLISH
ESTIMATORS
TAKES FORM
Measure is Simplified, Then Re-
ferred to Committee BY
Charter Board
MAYOR AND COUNCIL
WILL CONTROL BUDGET
Proposed to Give Former Veto
POwer-EikhOff's Plans Die
Adjoining

After being simplihed. the proposal
to abolish the board of estimates and
put all the tax adjusting power In the
hands OF the common council, sub
ject to the mayors veto, was referred
to the revision committee by the char
ter commission, Thursday morning
and will probably be adopted later
The only expression Of opinion against
the abolishing of the board OF esti
mates came from Commissioner Elk
hon, who during the morning made
several speeches and offered various
propositions, all of which expired az
he took his seat.
II was taken for granted that the
proposal In some form will be adopt.
ed as soon AZ certain questions OF
phraseOlOgy and the important ques
ton of fixing the bonding privileges
have been settled by the revision
committee. This committee, recently
appointed by the chair. will hereafter
take up all the work OF phraseology
the phraseology committee, asked
that II be dissolved this morning be-
cause Of the activity OF the new com.
mittee, and his request was granted
after he and Commissioner Tossy
were added to the new committee.
The paragraph Of the proposal
which fixes the duties Of the common
council under the new arrangement
allows II to change and raise or lower
the tax levies In any way that may
seem At The mayors veto can be
exercised at his discretion. and, can
be overridden by three-fourths
vote. The common council will use
as a basis for its work the estimates
that shall be furnished by the heads
of the city departments.
! A provision In the measure was
changed to compel the members of
all the city's commissions and the
heads OF all the departments to be
present In all the meetings of the
council when tax matters are under
discussion. Commissioner Guthard
arose to remark that some of the
members of commissions who served
without salaries thought they we're
too good for the rest OF u.s." and 1t
delighted him to propose a section
which would make these men appear
and explain in person all their re-
quests for money. The teeth was ex-
tracted from this resolution. however,
! by an amendment which allows the
commissions t. appoint representa-
tives TO attend the meetings.
J Mr.. Eikhoff's first contribution to
the discussion was when the proposal
was taken up In committee OF the
whole with Commissioner Wesch In
the chair. Mr.. EIkh6n quoted Abra'
ham Lincoln to the effect that the
"peepul" are the "peepul." and that
they cannot be fooled all the time.
He declared the board Of estimates to
be q body of gentlemen and scholars.
who had sacrificed their time and
their brains to save the city millions
Of dollars, and he thought 1t was no
proper way to treat them He OBJ
jected to thrusting them tsit into OBJ
| livion. His motion to reject the en-
tire proposal was promptly tabled.
He later objected to one section OF
the proposal and insisted that no tax
levy be more than $16 per $1,000 OF
the city's valuation. When 1t had
been explained to him that the Yer
der act fixed the maximum levy at
two per cent, he withdrew his amend
ment
The revision committee will not
make many changes In the measure.
as the commissioners were exceeding
" liberal with their time and dis
cussed punctuation and synonyms
most OF the morning.
Commissioner Broadway called at
IGNITION to the fact that eleven min.
utes had been spent on changing four
words which meant just the same al
| ter they were changed, and that many
other questions were consuming time
and temper that might better be left
to the revision committee.
Mr.. Eikhoff began the humor OF the
morning by proposing five names FOR
street railway commission. These
men were to be paid salaries Of $4,000
year, and were 70 serve four years,
and have entire charge Of the city's
street railway system and service.
Proctor X Owens, his own attorney,
who was at his elbow to give advice,
was on the list, and with him were
Ed. 8. Greece, Edward J. Jeffries, T..
L. Dalton, and G.. W. Moore. His sug-'
gestion was referred to the proper
committee.
The commission received favorable
reports Oh FOUR TeicTTcu pIOpOSoio
the initiative and referendum, the ci~n
list, the provision for a statistician,
and the non-partisan ballot. The non.
partisan ballot and the initiative and
referendum proposals are general
laws to give the people as direct I'd
possible control over city government
The civil list provides salaries for all
the principal oficers in the citys en-
ploy, agreeing with the salaries az
they are now. The proposal for city
statistician provides for an Officer
who shall make a report Of all city
business every year which shall bt
simple and easily understood"
Commissioner DENLY offered pro
posal that the question Of having al
dermen elected at large instead Of by
wards be submitted to the people al
q separate issue and not with the
charter. and Commissioner Szymansk
had q proposal to pay the aldermen
elected by wards salaries of $4,000 q
year.
Commissioner Ingram offered two
new propositions. One was 10 define
the duties Of the city treasurer and
make him responsible for the collec
4 tim ~ Al unAnovs Thn nthn~ xuoo ~