The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-04-30
Claim That Will of the Peo-
pie of Barre Is Being
Subverted
BY VARIOUS ACTIONS
OF THE CITY FATHERS
Aldermen Voted Last Night
Not to Buy Automobile for
Water Department

On the strength of report made by
the aldermanic water committee, it was
decided at the regular meeting of the
board OF aldermen last night to defer
the purchase of an auto truck for the
water department until time not speci-
fed In its report, the committee took
Ioflcial recognizance Of the increased ef-
ficiency which would follow in the wa
| ter department should truck be pur-
chased, but expressed it's failure to de-
eide on the advisabiity of making such
an addition to the departments facil-
/ tiles at the present time. The report
was accepted and ordered filed on the
motion of Alderman Patterson.
! Next in Importance to the auto truck
decision was the conference held with
representatives of the Central Labor un-
| ion apropos certain conditions which are
| said to exist in the city contrary to the
Twill Of the people, or a certain portion,
| at least, OF the body polite known as
| tho taxpayers. That the city council
| through its street committee is employ
ling an assistant street superintendent or
/ foreman, who has been until lately e
nonresident of the city, that the city
council has thus far disregarded the tax
lpayers' referendum vote in favor of plac-
| ing the city employees on an eight hour
scale. and that the regulations relating
to sanitary conditions among the gran
ite manufacturing plants are ruthlessly
violated were among the contentious
made by delegation from the Cen
trail Labor union.
After President Alexander Ironsiie and
Silvio Card, member of the executive
board Of the union, had stated their
complaints to the board, the issues were
thrashed out at some length before the
matter relating to sanitation around the
stonesheds was referred to the health
committee No action was taken on the
complaints concerning the street fore
man or the length of the city employees
working day.
In voicing what he claimed to be the
complaint of the union, President Iron
side declared that the street s1perintend-
Ient had been employing nonresident
and non-taxpayer as foreman. He
thought it was unnecessary since there
were plenty Of good men available right
here in the city. Slvio Cardi confirmed
Mr.. Ironside's statement Of the case
and several charges made by the union
through Alderman Dawson at the last
meeting of the board we're repeated
Alderman Patterson inquired as to the
source of the delegations information
about the foreman and he was informed
that it came from the papers. At which
the second ward member was moved to
inquire Of Mr.. Ironside as to whether he
felt like believing what he saw in the
papers Mr.. Ironside said he had it
straight from some of the Graniteville
citizens that the foreman in question
was discharged from street work in
Barre Town because OF incompetence.
Alderman Patterson denied the state
ment BY declaring that the man was
hired away from Barre Town by the
promise of better wages.
As chairman of the street committee.
he went on to say that he seemed to be
the only desirable man available and
that a man of acknowledged and prov
en- ability was needed Others had been
given a chance to qualify for the job
and they had failed through lack of eX-
perience. Alderman Brown asked wheth
er the delegation thought the foreman
and the street committee undesirable or
inefficient. If not. it seemed to him as
though the committee should be allowed
to carry on its business without out
side interference Mr.. lronside thought
he had a right to state his grievance as
long as he was a taxpayer.
Alderman Patterson said too much re-
lance had been placed on rumors. lie
averred that caring for Barre's streets
was a hard job and invited the delega-
tion to step into the ring and try su-
pervising the work for a while If he
didn't believe il entailed hard work. Mr..
Ironsidc thought there had been too
much of rings and he intimated that in
the recent history Of the street depart
ment good man had been fired for no
apparent reason and that his dismissal
happened coincdentally with the appear
ance of the present assistant street SUI
Referring to the eight hour day rule,
Mr. Ironsdc said the people, through
their votes. had already declared in ia
vor of il and as representatives elected
by the people he thought ii was up to
the council to enforce the rule. With
Mr.. Card he thought the employees would
do more work If they had to work only
eight hours per day. Il seemed to the
members of the delegation as though the
,ity should treat its employees as fairly
rs the manufacturers were treating the
men working for them.
Alderman Patterson said the council
was between two fires. The upper and
the neither milestone were both hing
around the councils official neck. a. u
would seem. The granite manufacturers
,ppeared and asked the council To cur
tail the city's expenses a. much as pos
.ihle and the labor union asks that the
expenses be increased. 1t was hard to
.atisfy both.
In connection with the other COM
plants. Mr.. lronside asserted that all
" the manufacturers were not proyil-
ne proper sewage disposal facilities az
heir plants, this in spite Of regulations
made by the council. Following = rrgu-
ativc resolution made some two Or three
rears ago, be continued. the conditions
iad been somewhat alieViatcd. although
hey were still bad in certain sections
4 the city. One man he quoted as say