The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-01
BILL To PROTECT
Chief MOONEY is
HEARD AT CAPITOL
HE RESIGN HE WOULD NOT
BE REELECTED
There's No Authority For Such
a Statement.
lBy our staff Cores

Hartford, May 1-Of interest to
Bridgeporters, particularly those fam
iliar with conditions in the BRIDGEPORT
Fire department, was the hearing be-
fore the Committee on Cities and Bor-
oughs yesterday on the measure which
is designed to protect Edward Mooney
| chief engineer of the department, in
| the salary raise recently voted him by
the Common Council of the city.
The bill would make it possible for
Chief Mooney to receive the So 600
| salary recently provided by ordinance
for his position, without his resigning
from the department and being re-
elected chief by the commissioners.
Under the present laws, his salary in
crease cannot be paid him, unless he
| is elected chief at the new salary and
to accomplish this his resignation first
must be accepted. Suspicion that the
commissioners may have another in
| mind for his position has led to the
Introduction of the protective measure
at the hearing on which, yesterday,
Board of Fire Commissioners appear
ed in opposition.
Representative Lynn w Wilson was
one of the advocates of the measure.
He said:
81 have no strong personal interest
in this bill. The Common Council has
power to fix this salary, and has fixed
it at this figure. They want it in the
charter. The Bridgeport delegation to
| the General Assembly favors the bill.
It ought to be reported"
Asked why the chief of the fire de-
partment did not take the salary voted
by the council, Representative Wilson
said: 1.-The fire commissioners have
long believed the council ought not to
raise salaries in the fire department
without their consent. The chief
might have to resign unless there is a
charter amendment, to get the in
crease. If he did, my friend, Mr..
Taylor, might cut his official head off
close to his ears. He is a deserving
man and ought to get more money.
In opposition, Mr. Taylor said the
mem bers of the board did not regard
it as a fair thing to ask the legisla-
ture to pass a special act to accom-
plish a purpose which can be accom-
plfshed under the existing laws. He
said, the Common Council has passed
| an ordinance fixing the salary Of the
| chief at $4,000 under the same condi-
lions as that body passed other ordi-
nances fixing the salaries of other Of
hcers of the department, such as the
superintendent of fire alarm tele-
graph, and superintendent of machin-
cry. The board does not think it a
proper thing for the legislature to be
asked to Interfere in the matter at all.
It is simply a, case, he continued, where
the legislature is to pass a healing act
for the benedc or one 1n01V10ual,
where, under the existing ordinances
of the city there is no need of the act
being passed.
Referring to the 1ntimation of Rep
resentative Wilson that there was
danger that Chief Mooney, once re-
signed, would not be reappointed, lie
said that neither Mr.. Wilson nor any
other person had any knowledge as
to what would be the attitude of the
board in event of the resignation Of
the present chief. He said the board
had refrained from giving expression
as to what its attitude would be in
such an event, and he added that
neither Mr.. Wilson nor anyone else
had made any effort to learn from
him. or, so far. as he knew, from any
other member of the board, what it's
attitude would be-
In the very nature of things, said
Mr.. Taylor, it would be improper for
the board to give expression to its at
titude should the chiefs resignation
be presented. Such actions call for
an expression only when they have
actually taken place.
The present salary OF the chief is
$0-00A