New Britain herald., 1915-12-16
Enemies of Nunicipal Ice
 Pzant Go Down 70 Defeat
Council Votes to Continue in Business After Debate ing Hour and Haf-Pocemen's Pay - Civil Service Board-Plumbng Inspection.

MdyOf IeOfge A. Qulgley at a SenSa-
 tional meeting of the common council
 last evening" If this statement is true,
 the enemies are doomed to disap-
 pointment because the council voted
 to continue the ice business this win
 ter, thereby giving hard throwdown
 to committee which recommended
 that operations at Shuttle Meadow be 1 suspended until next year. The com
 mittee consisted of Alderman M. Irv-
 ing Jester, chairman; Councilman o.
 F. Curtis, clerk; Councilmen John A.
 Dolan, George M. Landers, and F. T.
 McDonough and Chairman w. B. 1 Rossberg of the water commission. 1 Councilman Curtis did not sign the re- 1 port of the committee.
 l. The recommendations of this com
 mittee were that approximately $6,-
 900 be spent in repairing the icehouse l and adjoining property and that the
 city abandon the harvesting of ice 1 this winter while the repairs are being
 made, securing it's ice delivered at the
 Commercial street distributing plant
 from a private dealer at $1.75 per l ton.
 ] Alderman Jester gave resume of l the work done by the committee, tell ing of it's numerous meetings, cOgita- 1 tions, deliberations and journeys to the ice plant. In conclusion he said
 that the business had not been fi-
 nancial success but that 1t was not 8
 matter of dollars and cents so much as securing lower prices for the peo- pie.
 Alderman V. B. Chamberlain did not agree with him and took excep- tion to his statements, saying it should be a matter of dollars and cents.
 Battleship Specifications.
 Attached to the report of the com mittee were the specifications for the repairs to be made.
 Those specifications sound like the specifications for a battlesnip-no wonder the repairs will cost $6,OOO," remarked Councilman E. l.. Teich. 'I think the water commissioners should appear before the board of finance 1 and taxation and ask for a sum suffi- 1 cient to pay for harvesting 8 crop this |, year and making only necessary re- pairs. Chairman Rossberg at our last meeting told us it would cost about $1,7OO to make such repairs as were absolutely necessary and I think that figure is about right. I want to offer an amendment to the adoption of this report, that the water commis- sioners ask for an appropriation suffi- cient to harvest the ice and for re- 1 pairs that must be made.'' l Councilman Degnan agreed that the { ce plant should not be abandoned even for a season. He said 5000 tons ! )f ice should not be harvested if ! he city was not going to sell that i mount and thereby a savings would , De effected. {
 Coun. Paonessa in Disguise.
 Councilman PaOnessa was hardly when he rose to speak, ais l having been removed since 1 he last meeting. He berated the press md said there was no question apout #: f being opposed to the municipal ice house. He began to talk of the suc- cess the people of Esenada, Califor- 1ia, had with municipal electric ] fight plant and intended to quote ] from an editorial in the Herald but ( he was interrupted by Mayor Qulgley ( who called him out of order. council man Paonessa continued along the $ same line and was once more called to order. It was a shame to stop him, { too. as he was all wound up for ong speech.
 we have been severely criticized in the report and I want to know why =, can't speak," said Councilman Paon- ] assa. who was a member of the com- mittee which had charge of the con- struction of the icehouse and which | , was not exactly lauded in the new ( report. He asked for two l in which to explain but said All right, I'm through when Mayor , told him his conversation f was not germane to the motion under z discussion. ,
 In explaining why he had not signed the report, Councilman Curtis ' said he was opposed to spending any more money at the ice plant. However, , if the city continued in business he ' believed it best to put the icehouse in :. proper repair This, he pointed out, z would be business economy.
 ''Is the building safe?'' asked Mayor Quigley. I1
 Well, it will stand up but the ice in it will melt away before it can be . disposed off," replied Councilman Cur tis. |
 Councilman Paonessa asked wheth er there was any ice in the house and / Chairman Rossberg replied that there \ was a small quantity which has been , sold.
 Councilman Dolan stated his po- ss sition, saying he was very much op- . posed to abandoning the ice project. lie thought the expenditure of $i,- z 700 as reported by Mr. Rossberg would go far towards putting tho plant in good shape. |
 "Everything that has been done has been done in a hurry,'' said Alder ' man Parker" think it would be q better plan to repair the building in he summer
 Money Would Be Wasted.
 Alderman Jester said the building l had settled in places from nine to