The Ocala evening star., 1915-08-04
.OFFERS To SUBMIT It
To ARBITRATION
NOTE FROM GREAT BRITAIN REGARDING THE SHIPPING
RIGHTS OF NEUTRALS
ASSOCIATED Press)

question was demanded and the sub
stitute motion Ito lay the Tompkins
report on the table, carried on a roll
call vote, five to four, and the reduc-
| tion in current as made applicable
from Aug. 1st stands, at least for the
present.
The city officials made their verbal
reports and were excused.
The clerks efficient assistant, Miss
Helen Scott, was granted two weeks
vacation with pay.
Mr.. Meffert read a carbon copy of
letter written by him to Acting City
Attorney William Hooker, in which he
asked Mr.. Hooker to answer several
questions in relation to the sale of the
bonds. They were, in substance: Was
the sale legal; were the commission,
attorneys fees, etc., excessive; was a
so per cent. indemnity bond sufficient;
was it right and proper that the city
should lose the interest on the money,
while on deposit, etc. Mr.. Hocker's
written opinion in answer to this was
read, and he being present, answer
ed many questions. He said the sale
was legal, the matter of bond and in
terest was purely a business and not
a legal proposition and the council
was better able to decide that ques-
tion than he, and as to the expenses
of selling the bonds, if the bidders
were the actual purchasers, the ex-
penses were too high or unreasonable,
but if they were brokers and acting
for other parties (and it was not
necessary or customary to disclose
their customers in such transactions)
the charges were not unreasonable or
excessive. Law and custom admits of
a reasonable brokerage fee in such
cases. AS to the attorneys fees, he
was unable to say how much was for
that purpose nor how they based
their charges. The sense of his opin-
ion on this point was this, that if the
purchasers were acting for them
selves straightout, the charges, what
ever they were for or how divided,
were too high. If they were brokers,
they were not unreasonable. A test
case would have to be made of the
matter to determine this.
The lengthy minutes of the last
two sessions together with the min
utes of the board of bond trustees
were then read and approved.
Several new bills from trades peo-
pie were in the hands of the clerk
against Policeman Koonce, with urg-
ent requests that he be required to
pay. 1t was stated that the mayor
had suspended Mr.. Koonce, where
upon the council on an unanimous
vote discharged him. Several men,
bers stated they understood he had
left town and owed bills all over the
city.
In the case of the fireman, it was
stated that he showed desire to pay
his just bills and he was given a
reasonable time in which to do so.
A petition was read from property
owners on North Daugherty street,
asking that the street be repaired and
oiled from the portion now oiled to
the city limits. Referred to the street
committee.
Mr.. Tompkins, chairman of the
finance committee, had a quotation
and kilograms from the Manufactur-
ers' Record and the Ocala papers in
regard to publishing the advertise
ments for sewer contracts and the
same were ordered placed.
Mr.. Meffert expressed himself as
favoring the re-advertising for the
sale of the bonds which would only
cause a reasonable delay and he be-
lieved the city would save several
thousand dollars by the transaction,
with the outlay of less than a hun
dred dollars in expenses.
The council adjourned at almost
midnight, till Friday evening at 7:3O
O'Clock, when the tax levy will be
made and other business transacted,
there being much on the table last
night that was not touched, including
the payment of bills.