The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-03-29
Voters Decline to Increase
Board to Five, After
Legal Opinion
BETTERLEY SUCCEEDS
j. L. BARNEY RESIGNED
Australian Ballot System Adopted for
Annual Town Meetings - Town
Clerks Pay to Continue on Present
Fee System

Brattleboro must wouy along with orlv
three listers this year with the town eler1
or someone else TO assist in the cleficaI
work at the same rate Of pay per diem
as the listers receive This was voted st
la largely attended special town meeting
Saturday evening 1t was also voted thar
the town clerk continue to serve a. sucb
on fee basis, as the report of recent.
OF fees by him, made by the selectln-u
showed that he received but SSIS q dur-
ing the past year This was aside from
any income received for duties performed
outside of actual legal work required of
him a. town clerk
one other important matter of busiat
| transacted was the unanimous vote Go -s.-
turn to the Australian ballot system oil
the annual town meeting. and 10 man,
| tins seemed the most important acr5ns-
plishment OF the meeting.
The oratorical work devolved upon tie
/ legal talent present with r. ". Gii son
playing the leading role, ably seconded
/ by Town Counsel A. =. Carpenter. At
I toTneys Helmon f. Eddy and A. Y. d
! Piper also took shots at the legal aucs-
tlons that We're predominant
j. L. Barney Resigns.
Immediately after the meeting. be-
fore the voters had left. John L. Barney.
one of the listers reelected IN the an
nual meeting, notified Selectmen A. +.
Merrill that he wished to resign a.
lister, giving az his reason his belief
that IT would be impossible for three
listers 70 prepare 3 legal grand list
within the time limit. Mr. Merrill
asked Mr.. Barney 70 put his resigna
tion in writing, which he lid that
evening, but the written resignation
gives no reason for the step.
This morning the selectmen met AM
appointed Fred A. Betterley as lister
to succeed Mr.. Barney and the ap
pointment was accepted. Mr. Betterles
served on the board last year. Her
bert b. Chamberlain. the long-tim,
lister against whom some feeling de
veloped which resulted in his bein.
dropped at the annual meeting. hac
, stated to one of the seleetmen that n,
did not feel that he ought 10 have any
thing to 10 with the listing work thi
year in view of the feeling
l., The selectmen also decided thi
morning to engage Town Clerk Carl
: Hopkins TO assist in the clerical worl
2 if he was able to give the time to il
4 and Mr.. Hopkins said he would under
I take the work and was engaged.
The warrant Saturday night was rea,
. by Clerk Hopkins and Moderator A.
Schwenk took up the business of guiGin
the big crowd through the pitfalls Wit
1 which the warrant was filled.
j The first article, to see whether the tow
. would vote to rescind the vote of the al
: nual town meeting 70 elect only thre
: listers, after period Of silence brough
= f. w GIBSON to his feet He said tina
! it was not his intention then to discus
/ other articles IN the warrant which
= had been charged with having inserted,
! charge to which he pleaded guilty. hi
Il he believed that the whole subject ougf
to be met Understandings The tow
had voted not to have FIVE listers and thei