The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-29
CHARTER COMMITTEE


CONTINUED From First Page.)
their reGommendations
Substance of Measure.
The proposed measure gives more
power TO tho Mayor places the con-
duct Of the Police and Fire Depart
neuts under hinf; abolishes the Pc
lice Fire and Health Boards; places
the Health Department under the Nd
miustratiVe Board, provides for APP
preparations in lump sums for the
various departments giving the Ad-
tmiristrative Board the power to use
The funds as necessary in their Judg-
ment, increases the terms of tue mem
beers of the Administrative Board tC
five years, With the election of one
member a year. after 1919. takes al
executive and administrative duties
( from Council ComnHttees and Place.
the same in the hands OF the Admins
tratiye Board; retains . per cent OF
/ The annual income for emergencies
causes the City Auditor TO submit an,
nuaiiy to the administrative Board
| a report of the estimates necessary
az nearly as possible to defray the
! expenses Of the city government, a
copy of which shall he submitted Il
. noun bTdttHeS OF tllN 1plllClt 8tn HS
them TO the Committee on Finances
! holds the budget to % per cent oi
! the estimated revenues. and no other
| preparations may he made, except
| 10y four-ffths vote of Councils gives
/ the Mayor power to appoint the chief
! of police and chief of Fire Depart
ment the chief of police TO appoint
I the men, subject to approval of the
! Mayor. creates the position of purCh-
asng agent and secretary of the Po-
/ lice Department, with rank OF captain
| similar power is given the Mayor il
! reference to the Fire Department and
i the fire alarm departfr ert.
Abolish me-Honored body.
! At the last moment. before adjour n
ment, the committee unanimously
/ agreed to abolish the Board OF Pub
lie Interests, This body has been In
and prerogatives have been meagre
and meetings have been held at rare
I intervals, Its membership embraces
/ six members Of Council and five citi-
! zens
l. Owing to the absence of Mr. Leor
! Wallerstein. who was detained at his
home by the illness OF his son tbs
section relating to the sale Of fran
! chise, lease or right to the use Of
streets, rs proposed by him was tabled
I This section provides for ratification
/ by the people al special or regulai
elections
/ The Seaton resolution providing fol
magisterial courts at the various sta
! tion houses, was also. tabled, Messgs
! Pollock, MeAdatns and Meredith SAID
they believed this innovation woult
prove disastrous, The matter viii
probably, come Up Ia Council as
separate measure.
Chairman Jones last night ruled witt
an iron hand. Alderman Power
sought to amend The paper as submit
ted by the city atterney but was over
ruled by Mr. Jones, Who stated tina
as the various sc tons had alread,
i been passed by the committee. nt
changes, except clerical and typo
1 graphical errors, and minor change
/ cf phraseology would he coNnteEa6c, d
Powers Makes Objections.
Alderman Powers objected to thu
I elimination or the fire board, He coult
| see no reason for changing the work
/ iugs of such an excellent organiza
/ ton as the Fire Department. and b.
! voted against that section. Mr.. Pow
| ers. also, opposed the. section which
! provides that no member of Connci
/ could accept a position under the .Ad
ministrative Board within a year O
/ his retirement from Council. lie sait
/ there were MANY men in Council ca
/ pahle of filing offices. and the fac
| that they were members OF Council
1 should be no bar, He was overrulet
I in this. Mr.. Powers voted against thu
| section increasing the terms OF thu
members of the Administrative Board
as he did, also, on that taking al
executive and administrative power
from Council committees.
While the alderman from Madison
Ward opposed the various sections re
ferred to. he gracefully voted for tn,
measure as a whole, and indicated tina
he would support it in the Board o
! Aldermen.
! The vote on the paper was; Ayes
Peters. Powers, Christian Pollock am
Jones. The citizen members present
but who could not vote were: Messrs
Meredith and McAdams. both Of whom
did much toward perfecting the meas
ure.
The enabling act. a companiol
paper, designed to give the city tn
right to establish charter commits
sion. was adopted without discussion
This is the paper as su admitted by thu
Civic Association, with a few mino
changes. Secretary George w Rogers
of the association. was on hand Il
witness the fate of the bill, He We
very happy when the committe
unanimously recommended il Il
Council:
Charter Commission Act.
The bill provides that al any tim
by n petition of rs per cent OF tn,
qualified vote at any previous election
the Mayor shall call an election I,
select seven citizens to form a charte
commission. This commission is t
frame charter, which is to be sub
mitted to the people for ratification
after which is goes to the Legislature
for approval. and then becomes law.
Upon the adoption of the two meas
ures by the committee, on motion o
Mr.. Pollock, the City Attorney was di
rected to prepare at once an ordnanc,
embracing the various sections al
passed upon last night. and to hav'
two hundred copies printed for dis
/ tribution among Councilmen and in
terested citizens, in time to be pre-
scented to Common Council next Mon
lay night. At that time specia