Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-08-07
ZEMEL'S BILL
CAUSES FUROR
IN THE COUNCIL
Democrats Attack $12o Ac-
count of Lodging House Keep
er and Raymond Worker.
AMOUNT PAID, HOWEVER.
AFTER LENGTHY DEBATE
Salary Increase for Excise
Commissioners and City Clerks
Employees Gets Setback.

severe criticism of Never Zemel.
one OF Mayor Raymond's political
workers in the last mayoraltv cam
palgn because of bill presented bv
Hemel for a2o for his services as
auctloneer In selling two pieces of
property on Front and Center street
under the order of the Assessment
commission, marked a lengthy ses-
sion of the Common Council last
night The bill was paid, however.
as 1t was said that the council had
no other alternative What the coun-
Gil did do, however. was to hold I'M
the proposed increase in salaries for
the members of the excise board and
several members of the city clerks
office, as that action was within it's
province.
The recommendation for the SALARY
increases was reported back to the
finance committee without action bv
the council. This was the aftermath
to a two-hour caucus of both the
Democratic and Republican members
of the council. Alderman f. Garfield
Clifford, leader of the minority. fol-
lowing the caucus said that the in
crease met opposition on the part of
the minority in conformance with
Mayor Raymond's plan of economy.
Under" the recommendation of the
finance committee the excise commits
sioners would receive boost In their
salary from $1,000 to 81 500 per annvn.
Five clerks in other departments
would receive slight increase in pay
II the proposition went through
Although the council session lasted
until midnight. the only stirring fea-
ture was the attack made upon bill
presented by Zesnei. who conducts a
lodging house. He worked long and
untiringly for the mayors success in
the last election and boasted that he
would never accept any favors and
added that he wanted to kill the
bosses"
Great was the surprise in the Demo-
cratic ranks when Assistant City
Clerk Martin Bross read the bill for
Nv Zemel
At the name of Zemel, Alderman
James P. Rogers jumped to his feet
and asked what Mr. Zemel had done
for the city. He was then told that
the assessment commission had en-
ployed him to 10 the work.
Where Does zeh,ei Figure? Asks Rogers.
where does this man Zemel figure
In the selling of city property asked
Alderman Rodgers. He is the keeper
of a lodging house, and to my knowl-
edge knows nothing about the prop
erty question.
"I guess Zesnel Is being paid for his
favors and not his brains in the auc-
tioneering line commented Alder
man John j. Walsh, of the Fifteenth
ward. ! understand that this man
Zernel. lust to be repaid for political
servitude, was made an auctioneer
on the dav the property was sold.
II guess the city received the wrong
end of the bargain then" said Alder
man Thomas ]. Lee, jr. 1t is now out
of our hands. Mr. Zemel was the
trusted employe of the assessment
commission, and as they have placed
their approval upon the claim, the
finance committee and the council
must act accordingly
The bill was then ordered pald.
The ordinance proposed to regulate
the fy-by-night stores In this city.
scheduled for final reading last night,
was found to be Illegal, and reading
for the third time was deferred.
"Before we pass this ordinance i
want to have it further considered y
said Minority Leader Clifford II
40 not believe the question of fee
&c CORRECTLY fixed"
"I agree with Mr. Clifford" said
Mr. Walsh, chairman of the license
committee of the Common Council
"AIthough the ordinance was drafted
bv our learned city counsel, I am con-
vinced that it is illegal"
In the ordinance 1t was proposed to
assess $500 from all merchants for
a two weeks stay in this city. This,
the aldermen believed, would call a
halt to this practice.
1.-THE ordinance is not right said
CITY Counsel Frazer ut is true that
7 drafted it, but allowed a blank
space for the amount to be fixed by
the committee I did not know until
today that 5000 was the price set
upon"
I'm my opinion, the status under
which the ordinance was drawn per-
mits a license to be imposed but does
not provide that the fee shall be for
rAI..