New Britain herald., 1915-02-10
$100 ' rimmed From Proposed
 Salary of Sanitary Inspector
Council Committee Recommends Raising Him S120, But Is Favorable to Petition of Clerk of Board of Assess
 ors-Tabes Plumbing Inspectors Salary.

1 not dump inspector as he is 1 sometimes called His work consists 1 chiefly in examining the conditions of l tenement houses, both new and old, to see that the state law is conformed with. His personal observation was, he said. that the petitioner is wei! l VerScd in his work He has not seen any more competent employees of the kind in Hartford nor any other city, he said. It was his opinion that. it MT. O'Rrien were to resign now, the city would not be able to get man of his experience and ability for less than s25 or S30 a week. It was a case of recognizing efficiency. he felt
 IT. $. Tallard. chairman of the health board, said that it was the unanimous opinion of the board that Mir. O,Brien was justified in asking for an increase in pay. as his effort entitled him to reward.
 Councilman Cno Johnson asked pr. Reeks how many hours Mir. O'Brien put in daily and the doctor replied that the petitioner had no regular hours. but worked from about in the morning until at night, doing much night work in addition to this.
 Tn answer to a question from Coun- cilman Coyle, Dr. Recks explained that the assistant inspector does much work in the city laboratory dur ing the evenings of the week. Fro quently he is required to collect spec linens from drug stores long after hours. The doctor said that he and his assistant divide up the night work each taking a week alternately.
 Asks Increase of S4OO.
 The matter of raising the salary of the plumbing inspector from $500 to $1,20O in the event of his being re- uuired to give up his entire time to the office, was then considered. Chair man Edward Parker explained that the only thing the salary committee could do would be to recommend the increase in case the inspectors hours were changed by the proper body.
 In explaining the request for the $400 increase, MT. Tallard stated that the work of the plumbing inspector warrants his giving up all his time to it. He felt that the city would profit by making the change because, while the inspector now puts in about four hours daily for two-thirds the amount of the proposed salary, he would then give more than double that time to the work at approximately less pay.
 Replying to Councilman Paonessa. who asked if there would be much work for the plumbing inspector next summer, Mir. Tallard said that a close scrutiny of numbers of tene- ment houses will be required.
 Pay Sufficient For Good Man.
 Alderman Shine brought up the question as to whether the board could get an efficient man as plumb ing inspector to put in his entire time for a salary of s1.200 and received the answer that the board has re- ceived mum merous applications from plumbers in this city who are con- s1dered first-class workmen.
 Councilman Coyle ventured that the health board must have looked into this detail thoroughly before deciding to ask for the change. He said that before pr. Reeks was appointed su- perintendent of health, the majority of the people wondered if a capable man could be secured to fill so re- sponsible a position for $3,500. Tho people of New Britain are now con- graduating themselves upon their good fortune in getting so efficient and conscientious a servant he said It would undoubtedly be a similar case with the plumbing inspector. he thought.
 It was the opinion of Councilman Paonessa that a good man could be secured for the salary under consid- eration.
 Councilman Wagner said that be- fore taking action on the petition, he wanted to be sure that the sun, of s1.200 would he sufficient for a man who was to give all his time to the work. He thought the board ought to guard against a petition for another raise in about six months or so when the plumbing inspector may have found that he could not afford to work for that figure.
 Stating that the health board had undoubtedly looked at the matter from all angles before appearing Councilman Coyle moved that the hearing on the petition be closed.
 Dcbatc on Clerks Salary.
 Returning to the petition of the clerk of the board of assessors AL derman Shine motioned that the in- crease be granted. Before it could be put to vote. Councilman Conlin was upon his feet. He said that there was a question in his mind as to whether this was the proper time to be recommending an increase for this clerk. He reminded his col leagues that the charter revision committee is considering changes in the board of assessors which, he thought, might make some difference I, I,S&s~