New Britain herald., 1915-01-02

If hearings on some matters are abolished by the board of pubic works it will greatly lessen the work of that department and it certainty has a great deal to do, but what IS a splendid feature about it is that it does it and does it satisfactorily. One of the hearings it is proposed to abolish concerns the sprinkling or streets. a procedure that at one time was considered important. 1t was a case relative to this matter that caused the dispute concerning street sprinkling in the first place ana which held up paym ents for some time. Hearings had been held on the various streets and they were all reported to the council, but because they were not read there, although the clerk would have read the list and said so if the council desired it, the fact that he didn't was seized upon by the opponents of the lm- provement who issued a notice to the people not to pay their assessments and many didn't do so for long time. The late F. l.. Hungerford, then corporation counsel, said that the city's position was legal, put m order to avoid numerous lawsuits he had a healing act passed by the leg islature and the dilatory ones paid up. Hearings take up great deal or time and yet they do not as rule serve any useful purpose except to comply with the law. The board or public works often sees the need or q certain improvement and will order It even though the property owners on the street may be opposed to II. IL used to be said that it was neces- sary for the council to take the pull by the horns, as it were, ana force those things if there were to De any Improvements of value in the c1tN. The situation has been different during recent years because the people un- derstand better what is needed ana are meeting the board half way on almost every question. II certaln hearings are abolished it Will take the people some time to accustom themselves to it. They have been In the habit of coming before the board on the most trihing matters that ii they are refused that privilege they will feel that their rights have been infringed upon and they will find plenty of people to agree with them. It was always thus. Numerous in stances might be cited where mem bers of the council raised points at meetings to the effect that some one had been deprived of hearing and some outrageous obligation had been imposed on them, while the records usually showed an opposite result.
 As has already been stated in the Herald new building for the Boys club is among the possibilities of the
 l. matter up and there is no doubt but that progress will be noted from time to time. The club has been good institution and at no time has it done it's work better than under the pres cnt administration. Superintendent Crawford likes his work, the boys like him and there is the secret of the success of the whole movement. There are many who will recall the time when Percy Smith was the superln- tendent and used to visit the police court every morning to see if any boys had been gathered in by the officers during the night. Judge Chamberlain was on the bench and he made practice, at the re- quest of MT. Smith, to turn over to him the cases in which he was interested and in this way many a little fellow was saved from criminal prosecution and it's penalties. It is som etimes difficult to keep boys in the straight and narrow path: they will throw stones, break windows and annoy peddlers The latter offense seems to have practically ceased and at one time it was a common thing for boys to tease those trades men, start their horses while