South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-02-07

Authorizes Mayor Keller to
Name Five to Investigate
City Owned Scheme.


ed 10 appoint a committee OF five
men to investigate the possibilities
Of a municipal coal yard when the
communication from the socialist
party came before the committee of
the whole of the council at its meet
ing last night.
Albert TOmlinson, prominent So
cialist worker, appeared before the
committee and urged that some ac-
ton be taken by the council He
said that in other cities where the
proposition had been tried it had
proved effective in saving money for
the city itself and for the citizens.
He offered his services and those of
the party TO the council in any work
they might want TO carry on in in
vestigating the matter.
The six memb ers OF the council
present. Councilmen Buechner, Lang.
WOlters, Goebel, Seifert and Thomp-
son evinced a keen interest in the
subject and said that something
must be done to reduce the high
price OF this necessity.
There was little discussion of the
proposed municipal milk dairy,
which is being agitated by several
civic centers, the council deciding to
leave the matter stand where it is
until hey hear from the civic clubs.
iD-rbers Oppose sunday Shop.
Elmer Doddridge headed a dele
cation of BARRIERS who appeared be-
fore the committee to champion the
resolution introduced by Council
man Seifert authorizing the board Of
public safety and the police depart
ment to enforce a state law requir-
ing barber shops to close on Sum
day.
Doddridge and G. A. Dubail told
the council that the shops were kept
open only to meet competition. and
although they did not keep their
own shops open, the other men were
forced 10 do so by the action of the
other BARRIERS. The committee re-
ferred the resolution to the board of
safety with instructions to act upon
it according TO the terms of the res
olution.
Want Detective Clerk.
In an effort TO have the ordinance
employing a clerk for the detective
department passed upon favorably
by the coElmittee, Pres't b. +. Au-
gustine and John A. Hibberd of the
board Of public safety and Chief of
Police Willard f. Kerr appeared be
fore the board and answered the OBJ
jections Of COuncilmen Seifert and
4
ell was creating too many new of
fees for the department and that
the taxpayers would soon be regis
tering a complaint. The police au-
thorities stated that in order TO place
the local department upon an equal
footing with other departments the
Bertillion system of criminal identi-
fication must be maintained and that
the work was getting to be too much
for the department heads who have
been doing it.
The man who takes the job will
have charge of the system, will do
correspondence for the department
and take confessions and statements
from criminals in shorthand. The
committee was invited to inspect the
local system and pending that in
spection. Councilman Lang moved
TO defer the matter for two weeks.
The motion carried.
Law TO Hit South shore.
City Atty. Eli Seebirt was instruct
ed TO draft an ordinance providing
penalty for the hauling of freight
trains by the South Shore on La
sale av., and report at the meeting
of the council next Monday night.
Chief Kerr brought the matter be-
fore the committee when he told
them that there was no criminal ac-
ton he could bring against the COM
pany under their franchise for run
ming freight trains on that street.
Ordinances GpprOpriating $4,000,
S16.75O and $500 to the board of
public safety TO pay for the new po-
lice ambulance and patrol, the new
aerial truck and pumper and the
increase in salary Of the members Of
the electrical department were given
favorable reports.
An ordinance authorizing the city
controller TO pay over TO the board
of education the tax levy OF two
cents for playground purposes was
rapOrted uDOn fav0ra bly