New Britain herald., 1917-03-07
LET PEOPLE VOTE,
 ADVICE OF CURTIS
Third Ward Councilman Opposes
 Charter Amendments

Declaring that he did not ''see why some. people who go to the people to get their positions, sometimes. should object to the people voting on what they do." Councilman Orson F. Cur tis appeared before the committee on cities and boroughs at the capitol yes terday afternoon to go on record as opposing the New Britain charter amendments being passed by that body. He wanted them referred to the voters under the home rule bill, he said. MT. Curtis and ex-Mayor J. M. Halloran were the only ones register ing opposition to the proposed amend ments, while Corporation Counsel J. E. Cooper, Mayor G. A. Quigley, Rep resentative F. F. Hall, Herbert " Camp and George M. Landers ap- peared in favor of the amendments being passed by the legislative com mittee. es'
 Favoring All Amendments. .
 Judge Cooper went carefully over each amendment, explaining them in detail to the committee. He said that some of them were entirely out of the
 
 New Britain charter revision com mittee desired that the legislature act on them all. The ones which would not come under the home rule bill. he said, were the subway extension plan. the motion picture censorship plan. the city court plan and the transfer of funds in the school department. The lawyer also said there was some doubt in his mind as to whether or not the home rule bill would apply to the abolishing of the safety board and the creation of two new boards to take it's place. As 8 personal suggestion the corporation counsel asked that If a favorable report is made the split of the safety board will become effective from it's passage rather than from some future date.
 George M. Landers told of his coun- ell membership and his participation in drawing up the charter amend ments and said he wished to go on record as favoring this part of the re- publican administrations. He said the democrats favored the changes. which were all wise ones. Representative Hall also spoke in nafavor as did Her bert V. Camp, who said that it is i'm perative that the safety board be split as 'it has always been source of trouble.' Mayor Quigsey's argu- meats were chiefly on this question. He said that the work of handling the police and fire departments Is now too great fer three men to lo. The two departments are entirely foreign and better results can be obtained by sep arating them. "When the time Is ripe we will change to the one man com missipn.'' the mayor said.
 Two .voicing Opposition.
 voicine opposition. ex-Mayor Jos eph M. Halloran said that he particu- larly opposed splitting the safety board into two bipartisan boards of four men each. as this move, he thought. is step backwards. The tendency of the times, according to Mir. Halloran, is not to enlarge com missions but to condense them. He declared that there Is 8 decided op- position in New Britain to this pro- posed plan and he represented that faction. "The time Is now ripe to have one man commission" he said. The only other item to which MT. Hal loran seriously objected was the change in the water department. No action should be taken on this. he said. without referring 1t to a city election for a referendum vote. As far as he knew. Mir. Halloran said. there