Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-08-30
CITY LEAGUE
AGAINST REPEAL
OF CLARK ACT
AT Closing Session Delegates
Decide They Want Nom
partisan Feature Retained

Resolutions placing the League of
Third Glass cities on record as un-
alterably opposed to the repeal of the
nonpartisan feature of the Clark act
were passed to-day by delegates to
the convention at the closing ses-
sion. The resolutions also condemn
ed the action of the State Senate
committee on municipal affairs III
permitting the Ramsey amendments
to the Clark act to die in committee.
A protest was made also against the
Beidleman bill which if passed would
have resulted in the return of parti-
san election of councilmen from each
ward in a city.
Mayor Kits President
Mayor Miles b. kits, of Erie, was
elected president of the league for
the ensuing year, and Ira w. STRAIT
ton, of Reading, was reelected vice
president Mr.. Stratton was made
chairman of a legislative steering
committee to work for the passage of
third class city legislation in 1913.
Mayor Kits, r. Nelson Bennett,
Wilkes Barre; NJ. c. Rhone, Will
Transport, and Mayor Louis Frank,
Johnstown, are the other members
of the committee.
1ouI Sllg hNoSS
Sessions of the convention closed
this morning after two addresses by
City Health officer j. NJ. j. Raunick
and L. Clark Cowden, engineer Tor
the City Planning Commission. OF
ficers were elected and several iIn-
portant questions to be taken up at
the 1918 meeting were placed on rec
ord. This afternoon the delegates
were taken for a tour of the city
rlSuraU StnnninC AT ReGRr-
Voir Park to see the Romper Day
events.
New Officers
The complete list of officers elect
ed follows:
President, Mayor Kits. Erie; vice
president. Mr.. Stratton, Reading;
treasurer, r. Ross Seaman, Harris
burg, succeeding the late Mayor
Charles A. Miller; secretary, Fred II.
Gates, Wilkes Barre; trustees, Mayor
Louis FRANKIE, Johnstown; A. NJ.
Hoagland, Williamsport; 4. NJ,
Swing, Coatesville; honorary vice
presidents, one from each city: Jo-
seph \. Schmidt, Allentown; Ira ].
Shelly, Altoona; II. II. North, Brad
ford; T. F. Langon, Carbondale; I.
B. Mould, Chester; l. b. kirk,
Coatesville; L. r. Bliss, Cory; \. ],
Haag. Dubois; DR.. Charles Collmar,
Easton; II. Bedford Dug, Erie; Don
aid Glenn, Franklin; William II.
Lynch. Harrisburg; James g. Har-
Vey Hazleton; John Berg, Johns
town; George 7. Spang, Lebanon.
Allen Sterner, Lock Haven; Conrad
Holman, McKeesport; Harry II.
Hunter. Meadville; A. D. Newell.
New Castle; d. X. Johnston, Oil CITY;
Edward L. kearney, Pittston; j. Q.
Bearstler, Pottsville; B. Frank Ruth,
Reading; w. NJ. Dane, Titusville; r.
Nelson Bennett, Wilkes Barre;
George X. Harris, Williamsport;
John X. Lafean, York.
Honor Ex-Mayor Stratton
Because of his activity in the af-
fairs of the Third Class City Lea
que and his interest in the passage of
needed legislation, eX-Mayor STRAIT
ton. of Reading, who has acted as
chairman Of the sessions, was recon-
mended as chairman of the legisia-
tive steering" committee which has
been appointed to work for closer
cooperation to obtain the passage of
various acts
During the present convention
many of the suggestions of Mt. Strat
ton were acted on favorably by the
officials and in a number of instances
special committees will make re-
ports at the session in Erie next
year
one of the suggestions by him was
that an invitation should be sent 10
all newly chartered third class cities
in the state, including Bethlehem, TO
send delegates to the next session
end the league. This will be done by
Secretary Gates.
During che discussion this morning
it was decided to have the law COM
mittee make a report on the address
by City Engineer NJ. B. Cowden who
spoke on Method of Street Paving
and Assessments" 1t is probable
that at the next convention a pro-
posed law will be drafted to make
this system of assessment uniform
throughout the third class cities of
the state.
Want New Code
Perry s. Harman, commissioner
from Williamsport, also asked the
league to take action on the draw
ing up of a wire and pole regula-
tion code. Mr.. Harman told the
delegates of the efforts to have one
adopted in Williamsport because OF
two electrocutions there during the
last two months, due to the fact that
there are no restrictions. He was
asked to send to Secretary Gates
copies of the proposed code for VIII
Transport which already has been
prepared.
BlaHnlnR NOTk Interests
A review of the organization of the
City Planning Commission and its
work in laying out plots containing
at least $500 lots was given by e.
Clark Cowden. AS some of the cities
in the league do not have planning
commissions. much interest was
shown in the facts given by Mr..
Cowden, and the successful efforts
which have been made in laying out
plans for territory surrounding the
city.
DIR. Raunick's address on Food
Inspection" was a review of the
difficulty III starting this work iii
Harrisburg, litigation which devel-
oped because of license taxes for
selling commodities and a short
statement OF the work and duties OF
the food inspectors.
Twenty-Five cities were represent
ed at the sessions with eighty four
delegates registered. Resolutions
thanking Mayor Gorgas, City Clerk
Seaman and the commissioners for
agreeing to hold the convention
here with only a months notice for
preparations, were passed unani-
mously.
Text of Resolutions
The resolutions placing the league
on record favoring the nonpartisan
feature of the Clark act follows:
Whereas, the League of Cities CT
the Third Glass at the annual con-
vention held at Johnstown in 1916
approved the recommendation sub
mitted by the law committee which
report set forth at length proposed
amendments to the Clark law which
proposed amendments were intro
ducad in the House of Representa- =