Connecticut western news., 1918-01-17
CO,IMECTICUT
 STAT1 BRIEFS

Haven elected John w. Murphy, alder man from the Twelfth ward, preslueht for the next two years. Hugh J. Mur- phy. formerly alderman from the EleV- enth ward, was elected assistant city clerk.
 Part of the town home of New Brit ain, including 19 rooms, was condemn ed as a fire trap by Building Inspector A. N. Rutherford and Chief k. M. | Dame of the fire department. The sec tion which is forbidden for further use is occupied by aged and feeble women and few children.
 Acting in accordance with the re- quest of the Retail Merchants Com mittee of the Bridgeport Chamber or Commerce, local merchants in the clty proper are cutting down on the con sumption of electricity by eXtinguish- ing their window display lights at o'clock in the evening. | Henry T. King, the new Democratic mayor of Meriden, assumed the duties of his office at inaugural ceremonies 1 held in the city hall. In his first an- 1 nual message he announced that he f would propose the establishment or
 milk distributing stations to keep the
 price of milk within the reach of all.
 The new city council of Meriden took the oath of office, and being equally di-
 vided, 15 Republicans to 15 Democrats, the mayor had to use the right vested
 in him by the city charter to give the
 casting vote in the election of eight
 salaried and fee officials, the Demo-
 crats in this way electing their entire ticket.
 A petition from Town Clerk Joseph
 Schultz was presented to the Bridge
 port Journal asking that an amend
 ment to the city ordinance be made au-
 thorizing him to have 13 office assist ants at salaries not to exceed $1,OOO
 per year each. At present the city or
 dinance allows the town clerk nine as-
 sistants. The petition was referred to the committee on ordinances.
 True to the promise made when the Fraternal Order of Eagles started
 membership campaign in New Haven , recently that they would turn over ev- r cry cent realized from initiation fees
 to the fund for dependent families of a soldiers In the service, check of $1,'
 200 was presented to Mayor David E 2 FitzGeraid by the retiring president o1 the local branch, Edward T. Mullen. ol With the demand for coal and the a Inability of the dealers to provide 1t
 Manchester people have turned to the
 use of wood for their heat and have
 found that this article is also getting hard to secure. Wood is no longer solo s by the cord, but by the load, whicl ], contains something near a cord and il = selling in most caGes for SIP load "A This is a big advance over forme prices.
 <, A movement is on foot to close tn
 stores of Willimantic Friday evening '. for a month or two to conserve coa o and lights A canvass is being mad = of the stores to ascertain if a majori Io ty agree to close on Friday evening for awhile. Indications are that mos - of the merchants are willing tC do s' F. and it is probable that the matter wi !, be taken up at the meeting of tn n Chamber of Commerce.
 a. One of the biggest problems whic
 will have to be faced by the dra1
 boards of Bridgeport has to do wit
 the marriages contracted by drafte
 men since registration. While 1t Fe known that a number of these hay es been made with no deliberate attemI ot to evade the draft, each case will b d. subjected to a rigid examination b h- the district board, and all "slacker O. marriages will be ignored.
 p- Danbury milk dealers will probabl UT not increase the price in that city tn a- winter even though the federal foo UT commissioner fixed the price at Y cents a quart for the state of Connect h cut. The dealers in that place are no ,u receiving F cents quart for mil h and they feel they are making prof Ss' enough at present They express tt 'o' opinion that such an increase was Ill
 necessary and would be exorbitant.
 Business men of Bridgeport decide
 to go right to Washington and brir or home to the authorities the seriol ve condition in the city regarding fue ry There was a we'll attended meetir ", when every phase of the fuel situatic 'oo was discussed. The outcome was u ne appointment of a committee to go 'o- Washington and camp on the trail tly those in authority until something 1s- dona to remove the fuel shortage in il en city.
 es. D. Delage, who has the five ye; for contract to cut and house ice at u
 Willimantic pumping station, expect
 if the weather becomes more docil
 that he will soon be able to begin u of housing of the ice supply there. Abo rt- one-half of the supply needed was c cd when the cold weather set in, whi' .rk prevented further cutting, chiefly b , cause 1t WAS too thick for the plan