The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-05-05
MAIN ISSUE WAS
PAY Of F|REMEN
Ballot With Check List Nee
essary at Village
Meeting
INCREASE MORE
THAN RECOMMENDED
Shumway Elected Commissioner to Sue
ceed Roberts New Tax Rate AZ
Cents - Motion Carried Looking to
Readjustment of Water Rates.

at the beginning with entire unanimitv ofi
sentiment but which developed sharp
divergence or opinion and necesstated not
only balloting but the use of check list |
the village of Brattleboro last night. with
$50 voters present, voted additional salar-
les to the fire department members, in
creased the tax rate above what the com
missioners recommended, adopted variety
of amendments TO the bylaws, elected
W. A. Shumway commissioner and Fred
Cressy tax collector, and provided for an
investigation of the water rates looking
to readjustment of them
| The meeting was in session in Festival
| hall from s o'clock until after $50, and the
| principal contention came during consid-
GRAFTON of the proposition to increase the
| tremens salaries. the question becoming
numbered up with so many different mo-
tons of amendment at one time that Mod
eiator f. W Gibson SAID he should have
/ to dispose of those pending before en-
tertaining any more
/ Not until Article II was reached did
anything occur to disturb the equanimity
of the gathering This was over the
adoption of an amendment to section 8
of the bylaws so as to make it read: The
fsalary of the chief engineer shall be paid
5000 per year. the salary of each assist
ant engineer. shall be $50 per year, and the
salary of each fireman shall be $50 per
year
Moderator Gibson stated that the salary
of the firemen had been $50 a year Com
missioner John T. kaine later said that
in fixing the salaries at $50 the commits
sioners had taken the increase into con
sideration in deciding upon tax rate. No
word of objection had been made that
the increase was not enough.
When the article was read and its
adoption had been moved, George Cain
one of the tiremen, said he thought a S2C
raise was not enough and that the fires
often took more out of the firemen's shoes
and clothing than the salary amounted to
He moved an amendment to the effect that
. the salaries be S15 a year. Philip Col
grove, another fireman, argued for an in
crease. Commissioner Kaine said the in
crease would mean an additional 81 ,25t
for the so firemen, to be raised by taxa
ton The chair was in doubt on the
viva voce vote on the amendment anC
called for division of the house Tht
: count showed 80 in favor of the amend
ment and 20 against it.
The question was then on the amended
motion, and the chair called attention t,
the fact that as the matter stood th
firemen's salaries would be more than thos
of the two assistant foremen Frank +
Barber moved an amendment that the sal
aries of the assistants be made the samr
as those Of the fremen. c. r. Mann
| ha+ bo II
, the same as now and that the men be paic
81 an hour for actual time spent at fire
after the first hour. T. E. Holden moves
that the salaries be $50 as recommends
e and that the fremen get S. for each FIR
they attended in excess of 10.
All these amendments were lost excep
that of Mr. Barber that the fremen an
assistant foremen be paid s75. Again tn
y question was on the adoption of the orig
u inal motion as finally amended, and ba
lot was called for. All efforts to agree o
n division of the house to save time fallec
;. the use of the check list was demande
:. and balloting started at O'Clock en-
II continued half an hour with the resul
that those in favor of the S75 salary wo
a ont by vote of SO to 6S.
le Commissioner F. w Gibson called I'll
90 meeting to order promptly at o'cloc
and Clerk w H. Perry read the warran
4 Mr. Gibson was elected moderator. I'll
a printed reports of the village officers WEI
IN adopted. W. \. Shumway was electe
oil commissioner for three years to succee
5 A. +. Roberts. who declined to ser'
again w H. Perry was reelected Gle,
ed and treasurer. Fred Cressy was electt
OF tax collector to succeed Mr.. Shumwa
as and o. F. Benson and L. G. Tasker we
ID, re elected auditors The salaries of Il
he officers were made the same as last yea
texcept that it was voted to pay the auc
ce tors $40 each, they having had no p;
IS before
On motion of G.. l.. Dunham it w
voted to appropriate $500 for series
u concerts in the village limits by t
Bratteboro Military band. Two resol
en- tions introduced by Frank E. Barber, ide
teal with two adopted last year, provid
for laying the dust by either water or
ms as preferred by the majority of residen
ice on the various streets. payment to be ma
ay as heretofore. also for paving the Vail
M Fair association for such use as may
tie made of the grounds for playground pr
poses not to exceed 500. This dispos
ne of the first seven articles. Article s, t
aic first of a series providing for amendmen
ed to the hv-laws, was adopted. 1t Civ
ms automobilists the right to park cars