Norwich bulletin., 1920-08-17

 1911 and superintendent of the water works during the democratic adninistra- tion under Mayor J. J. Desmond, was re- moved from the board by vote or the common council at a special. meeting on Monday evening. The reason for MT. Langs eemoYal was given as "ofhclal misconduct" MT. Lang was elected for 1 the term of two years at the election Tn June of 1919 and his removal leaves about one year to be filled out by some person to be appointed by the council. l As Mir Lang was elected by the people considerable comment was made on Mon day evening regarding the right of the I council to dismiss him but under Sec 1 ton 77 of the city charter the council by a two thirds vote has the power to remove 8 member of the board for of Acial misconduct.
 The action removing MT. Lang from office was taken after the reading of the I finding of the special committee, Alder | men c. v. Pendletop and A. l.. Peale and | Councilman c. A. Hagberg. The report of the special committee is as follows: :: 1 lutions of the court of common council at | it's adjourned meeting held August 5th, l 1920, submits the following as report | of progress:
 Walter ". Lang while president of the Board of Water Commissioners of the
 city of Norwich with all of the other then | members of said board did on February | IT, 1919, sign a contract with one fg- | natius Murphy which contract has here. l tofore been printed in the Council Journal | of August 5th, 1920, as offered by the now president of said beafd
 The said Lang from some period be- I fore the signing of said contract down l to July 1, 1920, was the president of | said board charged under Section Ss of | the city's charter with the duty of su- pervising, caring for and managing the l advice and direction of -said board sub | ject to certain powers vested in the court of common council;
 The said Lang is now member of the Board. of Water Commissioners of the | city of Norwich;
 The said Lang while president of said board either acting in his own be- half or as agent for the said Murphy | soon after said contract was signed did cut or directed the cutting and has for a long period of time cut and directed | the cutting of a large number of white | oak, yellow bireh ash, black birch, chestnut oak, and chestnut trees from the water sheds owned by the city; The said Lang on his own account or | for and on account of the said Afur- 1 phy maintained at least three separte saw mill locations within the drainage area and on the watersheds owned by l the city and one on land owned by the | city but not within the drainage area and did on all of said locations saw a | large amount of the eity's timber ol, | some of them maintained latFines and on all of them allowed a large quantity of saw dust and other refuse matter to ac- eunulate;
 The said Lang did market, and dispose of either on his own account or that of the said Murphy large quantities of city property consisting of poles, ties, 1 fence posts, squared timber and cord wood all the product of said watershed !: The record books of the sessions, do- ings and votes of said board fail to dis close any vote recording the action of the board on this attempted contract, or the appointment of an inspector to ! represent either the city or said board i under said contract, or any attempt to secure an accounting hereunder, or any tract or any reference of any kind there to except the bare entry of the receipt by said board of $1,S5S43 with a brief statement on said slip purporting to show what it was for;
 The said Lang either on his own ac- count or that of the said Murphy has {! collected varying sums of money for wood sold different corporations and in- dividuals without accounting or paying to either the said board or the city such | sums
 l Within a period of about three months | more or less one H. c. Alber an en- gineer and employe of the State Board of Health visited this city for the pur- l pose of making a sanitary insectien as | the state laws provide of the storage bas-
 ins and water shed of the city; said Lang received this sanitary inspector and arranged for said inspection the en-
 gineer inspector of said State Board of Health was not familiar with the loca- tion and size of any of the water sheds | of the city and he did not visE nor was he shown or told by the said Lang that Meadow Brook was a watershed owned | by the city and part of the eity's SUD- i ply; under the direction of employees and agents of the said Lang the said State l Board of Heaith's representative and san 1 itaEy inspector was conducted over the watersheds of Fairview and Stony Brook | in such way and by such routes that l said representative affrns to your com mittee he saw no signs of any timber
 cut from the water sheds of the city, saw | no evidences of numbering operations or | these two sheds whatsoever, except for few logs below the dam at Stony Brook which Lang's representative stat ed were to be used in building a tool
 house for the department
 The lumhering operations were at thaI l time going on
 Your committee submits that Walter i ". Lang has been as a member of the l Beard of Water Commissioners of said city guilty of ofhcial misconduct and they | do recommend that he be removed from
 said board as provided by Section 77 oi 1 the city's charter.
 C. V Pendleten, A. L. Peale, c. A
 Hagberg, special committee.
 Norwich, Conn.,, August Is, 1920. l After the reading of the report of the
 special committee, the report, upon the
 motion of Councilman W. S. Murray was approved and accepted Then fol- flowing resolution was presented:
 Reselyed: that the report of the spe- eial committee on investigation of cer-
 tain acts of board of water commis- sienres be accepted and the findings of said committee be adopted as, the find ings of the council, that Walter w Lang be forthwith removed as a mem ber of said beard for official miscon-
 duet and the place heretofore held by him as 8 member of said board be an6 the same hereby is declared vacant Voted: that the clerk is hereby di reetsd to forthwith transmit to the clerk of the board of water connms
 sieaers g certified copy of the report
 of the special committee and of this action of the council taken thereon.
 i upen the suggestion of Alderman Pendieten the action on this resolution
 was by secret ballot. After the count ing of the ballots Mayor Lerou declar
 ed that thA result of the ballot was
 unanimous for it's adoption.