The Lamar register., 1921-04-20
CITY GOVERNMENT
First Meeting of New City Council Is
Exciting and Long Drawn Out.

produce harmony was amply demon
strated last Monday night when the
newly elected city council organized
and got very little farther along to-
wards fixing up matters for the COM
ing administration than that.
All members were present and ready
to be sworn in, f. J. Wagner as
mayor, and H. C. Davis, f. X. Jones,
c. Ray Strain. l. II. Myers, John Y.
Brown and Bert Merwin as aldermen,
and C. A. Lacy as clerk. f. r. Jones
was elected mayor pro ten. The ques-
tion of salaries was one of the first
to bc> discussed and while there had
been caucus and a general agree
ment as to wage cuts, it soon develop
ed that some of the members who
already had friends in office would
not stand for as heavy cuts as had
been agreed and turned over the pro-
gram.
Cuts were made in the salaries of
the combination job now held by Chief
Daniels bringing them down to $50
per month A motion was made by
Alderman Strain and seconded by
Myers to cut the night men to s1l0
but on motion of Jones the amount
was raised to SI2O. The men in the
water and street departments who
have been receiving 45c to soc per
hour were cut to 35c and 40c and cx-
A.. LII, l., .hoea Jan, rt,,aptc uae fiy-
ed at 30c per hour. The salary of
caretaker Of the library was cut from
500 per month to 800. and notice Civ
en- of proposed cuts for the force at
the light plant to be left to the light
committee The salaries Of city clerk.
city treasurer, city attorney and city
health officer are fixed by ordinance
and will remain as heretofore.
City Attorney Wellington f. Fee
was unanimously reelected to the posi-
tion he has faithfully and creditably
filled for the past four years. and a
like compliment was paid to DR.. N.
NJ. Burnett, city health officer. and G.
w. Gentry, caretaker of the library
and grounds. Then the bars were
raised and the "hominy," as one citi-
zen called the compromise ticket, be-
gan to scorch. The next place called
was the chief OF police and combina-
tion job of big boss. Chief Daniels
was a candidate for reelection and had
the three old aldermen and Mayor
Wagner but the latter could only vote
in case of tie. The vote was Daniels
3. Downing 2 and scattering for
several ballots and then the Job was
passed. On night marshel the vote
was evenly divided between the two
present holders of tie job Harden and
Martin and Mayor Wagner promptly
east the deciding vote for Harden. No
man was elected to the second place.
On official paper for the city three
cornered fight again developed and
no choice could be made. There were
n number of taxpayers present who
made talks along the line of the neces-
sity for q reduction in the cost OF city
government and other matters, and II
was a very late hour when the council
finally decided to give up the fight
for the time being and adjourn.
The first round was decided draw
with the holdovers still on the job but
not feeling very happy over the pros
poets of getting pay for their work.
A new light on the cost Of the light
plant was shed at the final meeting
of the old concil when a representa-
tive of the Hendrie- Bolthof Co. oil
Denver appeared with little bill OF
$4,000 and it developed that there
was no money out Of the various bond
issues to pay the bill, and 1t had to
compromise by agreement to turn over
to him what the old plant brings and
a percentage of the revenue OF the
plant until it is paid. This adds some
thousands to the aforementioned and
much discussed cost of the plant and
as many hundreds to the pay OF the
engineering concern-all same like the
cost plus ten per cent war contracts
II our lights would just loom up like
the cost hill il doing there would not