Norwich bulletin., 1922-04-22
Grapefruit. Escalloped Oysters. Mashed Potatoes. Prune Pie. Rolls.

the head table were Mayor H. M. Lerou, Charles D. Moves, chairman of the char | ter commission,- and the members of the commission.
 At the close of the menu Charles F. Wells president of the chamber, called the gathering to order, and after ad- 1 dressing the meeting briefly turned the chair over to Mayor Lerou, who presided during the remainder of the meeting. MT. Jensen Explains Charter. Martin E. Jensen, chairman of the sub ! committee which had charge of the actual l drafting of the new charter, gave a most l comprehensive talk on the charter and 1 its provisions. Mr Jensen explained the 1 provisions and the more radical changes 1 incorporated in the new charter, in more or less detail. and answered number of i questions from the audience in regard to 1 the salaries of the paid officers the ap- 1 pointment of the various committees, their duties. and the workings of the ward system.
 l MT. Jensen called attention to the fact i that under the new charter all the 1 finances of the city will be taken care of 1 by the finance committee, which will be | lomposed of an alderman elected by the | board of aldermen and four citizens who hold no other city office The mayor will
 be an eX-officio member of this commit tee. They will prepare the city budget and after it's preparation it will be laid l before the board of aldermen for ap- provaI. This, of course. will do away
 with the present system of voting appro- priations at city meeting.
 City's Governing Body.
 Mir. Jensen explained that the city's
 governing body will comprise a board of Il members, elected by the different
 wards of the city. The mayor will not sit with the board of aldermen, which will be a purely legislative body. The mayor will have the power of veto.
 The new charter will abolish the two
 bodies governing the fire and police de-
 partments, known as the board of police
 comm issioners and board of fire commis-
 sioners,- and will substitute instead one
 governing body to be known as the de- partment of public safety. The members
 of the department of public safety will
 be appointed by the mayor and will be citizens of the city who hold no other
 public office. This department will have
 entire charge of the affairs of the fire
 and police departments.
 City Comptroller's Duties.
 Another change which MT. Jensen
 brought to the attention of the meeting
 was the creation of a new office, that of
 city comptroller. This will be paid of
 flee and the city comptroller will be ap-
 pointed by the mayor.
 The city comptroller will have charge
 of the city's accounting. He will keep 2
 record of all appropriations expenditures
 etc. ALI bills and vouchers will pass | through his hands and no bill agains
 the city will be paid until it is O. K.c
 by the city comptroller and countersignec
 by the city clerk.
 This will prevent duplication in th- payment of bills, expenditures in excess
 of appropriations. etc.. and will provid
 for the practic:ng of strict economy il
 the handling of the city's money. Asked
 what the salary of the city comptrolle
 will be, MT. Jensen said that in drafting
 the new charter the commission had de l cided to leave this matter with tn , finance committee. In fact. the namini n of salaries for all paid officers of tn d city has been left in the hands of tn r finance committee.
 f Will Fix Salaries.
 n The charter commission decided tha - the finance committee. whoever they ma
 be, will be fully competent to fix tn o salaries at suitable figures
 o MT. Jensen in his talk said that tn : water board will remain as it is, tw t members to be elected by the citizens an e the third to be one alderman, elected b tt the board of aldermen from their ow = number. The board of gas and electri e commissioners cannot be touched by th n new charter, as MT. Jensen said the l. exist under special state statutes enacte
 by the general assembly.
 Ward System
 Another matter touched on was tn r ward system which will go into ef e feet with the adoption of the ne7 r. charter. Under this system the cit :. will be divided into wards. Each war will elect it's own alderman or alder al men, according to the number the W are allotted on the basis of popula 's tion Each alderman must be a cit d zen resident of the ward which elect r. him to office. Each ward, will ( " course, vote on the election of tn r. mayor, city treasurer, city clerk, wa tn ter commissioners, etc, in the san Id manner as in the election of city ot of ficers in the various districts as { ne the present.
 lg Mir. Jensen called attention to tt ;aa fact that any sale of city propert ,a , and any bond issue must come befoI ae d city meeting for action, this bein ~ the same system as under the pres  ar question from the audience M 7d Jensen said that no more than a ma he jority of any appointive committee { CT commission will be of one party. H- Believes People Will Vote For It William J. Fitzgerald, at the clo! h. of Mir. Jensen's talk said he believe $. that if the people thoroughly under S. stand the charter they will vote fl n, it. He suggested that the charter con s- mission appear before the various ol O. ganizations in the city and expla nd the workings of the new charter ch that the people will be come acquain se ed with it's provisions.
 al Considerable has been said abo1 u the powers of the mayor, said Ma! ui or Lerou. The mayor has no gre :, power, he continued. The ''powe ar simply gives him the opportunity d. go out and select the proper men f of the proper places. When they spes 1s. Of the power of the mayor
 should be granted him, for the re; lct son that it is his administration al IT, he should have the power to sele
 This own cabinet. The new charter W