New Britain herald., 1922-02-16
THE COMMON COUNCIL


 After three hours of discussing, o,erying and explaining in words that often did not explain, the common council did half of a good thing last night. It had voted to leave salaries of practically all of the school board employees. teachers and the superin- tendcnt, with the exception or the clerks in one department. as they are at present The half of the good thing the council did was to rescind that ac- ton because few knew just exactly what had been done. There IS little doubt but that it wanted to treat all alike, but it had not done it and the council knew it. Hence the action.
 To make the decision one which would have accomplished all of good thing the vote would have been to rcscind also the vote to adopt the budget as presented by the board of finance and taxation with the eXcep- ton of those items or groups of items which were made up of salaries or pay for personal service.
 This by no means implies that the budget as presented by the board should not be adopted. It merely em- phasizes the fact that members of the common council this morning do not know what items of the budget they adopted as presented for the reason that they do not know what items did not include salaries or pay for personal service The president of the board of finance and taxation knows in what items salaries are in- .cluded or he knows in what items his board considered there was included pay for personal services. He, there fore, knows what part of the budget presented the common council did adopt, but the slight trouble with this situation is that the common council does not know just what it adopted and it happens that the common council has the vote. That dog won't bite you" said the dogs owner to the timid person, frightened by the ani- mal's beligerent apearance. "l know it." replied the timid man, ''and you
 The common council, however, is to be congratulated for not allowing the prospect of another long session tonight and possibly long sessions other nights to interfere with it's do- ing the right thing when once that right thing had appeared upon the horizon. Although motion was made to adjourn before any arrangement had been made whereby anything more could be done before tonight's s meeting. Mayor Curtis managed to obtain action in the motion for the appointment of q committee to whip the salary suggestions into shape be- fore that motion was carried. It is prObdDle, theref ore, that at tonight s meeting the items of salaries will be so arranged that the membe of the council will know what they are vot- ing on if each member looks at the same list as the list held by the pre- siding officer, or if each member listens to the question as put by the presiding officer and the presiding officer puts the question clearly.
 Whatever is done it is to be hoped that there will be no more illogical, inconsistent votes such as that of last night on the matter of school em- ployes and teachers salaries. It is inconcciva ble that the council intend cd to do. as 1t did do, namely vote to leave the pay of teachers and the superintendent and others as that pay is at present and then vote to reduce the pay Of the clerks in one depart ment This evident wrong has been righted by the vote to reconsider the acticu taken. The council will be on tn lookout tonight lest another error -of Judgment Of tais sort is made for certainly the council feels that the clerks, receiving comparatively small pty, should not be cut where those in the same department receiving more pay arc not cut
 Tho first matter that should bc taken up this evening should be the reading of those items of the budget which the Mayor believes have been adopted as presented by the board Of finance and taxation. If there is any doubt concerning them that doubt should be cleared up before passing 10 the consideration of the items nude up of salaries or pay for per sona service Debate on the latter questions should not be befudJied and interrupted by debate as to whether or not some item, passed over as the items of the list are taken up because 1t was held to he adopted last night,