New Britain herald., 1922-07-20
THE COMMON COUNCIL.

session lasted until after eleven o'clock
 and the night was hot
 That zeal, however-that apparent
 eagerness to correct matters that seem
 to be wrong-sometimes leads mem
 bers into presenting propositions,
 hastily conceived, perhaps, the adop-
 ton of which might lead the city into
 difficulties. No man should present
 a resolution, or sign a resolution to be
 presented, until after he has made a
 study of the matter sought to be cov-
 cred Sometimes a member of the
 merely because it has the authority of
 the name. s signer, of some mem-
 A signer or introducer of a resolu-
 ton should he quite sure, before sign
 tion has his full support and he knows
 what he is supporting,
 Last evening, for instance, the in
 troducer of a resolution withdrew it
 after some discussion and after two
 of the signers had, on consideration,
 decided that they wished their names erased from the document. The cour- age and fairness of introducer and
 signers is to be commented, but it would have been an unfortunate oc- currence had the resolution been passed providing that all city en- ployes except lahorers and foremen, be electors of this city. The passage of such resolution would have made ineligible. of course, some teachers, consulting engineers, etc, who must sometimes be called in even though they are not "electors" of the city
 Alderman Gilpatric is quite correct In his stand to keep the discussion of matters properly within the province Of the various boards and commits sions, away from the common council. It is not body well calculated to be able to arrange the details of routine city affairs. The theory of the gov ernment of the city is that the boards and commissions, with the Mayor shall run the city affairs, the council sitting as director of the broad poli- cies and acting as a check on action in important matters.
 The matter of the telephones to be paid for by the city is one of these affairs which should be handled by the boards concerned. Each board and department should know what telephonss are necessary for the efficient conduct of it's affairs, The common council should not dictate what members of the boards or what employees should have telephones any more than the common council should dictate to the boards what members or what employees should have a key to the office. If the board discovers that telephones paid for by the city are being used for private purposes, at the city's expense, the boards should take action exactly as they should take action if they found the keys to the office were being used to permit a holder of such key to enter the office and purloin some tangible bit of city property.
 It would seem, however, that Alder man Gilpatric was unduly alarmed over the situation which arose be- cause of the councils decision to of the city garage in the hands of a l permanent commission, taking it ! away from the police commission, where 1t has rested. The Alderman feared that this action would estab- lish a precedent whereby it would be proper for the council to take from any commission some of the regular duties of that commission and place 1t | In the hands of council committee Such would not be the case The | municipal garage was established by the council and its management | placed in the hands of the police commission by the council not by the charter. Giving the management of the city garage to the police commits sion did not imply relinquishing the power to alter the arrangement. The police commission Is not eager for the work, it appears. As there are cars ,f all departments in the city garage, [ would not seem to be the especial province of the police commissioners o have the management of the gar lge An independent body would be n better position to manage the natter, and certainly there is room or improvement in such manage nent.
 Alderman Gilpatric is quite correct a desiring to stick to the charter, as
 United States legislator would be orrsct in urging ASidAng by the con-