New Britain herald., 1923-01-13
searle upholds Order of City Meeting Board Special Tax of .O0ls Mills Decided Upon.

Recommendation for the levy of a
 tax Of ,a0lS mills on next years grand
 list were adopted last night by the
 hoard ef finance and taxation and will be recommended 10 the common
 council, the money borrowed in antiei- I pati0n Of the tax 10 be used in making
 nP department deficits of slss,s0e,
 This action was taken in spite of
 siFenans objection on the part of Commissioner r, \, seaFle, supported
 hy Commissioner William s, Bacon.
 Messers, Searle and Raeoh were in favor Of making up only such parts Af the deficit as were not traeeable 10 the common councils refusal to cut salaries 10 per cent in compliance with orders Of the City Meeting Hoard, They would require any city official who wished to collect salary due him on the higher scale 10 sue the city and then a test ease would be tried out. determining once and for all whether the common council or the city meet ins board is supreme in matters Of iinane,
 Would Bring Issue to Head.
 Mfr. Rearle's proposal was intro- dnced in the form Of an amendment 10 a resolution prepared by Comp troller H. l. Curtis which proposed the .0ois mill tax recommendation
 Reeiting the history Of the last budget. Mir. searle reminded the com mitee that the bodgeet adopted by the board Of finance and taxation pre- vailed at the city meeting boards nA attt F salaries was ordered. It was not specified that all salaries be cut. but that the salary accounts Of each de- partment be reduced by 10 per cent. This, the common council declined to do. He felt that there was no time better than the present to bring the issue to a head and force an adjudi- cation so that in the future the su- | premacy Of either the council or the | city meeting board would be unques- tioned.
 MT. Bacon was of the same mind. |
 Hall Questions Boards Authority.
 Edward F. Hali told the commis- ,ioners that in the state salaries are ixed by statute and the committee ,n appropriations has no power to .egulate salaries. but must provide ,uch funds as are required by the alary list. Locally. the council fixes by ordinance while the city meeting board provides the funds. He cit conditions were analogous and hat the board of finance and taxa ion had no course open but to make ID the deficit.
 Attorney George Levitt questioned whether MT. Searles' procedure would ring about a test case. He felt the ouncil would abide by its ordinances nd the individual would not be rought into the matteg in any direct ;ay. I
 After vote had been taken on the T which was lost and on he motion. which was carried, Mir. earles raised a point of parliament I ry procedure. There were only seven E present. A. N. Abbe | i'd not vote, and he felt the motion c as not carried because there was fl ot what he termed quorum vote" ttorney Levitt said that quorum
 necessary only to call the meeting Il
 order and conduct business. u
 Hall Elected Chairman.
 On motion of Mir Abbe, ex-Senator m dward F. Hall. whom the mayor sl id he had appointed commissioner O ,e hour previously, was elected cl larman. After he had been elect al he was sworn in as a member of u e commissioners by Corporation h. ounsel J. H. Kirkham. in
 School Department Deficit.
 School Committeeman George w. 'aut and Superintendent of Schools K
 H. Holmes appeared before the fic 'ard to present the school depart IT ent's deficit of sS2,760.39. The de- pc it in the salary item alone is s5S,- m 2.
 Mayor Paonessa asked Mir. Holmes pc w he would feel about selling the ell lrritt school. The school superin- Cl ndent said he could not give an of- W, ial opinion but his personal opinion pa Us that it is ill adapted and not operly located for school purposes. it, the building is to be taken away,
 felt the city should provide some tn,