New Britain herald., 1929-02-26
GOOD Of FUND REFERENDUM
Sen. Christ lnd nlyor P,outss, Before Assembly Committee
fspsci., to the Hera,d)

Special to the HefAld)
 Hartford, Feb. 2s OA-Sharp d. vision of opinion on the advisabili of placing specol appropriations ot $50.000 and moro before the electora of New Britain for final decision. de- veloped at . meeting of the cities and boroughs committee of the gen. eral assembly today when Mayor A. M. Paonessa urged adoption of . charter amendment to this effect, and Senator Ernest W. Christ asked his legislative colleagues to reject it.
 Senator Christ was given the priv ilege of the floor first 70 that he might make known his reasons for opposing the move and then return to 8 meeting of q committee of which he Is a member.
 The senator explained that . board of finance and taxation hears departmental requests for appropri- ations, then refers the matter in question to subcommittee for fur ther consideration after which the board takes action and reports to the common council. The common council which, he stressed. is an- swerable to the electorate. has the final say on appropriations.
 Senator Christ said that he has no quarrel with the mayor on this proposition and that he would be pleased to learn of 2 satisfactory method by which the general pub lie might have an opportunity to register its preferences. but that he does not believe the charter amend- ment answers the purpose.
 Of those who exercise the vote in New Britain there are many thou sands who are not direct taxpayers, Senator Christ said, and he ques- tioned the advisability of placing in their hands the power to spend the money of others. The common council meeting which approved the report of the charter revision com mittee was attended by few more than one-half its full membership and the vote was not unanimous, he informed the cities and boroughs committee.
 Mayor Paonessa was the next to speak. He recalled that Senator Christ alone of the entire charter revision committee had voted against the proposal ard that the common council endorsed the movement by a majority vote. He emphasized the right of the public to have direct voice in how its money is 10 be spent and cited the special elections as the ideal answer.
 Recalling the agitation against al- lowing the school committee to spend $54O,0OO for Senior High school addition. which discussion was before the city governmental agencies for more than a year, the mayor said he was confident a ref crendum to the public would have resulted in overwhelming defeat of the school committees plan.
 h this instance, seven of the 12 men on the board of finance and taxation voted in favor, and when it reached the common council, IS voted for it and il against it. He questioned the advisability of having a common council make an appro- priation when there is so apparent q lack of unanimity of opinion.
 It was forecast that other pro- posed amendments to the charter will be put through without diff culty. They involve minor changes in practices in the city government.
 Present at the hearing this after noon were: Senator F.. w. Christ, Representatives Thure Bengtson and William F. Langc, Mayor A. M. Pao- nessa, Mayors Secretary Matthew J. Callahan. Attorney M. A. Sexton, Abraham Gorbach and Paul G. Leu pold.