The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume], December 14, 1909, Page 9, Image 9

About The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917

Image provided by: Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT

                
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THE FARMER : DECEMBER .14, 1909 i '
fwo Cfflfeiis f 11 (Graie PI
FOR OUR CHRISTMAS TRADE
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The Cliaoeron and the Girls With Elsie Janis in "The Fair Co-Ed,"
- , at Jackson's Thursday Evening.
(OfflclaL)
C0LNC1L. MEETING
A riilar meetinr of the Common
Council was held at City Hall, Monday
evening. December , 1!W9.
Present Aldermen .D. E. O'Neill.
McMurray. Maboney. Cassidy. Near,
Clanipett. Finlan. Conlln. Brady. Liv
ery, J. P.- CNeU. Paddock. Primrose,
Gould. Wilder, Bertllson. Fletcher.'Bul
lard. Jackson. cyConneil. Stewart, Fey
rer. Meyer. ZInk.
The oairant as issued for the meet
ing for, the election of a President of
the Board of Aldermen was then read.
The certificates- of election and oaths
of office of the following Aldermen was
then read:
Francis M. Wilder. Daniel Hv Ma
honey, Jr.. John II. Caesidy. John ,N.
Near. Horace H. Jclwn. Henry J.
Olampett. James J. Corrfin. Patrick H.
Brady. Thomas Stewart. Hugh J.
lAvery. James P. CNell. Garry Pad
dock. . . -
V ( L 1L ECrms & SON, 972 Main St j,
' Bridgeport. . sssaoss
QUEEN OF THE COOKERS 4-
Samples Can Now Be
Bridgeport Public Library Building, 35 John Street, Bridgeport Conn.
. Buy Direct from the Factory and Be Assured of Bottom Prices.
BALLET & DAVIS CONWAY BOlVEfJ STRAUSS
Don't Forget the Address, 35 JOHN STREET
15. Seconds from Main Street;
1 1 -
Oo motion the reading- of the min
utes of the previous meeting was dis
pensed with and the records approved.
Alderman D. E". O'Neill moved that
the rules adopted by hls board for
1908 end 1C09 be adopted as the rules
for 1909 and 1910..
At this time nominations for Presi
dent of the Board of Aldermen were
called for.
Alderman McMurray presented the
name of Dennis O'Neill.
Alderman Fletcher presented the
name of William B Primrose
Aldermen McMurray and Fletcher
were appointed tellers.
The Dallot resulted as follows: -Whole
number of ballots cast ...... 34
Necessary for a choice 13
Alderman O'Neill received 12
AJ.Ierman Primrose received IS
The Mayor then broke the He In fa
vor of Alderman O'Neill, whom he de
clared elected President of the Board
for the ensuing; year.
Nominations for Page of the Com
mon Council was then called for. '
Alderman James P. O'Nell presented
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the name of Thomas F. Cleary.
Alderman Meyer presented the name
of John J. Hines.
Aldermen McMurray -and Fletcher
were a-ppointed tellers.
The ballot resulted as follows:
Whole number of ballots cast 24
Necessary for a choice 13
Thomas F. Cleary received 1!
John J. Hines received 12
The Mayor -then broke the tie In fa
vor of Thomas F. Cleary. whom he de
clared elected Page of the Board for
the ensuing year.
COMMUNICATIONS.
MAYOR'S MESSAGE!
The following; message was received
from his Honor, the Mayor, Edward
T. Buckingham:
To the Honorable Common Council of
. the City of Bridgeport.
Gentlemen:
This evenlnir we enter idob the ner
formance of our labors as members
of the Common Council, to which
body Is entrusted the legislative func
tions of the municipal government
and the privilege of directly repre-
: 1
Seen At
sentlns; the people.
During our terms of office new
tasks and responsibilities are likely to
be imposed upon us. the accomplish
ment of which will require our ear
nest co-operation. We, should keep
before us In the performance of our
work but one aim, "that we shall
faithfully and impartially execute the
duties of our offices according to our
best skill and judgment" In such a
way as to promote the best interests
of the city.
The Charter Imposes upon the may
or the duty of recommending from
time to time such measures connected
with the security, health, cleanliness
and ornament of the -city, or with the
Improvement of Its government and
finances, as he hall deem expedient.
I feel it my duty at this time to call
your attention to the existence of cer
tain conditions and to recommend for
your consideration measures which I
believe to be conducive to the welfare
of the city. These recommendations
are quite aside from the general
statement of the situation, state and
condition of the City which the mayor!
is required to communicate to - the
Common Council oo the first Monday
of June In each year.
It should be our purpose to apply
business principles to the affairs of
the municipality, to furnish a thor
ough and business- like management
In every department, and especially
to establish our finances on a sound
basis. The administration should be
progressive and economical. The
practice of economy in municipal af
fairs la often.- misconstrued to mean
that needed public improvements are
to be overlooked or postponed, - but
this is' not' true economy. I believe in
the economical conduct of the busi
ness of the City, but in such economy
as will not ' delay progress nor post
pone necessary improvements.
The City should receive therreat
est possible return for the amount of
money expended without any diminu
tion of the quality of the services ren
dered or of the supplies furnished.
- An Important problem confronting
municipality relates to the equal!
ration of taxes. Since our city was
Incorporated great enterprises have
grown up which have contributed in
a large degree to our prosperity and
to our stand'ng as' one of the lore'
most cities of the country.
The values of some forms of prop
erty have Increased with, great rapt
dity. Because of this increase, some
such properities are not valued ac
cording to the meaning of the law.
while othes forms of property, more
especially dwellings, have been listed
at substantially full value. This is, of
course, unjust aa well as unlawful.
The law knows but one rule: that all
property shall be assessed at Its true
rrsmrket value, une law is not aimea
at any particular class of citizens, nor
at any special kind of property. It
applies to all citixens and to ail prop
erty not exempt from taxation, which
Is subject to be levied upon for muni
cipal purposes. This law must not.
and. we believe, will not be Invoked
against any particular set of men or
particular kind of property.
.The question of tax equalization is
not unique to Bridgeport. Other
cities are grappling with this Impor
tant problem forced upon them by
the expense of caring for the needs
of a population that Is Increasing at a
tremendous rate.
Most of the deficiencies In the City
of Bridgeport at the end of the fiscal
year, will -be -found, upon investiga
tion, to have had their origin lii Its
Inadequate Income. This Ina.lo-quacy-of
the public funds to 'meet
the demands for necessary improve
ments cannot be- remedied while our
homes, together with the lands, fur
nish more than five eighths of the
public revenue. ' ' -
The platform upon which the May
or was elected pledged him. and rll
those who were elected with htm. xo
an equitable adjustment of the tax
system. This promise, as every other
promise made to the people, must be
scrupulously kept
Section 3 of - the Charter says:
The Board of Police Commissioners.
Fire Commissioners. Park Commis
sioners. Charities and Apportionment,
respectively, shall elect from their
own members a president who shall
be known as the head of such de
partment. Such heads of depart
ments shall have seats In the Com
mon Council, and they shall be en
titled to take part in the proceedings
and deliberations of the Common
Council on all questions relating to or
affecting their respective depart
ments: but they shall not nave the
right to vote thereon."
This privilege certainly has not
been taken advantage of by the presi
dents of the above departments in
the past, except on rare occasions, and
the consequence has been that mat
ters have come up for consideration
affecting these departments and have
been acted upon without a proper un
derstanding of the conditions relat
ing to them. ...
I would earnestly recommend -that
whenever any matter affecting a de
part men r Is before the Common'Coun
ell. the head of such department will
feel it his duty to be present.
I am confident that If such a policy
is pursued it will produce a more ef
fectiye co-operation and. a closer and
more satisfactory relationship be
tween the Commoa .Council and the
several boards. . .
It is perhane not out of place at
tnts time to refer to the lack of In
terest that is taken in public hear
ings before this body in matters of
general interest. Those in favor of a
project or improvement, as a rule,
appear for the same, but those in op
position frequently are not present.
For this reason the members of the
body are often unable to obtain a full
expression of opinion in reference to
the matter before them. I trust that
during the coming year your honor
able body may be able to devise some
means to promote a full expression of
opinion at all public hearings.
The investigation -of the Electric
Light company should be pursued
with a view to ascertaining the actual
Investment of the company and its
cost of producing electricity, for the
purpose of obtaining a reduction in
price both for private and public con
sumers. Only, with an adequate
knowledge can it. be ' determined
whether the charges now made for
this commodity are jvtat charges. A
public service monopoly unlike an or
dinary private business, is not per
mitted by law to charge what price
it pleases for its product, but may
cnarge only such a price as will yield
a fair profit on its actual investment.
While the rights of all such corpora
tions should be respected, yet they in
turn must fully perform all their du
ties to the city and its citizens.
I -recommend that the Committee
on Harbor Improvements be empow
ered ,to take up negotiations with the
New'Tork, New Haven'and Hartford
Railroad company relative to the pur
chase of more dock front adjacent to
the present holdings of the City at the
loot or wall street.
While the Common Council has
small control over the expenditure of
the public moneys, at the same time
I would earnestly urge upon you, In
so far as your duties involve the ex
penditure of the city's revenue, the
necessity to economize as far as pos
sible,ecause during the coming year
the city will be called upon to meet
several extraordinary demands upon
its ' treasury. The most Conspicuous
of these demands is the State Tax Im
posed upon us by the last General
Assembly. This alone will add sub
stantially one mill to the tax rate. It
should be borne In mind that this
extraordinary drain on our revenues
Is due to the condition of the State's
finances, and Is a matter over drhlch
we have absolutely no control and
from which the city derives no direct
benefit. While it may not bo possi
ble to prevent an increase of the tax
rate, yet. it is certain, that on account
of this adidtional expense the rate
will rise beyond reasonable bounds'
unless we and all the departments of
the city government , exercise the .
strictest frugality and wisdom .in ex
penditure. .
Our citizens are justly complaining
of the trolley service furnished bv the
company which enjoys the street rail
way franchise in our city. Complaint
It especially made of the Email., un
stable, unclean, and unsightly cars
which are run with flat n-heula and
are Irregular and uncertain in Opera
tion. Complaint Is also made of ov
ercrowded cars.' especially during
rush hours, when our ciuzens are go
ing to or returning from work. It
will be the duty of the Common Coun
cil to find means to remedy thc-ii con-
ditions .either by conference with the
company or otherwise. I recommend
that steps to this end be Immediately I
taken. j
It is the duty of the Connecticut
company to keep In repair the
streets between Its rails and two feet I
on either side. This duty is almost' en
tirely neglected and it will be the nol- !
lev of this administration to require a J
prompt and full performance in thl-a
respect. All corporations and indi
viduals making excavations in the
streets should be compelled to strictly
carry out the law in reference to re
storing the streets to as good condi
tion as before -the excavations were
made.
I would recommend that means be
taken by the Committee on Streets
and Sidewalks in co-operation with
the Director of Public Works and the
Paving and Sewer Commission, that
our streets may be consistently and
Intellaently maintained and Improved.
and especially with the view of plac
ing and maintaining our prlnc'nai a--teries
In such a first class condition as
to reflect credit on the city.
I desire to call your attention to
that portion of the declaration of prin
ciples upon which the present admln-
Isralon wu elected, which says:
We denounce the "harbor crab" and
the "car barn surrender. by which in
the' one case a large - portion of the
harbor waa yielded to the New Haven
Railroad company and in ' the other
case permisison waa given to the
same company to establish death traps
at , the ends of the two principal
bridges connecting the east and west
sides ,of the City. - We declare this
bargain Injurious to the City , and
harmful to good public policy.
Under our system of government
parties submit issues for the appro
val of the people. Such are merely
expressions of party opinion and are
only binding upon the officers of the
City after they have been approved
by popular vote. It is possible that
no remedy now exists which the City
may seek. But we may at least "use
our best efforts to protect the harbor
from further encroacbmenkaad may
do much to cause its Improvement, in
creasing its use to commerce and man.
ufactures.
It is my Judgment that every hon
orable effort should be made to pre
vent the laying of trolley tracks across
the sidewalk in Stratford avenue, near
th westerly approach of the Stratford
avenue bridge. It is my purpose to
request the City Attorney to look into
the situation and if a remedy can be
found under which the City can es
cape the consequences of the disas
trous ' arrangement entered into be
tween the city and the railroad com
pany, prior to the election of this ad
ministration. I believe it should be
done. " '
In conclusion I desire to say that
while the selection of municipal offi
cers is necessarily, under our system,
a matter of party and of politics, yet
the officers who are elected are the ser
vants of all the people. In perform
ing the functions entrusted to them
their ' chief attention must be given
to the needs of the entire oity as it
comes nnder their care and supervi
sion. Improvements must not be made
with a view of building political capi
tal for either party, Dut solely for the
purpose of making the city a desir
able place of residence, and a com
munity which will attract capital and
progressive and enterprising manufac
turers and skilled workers from all
parts- of our country. This should be
our aim.
As we are successful or unsuccesful
In attaining this ideal, we shall be
judared by the people who have en
trusted us with the power.
Respectfully submitted this 6th day
KEITH'S T Varsity Pharmacy
' tRTRSrRTPTKr?t9 A fSPKCTAITT
rn ftft.d vk con. park atk.
SAMPLE
SHOES
Christmas Gifts
Women's Waterproof
Tan Storm Boots
for tramping; or wet weather street
wear nine inches high Snath cuff
and buckles at the top; made like
a man's very swagger.
Price $3.85
Value $6.00
Sample of $3.50 to $5 Shoes
at
$2o00, $2.50, $2.85
All sizes and
Goodyear Glove Rubbers
.. .
of December. 1909. . .
E. T. BUCKINGHAM,"
Mayor of Bridgeport, Conn.
Accepted and ordered printed In thrf
year book.
His Honor the Mayor, then an
nounced the following committees for
the ensuing year:
WAYS AND MEANS. " '- '!
Aldermen Lavery, McMurray, Pad- !
dock. Stewart. Primrose. . . '
HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS. '
Aldermen Paddock, McMurray,
Clampett, Fletcher, Meyer.
LAMPS. J
Aldermen Mahoney, Cassidy, Fin-: j
lan, Jackson, O'Connell.-
. . CLAIMS. . ' ' j
Aldermen Near, Lavery, D.- O'Neil, 1
Gould, j Stewart- ,; .s .. ' . .- . , . .-"i
ORDINANCES. .!;
Aldermen FInan, Lavery, Brady, i
Gould, O'Connell' ,'- .j
MISCELLANEOUS.: ' y.
Aldermen Conlln, Paddock, Ma- j
honey,. Jackson, Meyer. ' ,i
FIRE DEPARTMENT. ' j
- Aldermen J. O'Nell, Clampett, Ma- !
honey. Wilder, Bullard.
STREETS AND SIDEWALKS.
Aldermen McMurray, " Clampett, t'l
Conlln, Meyer,, Jackson. . 4
SEWERS. "
Aldermen - Clampett, ' Cassidy, J.
O'Neil, Fletcher, Primrose. . . -t j
PRINTING. j
Aldermen Brady, Near, D. O'Neil. i
Zink, Feyrer. ;
v RULES.
Aldermen Cassidy, Mahoney, J.-; i
O'Neil, Bertilson. Gould. .
t MEMORIAL. DAT., ' ' . '
Aldermen Brady. McMurray, Fin-'. :
lan. Wilder, Feyrer. ' j
UNFINISHED BUSINESS. V'
Aldermen D. O'Neil, Near, Brady,
Bertilson, Zink. - . , : i
Upon motion the communication
was received and the nnnnintmonta T
confirmed.
At this time Alderman McMurray tj
presented the following resolution:
ReflnlVMl. That thte fnllAnHn. n.mAv r i
aldermen constitute the Committee on i
Finance of the Common rVinrwii fn.
the ensuing year: 1
Aldermen' D. O'Neil, Cassidy, Con- j
lin, Fletcher, Bullard.
Adopted. . . t
: fTo be Continued.)
Day or Xlgnt. H.VU
Women's Sample
Shoe Parlor
Security Building
all widths.
. 50 cents.