New Britain Herald Newspaper, October 18, 1917, Page 5

NEW BRITAIN DAILY HERALD, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1917 COUNCIL GOES ‘OVER | THE TOP" AGAIN Violent Attack on Public Potatoes by Farm Specialists Absolutely the easiest way to start an argument and precipitate a near riot, causing the members to do every- thing but actually leap at each other’s throats, is to gently whisper, a whis- per is always sufficient, in the solemn chambers of the common council that one mysterious word—potatoes. It has never failed yet and judging from last night’s example, when almost every member present took his turn at tell- ing how the municipal farm commit- tee ought to handle its affairs or in advising other council members how to handle theirs in this reference, the members must eat, drink, sleep and even dream about potatoes. The ref- erence to drinking potatoes may seem rather far fetched until it is explained that Alderman M. I. Jester, in saying his little piece, referred to a gallon of potatoes. Scrap of Paper Causes Trouble. At last night's session however, the festivities were started, as have been many more belligerent things, by a “mere scrap of paper.” The municipal farm committee oiffered a resolution asking permission to proceed in pay- ing up to the balance of their unex- pended fund for a new shipment of potatoes already offered. Immediately the war was on and Alderman Charles May was on his feet expounding upon his pet theme of potatoes. When he had finished his admission that he needs potatoes was unnecessary. He had proved it. Although crop distri- bution had not even been hinted at, the first ward alderman demanded to know what plans had been evolved for distributing, the potatoes held by the municipal farm committee. Alderman O. F. Curtis, the war horse of the council who never side steps an op- portunity to shoot a bolt, no matter where it may land, although should it land in the vicinity of the administra- tion he never objects, immediately leaped into the already visible breach. He declared that the sentiment of the people is to sell the potatoes as soon as they are dug or bought instead of storing them and running the risk of their spoiling. There is a great risk of potatoes spoiling, he said, when they are stored on cement floors or in places where there are steam pipes. He said he had no desire to lictate to the municipal farm committee but nevertheless he did think the wishes of the council should be set forth since the committee was spending the mon- ey given it by that body. “The people are objecting to the city holding the potatoes. They feel that it is not fair for the city to hold the potatoes for a rise—that was not the purpose in the first place. If the city goes into the business of storing potatoes it will be on the same basis as the store,” the alderman declared. Chafing under the restraint of not being able to rally to the defense of the committee of which he is auditor, W. B. Rossberg obtained the coun- cil's permission and replied to Alder- man Curtis. He explained that if the present crop owned by the farm com- mittee were distributed it would mean “only about a peck for each family and it would discourage the farmers from bringing their potatoes into the city.”” The idea of the committee, Mr. Rossberg sad, is to encourage the peo- ple to buy as many potatoes as they can at reasonable prices and store them for future use and the commit- tee will endeavor to look out for those poorer families who can neither buy them up or store them. The price vesterday, he said, was $1.85 from the dealer and $2.10 delivered at the con- sumers’ home. The municipal farm committee ought to advise people to buy all the potatoes they can and thus get in a good supply against the time when the price will rise. He did ad- mit, however, that there is a strong wave of public sentiment in favor of having the committee dispose of its crop at once and declared that he has personally received at least 500 calls from people who desired to leave or- ders, Asked Alderman Curtis: “If the city holds its potatoes won't it encourage others to hold?" “Well,” replied Mr. Rossberg, “I think the farmers are foolish to hold out for high prices. Some of them are holding out now for $3 a bushel.” “Wel argued Alderman Curtis, “if you buy 5,000 bushels and lose 500 bushels by rot won't you boost the price of the others in order to make lup the aifrerénce?” Further argument was temporarily stopped when Mayor Quigley banged his gavel, but it was immediately started again when Councilman C. J. Dehm asked of Mr. Rossberg whether the municipal farm committee has or- dered any potatoes at $1.35 per bushel as talked of at the last council meet- ing. In reply Mr. Rossberg said that on the very next day the price jumped from $1.35 to $1.45 per bushel with no promise of delivery at that price and the committee had voted to buy six carloads at a price not to exceed $1.45 per bushel and as much less as they might be obtained. “How much will you sell for?” queried the first ward councilman. “I don't know,” Mr. Rossberg plied. Pressed for an answer of whether the committee would sell the potatoes at cost plus the price of cartage, Mr. Rossberg said he could not say for he did not know. ‘Whereupon another potato fancier in the person of Councilman Joseph C. Andrews entered the lists. Mr. An- drews sal ‘It is not of the food value that the public is thinking but it is of the taxpayers' money. They want to re- | know whether the committee intends to store the potatos and stand possible loss but as yet the committee hasn't | stated any definite policy. It has been a matter of pure guesswork from the very start and we've had tc work to get any informatior at all.” To this statement the mayor re- marked that as yet the commttee has not been asked for any report but has promised to give a report as soon as the potatoes are harvested, preferring to walt until then so that any figures can be backed up with facts—or to be more exact—with potatoes. Mayor Predicts $3.50 Potatoes. Councilman Gorbach spoke briefly as champion of the municipal farm commitee ana advised relying on their judgment. The mayor called Alder- man A. M. Paonessa to the chair and took the floor to orate concerning po- tatoes. By this time the air was, figur- atively speaking, full of potatoes. In part the mayor said: “You seem to lose sight of the object of buying and ralsing potatoes. The few thousand bushels the committee has been able to get will not supply the city. If we take all these potatoes and distribute them now it will not give a peck to each of the 10,000 families here, may- be a bushel. It would have no bearing on the price. The object is to have this supply in reserve so when the speculators try to force the price over $2 a bushel the committee can unload and if necessary come back to the council for permission to buy more. This supply is to be used to try and maintain a balance and to keep the price around $2. It is estimated that between twenty and thirty thousand bushels are already in the cellars and with the 10,000 the committee has the city will need twenty or thirty thou- sand more and I believe that these should be held in-the balance to con- trol the local market. The commit- tee knows what it is doing and it is not wasting the people’s money. If you force this committee to sell now I venture to predict that in December potatoes will be selling here at $3.50 per bushel.” During a short breathing spell Coun- cilman Dehm found a chance to make another observation. ‘“You say the supply would give only about a peck to every family? Well, I think with the money it cost that is pretty dear.” Attempting to pour oil- on the troubled waters, Mayor Quigley ex- plained that the term peck was used only casually, it might be that there would be a bushel for every family. Jester Versus Quigley. At this point even M. I. Jester, al- derman from the second ward, mayor pro tem and one of the administra- tion’s right bowers, entered the lists, casting his lot with the opposition. Sald Mr. Jester: “When this thing started the committee promised to ap- portion out the potatoes raised at coat price. Now the people want to know why they were fooled. When I give my word to people I always keep it. ‘When I voted for a $16,000 appropria- tion I did so with the understanding that they would be sold and the money repaid and I think that for the respect of New Britain these potatoes ought to be given out. 1 understand that when the farm committee discussed it the members were divided. Some wanted to and others wanted to hold them and it is this storing that is go- ing to boost the price I think.” Ther taking another tack, but nev- er losing track of the all-important topic of potatoes, Alderman Jester fired what proved to be a bombshell into the camp of the mayor. He sald: ““And when his hcnor called the farm- ers into his office it is what started the prices soaring, 1 believe. The farmers got wise and said ‘we will keep them the same as the city of New Britain is doing".” | Somewhat excited the mavor es- !'sayed to reply, remarked that he did {not want to talk too much, and then launched into a long explanation of {all that he has done for the people of New Britain and refuting the implied charge that it was because of his ac- tign with the farmers that started the price of potatoes to jumping. “I've worked hard and done all that a man could do for the people of New Brit- ain and I, personally, have ordered a | carload of potatces on my own ac- count and %an do my bit by helping to care for a few families. Now regard- ing this alleged promise of the farm committee to sell their potatoes at any specific time or in any specific . way—there was no such promise ever Imade. The only promise was to sell iat cost and it will be done. Now in !the Lord’'s name give this committec a chance. Give it a chance to harvest it’s crop of potatoes before you begin ]lo criticize them. Now as far as the | meeting in the mayor's office to fix the price of potatoes is concerned that is not so. The farmers were asked to bring in their crops to sell. Mr. Fa- gan who has raised 17 acres, said he could not afford to sell his at less than $2 a bushel. Mr. Lewis of Southing- ton saild his cost him $2 and Mr. Mc- Donough, a local attorney, said his cost him $1.25 a bushel. Mr. Splettz- toezer of Newington sald his cost $1.50. No attempt was made at all to fix prices and there was only a dis- cussion on prices. The farmers were told that the city’s intention was not to compete with them and the insinua- tions made here, and also in a com- munication in a newspaper, that I called the meeting of the farmers in an attercpt to boost the prices is not so. Why, no man has worked harder for the people than I have. I havs even tried to lower the price of coal— and we may get that down in time. But if you force the sale of these munic- pal potatoes now, in December and January the people won't thank you.” Alderman Jester hastened to square himself with the mayor and said he was somewhat chagrined to learn that his remarks had been miscon- strued. He explained that what he had said was that the meeting ,in the mayor’s office, rhther than be- ing called for the purpose of boost- ing prices, had, he thought, a ten- dency to boost them. He continued to hold this belief, he said. Touncilman McDonough asked how many potatoes the farm committee had voted to buy and was told that the average car holds 700 bushels, making about 4,200 bushels. He was also advised by the mayor that the committee has between $6,000 and $7,000 unexpended in its fund. Where- upon Alderman May ose artl spoke his second little piece as had many others before him last evening. May Plays Return Engagement. “While I don’t accuse anyone of underhanded work and do commend much that has been done I feel that in Jjustice to the taxpayers they should be rewarded for what they have sacrificed in thelr taxes. They should get the benefit of potatoes now. If the committee disposes of those potatoes now and then comes before the council to ask the use of the money again to buy more I shall endorse the idea. But at present I think there are many families that need potatoes. I know I do and I don’t think it is right for the city to make me or others pay $2 or $2.50 per bushel when I might get them from the city at possibly $1.76,” said the alderman from the first. The mayor assured the council that the committee hopes to hold the bal- ance of power and keep the price of potatoes below or about $2. Alder- man Curtis again spoke his mind and said that while he did not want to dictate, he did think the council should make known its wishes to the committee and then let the members use their best judgment. It is large- ly a matter of opinion he said, but his view was that by storing pota- toes the price is boosted. He then quoted from a report of a finance board meeting last spring in which he sald the statement was made that municipal potatoes would sell for seventy-five cents a bushel. He then remarked that with the expense of $9,000 and the estimated yield of 4,- 000 bushels he thought the cost would be close to $2 a bushel. He also quoted the federal food expert, who attended the last meeting, saying it is almost impossible to try and con- trol the price of potatoes with the supply the city has on hand. Councilman McDonough, who had keen doing some quiet figuring, took a moment to obtain the floor and ex- plained that while he now favored leaving the final disposition to the committee as the best way out of the mixup, he would like to give a little “I told you so” talk. He reminded the members of the $16,000 appropri- ation and said that if the city gets from this amount, by production and purchase, 8,000 bushels of potatoes the cost will be about $2 per bushel. If the council had taken this money and gone into the early market it could have bought potatoes at $1.26 a bushel and thus secured 12,000 bushels, or fifty per cent more, at the same price, he said. This, in figures, would have been a saving of $5,000 and the councilman said it should be a lesson to the council to “do no more monkeying with muncipal farm- ing but rather name a committee and | have them buy the potatoes if neces- sary.” He referred to the statements and explanations made by Mr. Ross- berg and the mayor as the variety “put up to satisfy but not proper.” Now the only thing to do, he advised, is to let the committee go ahead and hold the potatoes for a rise—‘“Yes, and take a rise out of us,”’ interjected Alderman Curtis. Councilman Mec- Donough also questioned the previous statement that potatoes have jumped to $1.85 at the producers for, he said, only that day he bought them, de- livered at his house, for $1.75. The only good holding local potatoes would do, he predicted, would be to keep down the price locally for the time being. Predictions of great grumbling on the part of the people if the potatoes are not sold at once was made by Councilman Eichstaedt and Alderman Paonessa made an impassioned plea in behalf of the Municipal Farm com- mittee, in which he did not neglect to give Mayor Quigley due credit for his efforts and reminded the mem- bers that he had been a mayor in overalls who had hoed potatoes on the Municipal farm without any shirt on. And Still They Come. It seemed as though the ground had been thoroughly covered when Councilman H. P. Richards made the almost unbelievable statement that “there Is one point that has not been touched on.” He referred to the fact that the Municipal farm has increased the total acreage of home production just that much. He favored letting the committee handle the matter and it was eventually voted to do so. During an intermission, while council members came up for before attacking the report of the municipal gardens committes, Coun- cilman Anton Steiner passed a box of cigars in honor of his recent mar- riage and Mayor Quigley took oc- casion to hand the reins to Alderman Jester while he took a short vacation. Upon reconvening the council passed a resolution prohibiting the erection of billboard advertising signs on the tops of buildings and then received the report of the gardens committee, printed in another column. Despite the fact that the mayor sent out notices for the special meet- ing on Tuesday, a quorum was not present last evening at 7:45 o’clock, the appointed hour. It was 8:05 o'clock before the special meeting could open and then there were only fifteen members present. Alexander Mackay and John Tomaszewsky were elected councilman from the third and alderman from the fifth wards re- spectively to flll vacant positions. Mr. Tomaszewskl at once resigned as councilman and was appointed to the finance committee. Other Items Considered. The matter of building a sewer in celved and accepted and the council] passed a resolution introduced by Als) derman Paonessa to have the ark) board lay out a swimming pool fOB] public use. 2 The report of the public work board was as follows: < That a dead tree in front of No. 48} Cedar street and two in front of No 7 West street be cut down; that the Connecticut & Rhode Island comp be given the contract for paving street with a 6-inch concrete base a 2 1-2-inch amiesite top for § per square yard, the estimated co being $3,160; that the board application for an allotment ot '$3 000 from the state for highway workj that Hart street be sprinkled bet Lincoln street and Corbin ayen! that a cinder walk be laid on north side of Winthrop street b Vance and Linwood streets on of fore November 1; that a water be laid in Brighton street, 160 northerly from Roxbury road; thkt dead tree be cut down in front of Ny 140 Whiting street; that a_concrefs walk be laid on east side of Law! street between Nos. 97 and 129 on Of before October 25; that light be {i stalled at locations stated in varlou sections of the city; that a new st line be adopted on the east side Stanley street between the railro property and East Main street. Cuticara Healed Itching Eczema on = My Little Boy Writes Mr. Jorgenson "My little boy two years old was suf- fering with eczema for about a year,: his face being almost covered with eruptions and pimples. I had him treated and many remedies but. all V failed to help. The skin § was sore and ed, and the rash itched badly caus- ing him to scratch the breaking out all the time, - and he would carry 3 hands to khl ’i;:ce ‘fbe nnlchwi asleep, waking him. The eruption ca el:i disfi gement. Somebos;' advised \me to try Cut cura Soap and Ointment so I cake of Cuticura Soap and a box © Ointment. The& brou awayand before the first C was used with the Soa) ?(e'nlad." fiigned) Ot]t:\; o ingman, Me., Sept. 14, Cuticura Soap not only works wondery in all cases of skin troubles but its prop*3 Bassett street was referred to the board of public works, as was a pe- tition from J. R. Andrews for the acceptance of Newfleld Road. 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