{ title: 'The Mid-island mail. (Medford, N.Y.) 1935-1941, November 06, 1940, Page 5, Image 5', download_links: [ { link: 'http://www.loc.gov/rss/ndnp/ndnp.xml', label: 'application/rss+xml', meta: 'News about NYS Historic Newspapers - RSS Feed', }, { link: '/lccn/sn95071326/1940-11-06/ed-1/seq-5/png/', label: 'image/png', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn95071326/1940-11-06/ed-1/seq-5.pdf', label: 'application/pdf', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn95071326/1940-11-06/ed-1/seq-5/ocr.xml', label: 'application/xml', meta: '', }, { link: '/lccn/sn95071326/1940-11-06/ed-1/seq-5/ocr.txt', label: 'text/plain', meta: '', }, ] }
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TmvM General and Highway Buckets 53* * *x* 9 -O A dopted; Several Cmts — Items Deba ted Total for Many Purposes R unning *© $480^68 , Shows Els e of 6 P.C. Only Change Is Removal of Prop osed .$500 Increase i in Item for Legal Expenses After making a cut of $ 500 , the Brookhaven Town board late Friday afternoon adopted the 1941 general town budget in the amount of $480 , 168.43 , an increase of $29 , 418 or six per cent over that adopted a year ago , which totalled' $45 0 , - 903. The $500 reduction , recommended by Town Counseh Ralph J. Hawkins , lopped off an increase Mr. Hawkins originally had requested for legal ex- penses in connection with his vrork. This brought the expense item back to . $1;500, the same as a year ago. The general town budget was the subject of the entire two-di our morn- ing session held by the board Friday. It\ consists in part of . the town trustees ' budget of $45 , 200 , which in- cludes provision for the purchase of land adjoining the entrance to the town-owned Patchogue Sandspit pro- perty, adjoining the east side of the mouth of Patchogue river , at a cost of $2 , 500; an appropriation of 84 ,- 500 covering the cost of dredging and the constructing of a dock on the bay side of the 20O-foot-wide beach site on Great South \ beach , which was giv- en to tlie town early this year by Malcolm Davi s of Blue Point; an item Of $^00 to be used for further improvement of Port Jefferson ' s har- bor and shorefront , and \$6 ,300 for the ' .purchase of a dock property at Setiuiket harboj?. ; Everett M. Emery of Centereach , who said he was speaking for the Central Brookhaven Taxpayers ' asso- ciation , suggested at the outset of the morning session in the crowded board room that the salaries of town officials be reduced 15 per cent. In the diseussion on salaries , Attorney William Underwood of Patchogue drged that the salaries not be touch- ed , saying that Brookhaven fown is the largest town in the county and that salary-cutting would \ result only in an insignificant reducti on in tax rate. \ ® : -$> .1 Salary Cuts Debated I Supervisor Edgar A. Sharp then remarked that if town officials were relieved of the responsibility of buy- ing tickets for social affairs , ads in journals , cups for tournaments , and other such donations , he , for one , \ might be willing to take a 50 per cent salary cut, \ In rep ly to a comment from someone in the audience th&t most officials have their own business be- sides the public offices they hold , Mr, Sharp said tbat , due to his expenses in pyblic office , his private business is essential to his income. v Highway Superintendent Harold F. Davis then said ' that the first' year he took office , be voluntarily took a cut of 50 per cent for a period of over a year. \From events ih the the past year , however , \ he added \I' m convinced that the peop le did not appreciate ¦what I did for them. \ 1 Oh the police budget , Mr. Emery suggested tbat the various police officers , who now have the use of radio cars , are receiving the same salaries as they did when they wore required to use their own cars. He suggested that the town effect a reduction in police salaries, then pur- chase radio , cars , for all the police- men. He also recommended \ \ that school j anitors be deputized so ' they could handle traffic , thereby reliev- ing the police of this duty. Whon the number of police on the Brookhaven town force was ques- tioned , Judge Carl\ Ruhland , police committee chairman , said that the present force consists of 27 men and that plus summer and Weelk-end mon. \I do not think we have too many , police in Brookhaven town. \ In answer to Mr. Emery on the use of\ iradio cars , board members tiaid that the police uso their pwn cars dn. many instances and do not spare them' in ernergencios. ' Judge- 1 Kerison D. Merrill of Rocky Point s aid that requests for more police have come in from the four summer communities on the North Shore , Sound Beach , North Shore Beach , Miller Place and Mt. Sinai , which have a combine d summer pop- ulation of about 20 , 000 people. & *- : ^ I Police Criticized , Upheld | • Dr. William Henrichson , presi- dent of the Mastic Beach Property Owners association , added that the summer' population of Mastic Beach is about 15 , 000. Dr. Henrichson told of the accomplishments already made by Brookhaven police, with th-eir present limited facilities , in curbing a \bolder element\ that was miming wild * in the Mastic Beach area before the police took a hand, Mr. Emery told of an experience he had about a year ago , when his truck was stolen . He said that he called state.troopers and that within an hour , his truck had been recover- ed, in Hurtt:ngton. \I think we should rely, too , on the state police , \ he added. Mr. Sharp then related his own ex- perience of having bad a ear stolen and how it was recovered in lower New York by Brookhaven Chief Ed- ward N. Bridge. Judge Sorenson reminded Mr. Emery of the time the C entereach postoffice , in which M! T . Emery ' s daughter is emp loyed , was robbed and how the state and town police shared in the investigation, \But it was the town police , \ he added , \ who stayed there and even-; tually solved the case. \ Dr. Henrichson said his Mastic Beach -organization was opposed to any cut in the police budget. A ques- tion was l'aised as to whether the board' s police committee , in prepar- ing the 1941 budget , had taken into consideration the fact that the pop- ulation of Camp Upton -will tbe in- creased greatly during the comin g year , and Mr. Sharp replied that this point had been carefully considered. A question tha t was raised on the do .g catching expensese brought a reply from Mr. Sharp that the cost of catching, feeding or killing dogs caugh t by tbe dog warden are set by state law. Town Clerk Andrew D. Havens explained that the -amounts received ~by the town out of dbg lieense fees in the course of a year are generally more than sufficient to cover the cost of the dog warden. In reference to the gravel conces- sion funds held in escrow by the to^vn trustees , pending tbe outcome of a suit brought by the state sev- eral years ago , Town Trustee Ira G. Rogers of Bellport said that at pres- ent the escrow sum is within $7 of the $100 , OO0-mark. Town Counsel Ralph J. Hawkins added that it is hoped that this case will be disposed of some time in January. * ,^_J u___ 1 — * I Setauket Purchase Discussed | £ _ •—9 •Complaints that the town trustees , in planning to purchase a dock prop - erty on Setauket harbor , for $6 , 300 , were being overcharged about 100 pen- cent of its value were made by a dormer co-owneT of the property in qu estion , who said he had received a threatening anonymous letter , request- ing him not to appear at the budget hearing. The \ overcharge \ claim was an- swered by County Highway Superin- tendent Harry Tuthill , who said he had given the town trustees a re- placement estimate of from $12 , 000 to $15 , 000 on the dock involved. Mr. Rogers said that the item had been placed in the budget at the request of a group of East Setauket residents who had come before the town trus- tees several month s ago , and that a figure of $10 , 000 , had originally been considere d but that this had beon cut to $6 , 300. On the subject of town-owned beaches , Mr. Emery suggested that th© town continue to permit town residents to use these beaches with - out charge, but that a charge bo made for out-of-town residents. It was explained by Judge Walter H. Nevins th at while it appears that many out-of-town residents use those beaches , particularly West Meadow beach , the out-of-state automobile li- censes seen at the beach are thoso largely owned by persons who come hete from other states to rent prop- erty for tlie summer, At several points in the morning session , Mr. Sharp said it was tho board' s purpose to listen to the rcc« omnnondatSons of tho taxpayers and to glvo . - 'thorn consideration , but to avoid, any type of argumen t in the course of the hearing. While there had appeared to he some interest among the peoplo in the Patchogue sandspit purchase item , nobody came before the board about it and the item was not discussed at the hearing, Drive Drunk : Fine $25 The alertness of Patchogue Patrol- man Winiield Covstoii , phis , the co- operation expended hy a passing mo- torist , led to the arrest in Patchogue last Wedne sday of John R. Lud- way, aged 38 , of Med ford, on si ch a rge of drunken driving. Officer Corston was on tranTic duty at Patchogue ' s central corner , when Ludway, driving northbound on North Ocean avenue , just above East Main street , allegedly struck a parked car a glancing blow. When Ludway con- tinued without stopping, Officer Cor- ston. commandeered a passing car , operated by Ernest Komeo of South Ocean av enue , Patchogue , and over- took the car several blocks further northward, - Aftor being examined by a physi- cian , Ludway was arraigned beforo Acting Police Justice Lincoln G. Schmidt on a drunken driving chai'gc. Ho pleaded guilty and was fined $25 , and his operator ' s license was revoked. Road Estimate Slashed by $92 , 300 , Including $58p l for D eficit Total Stands at $358 , 603 , or 28 PC. Under Last Year After cutting the original estimate by $92 , 300 , of which $58 , 601 was to have been used to pay bill s for materials con- stitu ting a 1939 deficit in the Brookhaven Town Highway department , the Town board late Friday afternoon adopted the 1941 highway budget in the amount of $358 , 603. This represents a dr op of $141 ;468 or about 28 per cent under the $50O , - 071 budget adopted a year ago. The $58 , 601 item was the subject of most of the debate that consumed the afternoon session at the annual budget hearing in the Town hall , Patchogue , Friday, during which rep- resentatives of the various creditors pleaded with the various board members and Town Counsel Ralph J. Hawkins to help ' them secure pay- ment of the long past-due bills. Mr. Davis contended that he had a legal right to include the appropria- tion covering the overdue bills in the budget and cited a case from the kvw , which he said would serv e as a pre- cedent. Town Counsel Hawkins , how- ever , ruled it could not be done. - The overdue bills provided some- thing of a bombshell in the budget proceedings , Justice of the Peace Carl Ruhland pointing out that when Mr. Davis presented the statement of his department' s finances at the end of 1939 , he showed a balance of $64. It was the first time that neaidy all the members of the board had heaid anything ab out the $58 , 601 amount. Supervisor Edgar A. Sharp said that he had copies of bills totalling about $7 , 000 of the long overdue sum in his office ., and that the firs t he had heaa-d about the larger sum was about two weeks ago after a meeting of the creditors had been held in Coram. The procedure of paying highway de- partment bills , it was explained , is for the highway unit to send vouchers to Mr. Sharp ' s office. Mr. Davis said that the reason for a large part of the delay in sending the bills through to Mr. Sharp ' s office was that the Suffolk grand jury in- vestigating highway matters in the several towns of the county have had his records for nearly eight months and that he was greatly hampered be- cause of this condition. The bills consist mainly of gasoline , motox oil , and various highway mate- rials. The bills ranged from small amounts up to $13 , 707 , the latter being owed the Shell Oil company. S> * , I Creditors Present Petition I At the conclusion of the lengthy discussion on the 1939 bills , a group of the highway department creditors presented a petition to the board , urg- ing that step s be taken to procure the necessary enabling legislation for the payment of the bills. Mr. Davis said that a similar con- dition existed when he too?< office ten years ago, when about $0 , 000 in bills from the administration of Arthur Murray were found to be unpaid. He said he had paid these from his de- partment budget of the first year. In the heat of the discussion , Mir. Davis , said , \This is the largest town in the state of New York until it comes time; to make up my budget , then it becomes one of the smallest. \ Among tho other reductions made in the original estimate before it was adopted , was a $6 , 000 cut in the $60 , 000 item for road oil and emul- sion ; also a reduction of $5 , 000 Jn the $10 , 000 item for gas , oil and sundries; a $10 , 000 item for stone , grits and cinders was halved; a $5 , 000 item for the purchase of cement , sand , etc., was cut in two; a $500 cut was made in the $1 , 500 item for culverts and sluices; the $1 , 000 item for repair and construction of walks at Cherry Grove and \Water Island was cut in two , and $14 , 300 was taken from the $143 , 000 item for drivers , operators and labor. These cuts were made in Item 1 of the highway budget , and , at the suggestion of Mr. Sharp , salaries for the stock clerk and general foreman , totalling $3 , 500 , were transferred from Item 4 to Item 1. The stock clerk and general foreman , Mr. Sharp said , are employed at the highway department' s shed in Coram , and if their salaries were to be left in Item 4 , the incorporated villages would have to share in this cost, He felt this was unfair to the villages. He also suggested that the salary of watchman in Cora m be shifted to Item 1 , but Deputy Highway Super- intendent Russell Ferrer opposed this , saying that the watchman is a pro- tecti on for tbe town machinery, to- ward the cost of which the incorpor- ated village s pay a share. Mr. Davi s suggested that the certi- ficates of indebtedness item of over $50 , 0-00 in ftem 4 should be in the town general budget. \Th e State Department of Audit and Control says we are the only town in the state that does this. Is everybody else wrong and are we the only ones right?\ he asked. Mr. Sharp took exception to this , saying he has been in touch regu3arly with the state audit and con trol unit and that nothing along these lines was ever suggested. Cornelius Vandenberg of Mastic Beac h asked if funds are being ap- propriated for the straightening of Mastic Beach road , and was informed by -Mr. Ferrer and Town Counsel Hawkins that the seven-year cam- paign to secure the necessary ease- ments from the Floyd interests is nearing an end. Mr. Ferrer said that if the easements are secured during the coming year , funds will be avail- able for the work. The subsequent reduction in the budget is expected to have some effect on this offer . | Question on Revenue | <$r~ <§> At the conclusion of the discussion on the highway budget , August H. Stout , Jr., president of the Chamber of Commerce of the Moriches , asked Mr. Sharp if the figures on estimated revenue to be applied toward the 1941 budget were available , and was told that all these figures were not yet in. Saying that the Moriches civic group is anxious to get a report on the estimated revenues for the com- ing year , as well as actual revenues for the past few years , which he said the chamber \ considered a very im- portant matter , \ \ Mr. Stout asked whether all Town departments remain within their respective budgets from year to year. Mr. Sharp said that occasionally a department will ex- ceed its budget , then , in response to a question by Mr. Stout , he added that when this occurs , the necessary funds are transferred from the town surplus account to tbat of the department in- volved. , «,M*AAA4 ^*A * ^JLAAlAA4AAr lilJUBAAAAAAA.AAAAAJ.AAAAA*«AAAA^ SWI ZEYCOAL ^FEED CO. COAL , FEED and FUEL OIL 'J ****mm*%***** m***** a*m***] ****** w*^^ 4 Rtlder Avwnuc and Long: Uland R-ftihoud . ¦* PATCHOGUE , N. Y. ] TELEPHONE 270 ¦»»yw»tTvr^v*Ty> »v***v»tT iw vi'^*»**' rv»v ,f'W ^^
