1915-03-15vv

“A wise man’s idea of nothing to do is sit on the board of control.”

Hamilton Spectator.    March 15, 1915

Hamilton City Hall was never short of meetings that produced a lot of talk but few results. Hamilton’s local city politicians were never short of critics in the media.

The two traditions in Hamilton City Hall operations came together on March 14, 1915 at a meeting of the Board of Control.

At issue was how to rectify the long-standing problems caused by the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway as its line passed through the city, east of the Hunter street tunnel. The line crossed many busy streets at grade, busy thoroughfares such as James street south and John street south. The problem was that when a passenger train was stopped at the station just east of James, on Hunter street,  the lengthy trains effectively blocked all traffic on James and John as the travellers alighted or got on board.

The T.H. & B. railway had been built in 1895. Twenty years later there was a strong push to either depress the line under the street allowance, or, the other option, depress the street route under the railway tracks.

The City of Hamilton had given the promoters a significant finance bonus to bring the T.H.& B. Railway to Hamilton Twenty years later the municipal leadership  was definitely not willing to spend any more money to fix the street blockage problem.

By March, 1915, officials with the City of Hamilton and the T.H. & B. railway had been in prolonged, but as yet unresolved, negotiations regarding the matter.

The Hamilton Board of Control had passed a resolution stating the City’s official position on the issue in January, 1915, but that did not prevent one controller from reopening the question once again.

As a quite annoyed Spectator reporter described the Board of Control meeting, it was both heated and unproductive:

“For over two hours this morning that body discussed matters, and disgust was discernible on the face of every man after the meeting was over.

“That old question which has furnished so much fodder for discussion at the board cropped up again – the matter of track depression.

“By way of starting, Controller Morris brought forth a resolution which provided a real gem in stenographic art, but which no person but himself could understand but himself.

“After spending considerable time in explaining the drift of his resolution, it was found that it covered nothing more than was covered in a resolution drawn up by the board two months ago, but that did not stop Controller Morris from fighting to have it passed.”

“Play Pythias With You Friend Damon”

Hamilton Spectator. March 15, 1915.

Controller Morris’ reputation as a grandstanding, very vocal and frequently bewildering politician was in full play at the meeting:

“He tried very hard to get a seconder for his resolution, but no person would do so. Finally, after the discussion led the board back to where it started from several times, he again tried to inflict the resolution upon the board but without result.

“ ‘Will any person second it?’ he asked.

“Every person was as quiet as the dog in sausage, and the proverbial pin would have made a noise like an anvil if it had dropped.”¹

After a direct appeal to one of his few allies at City Hall, Controller Morris entreated to Controller Robson to second his motion:

“Controller Robson assumed a bringing-up-father air, and after giving the Savoy theater the once- over over his left shoulder, he faced the speaker and spoke.

“ ‘Well, to help you get it before the board, I will second it,’ said the new controller.”¹

After Mayor Walters put forth the resolution to the whole board, he asked Controller Cooper why he had yet to say a word at the meeting :

“ ‘I have stated my views several times,’ replied Controller Cooper, ‘and I have not heard anything new brought up this morning. I do not want to waste the board’s time restating what already has been said.’ ”¹

Mayor Walters then directly asked all the controllers if there was any support for the resolution, and only one, Controller Morris, replied in the affirmative.

City Solicitor Waddell then could restrain himself longer and heatedly spoke up, declaring that the Morris resolution called for nothing new at all.

After even more wrangling, it was decided to park the Morris resolution. It was not dead but would not be dealt with until some indeterminate future meeting.

Two hours, nothing accomplished.