The Portland daily press., 1871-03-03

lSte0ce on the ruins or tnG state, ana JnaC us
adherents made the disgraceful peace that
permitted the victorious Germans to march
proudly under the Arch of Triumph.
A Few Facts in Regard to Municipal Tax
alton.
The appropriations for the street depart
ment daring the present municipal year have
amounted TO $4,000, and the expenditures
will not quite equal the appropriations
More than enough of the appropriations is
left to meet the expenses for the remainder
of the year.
The appropriation for streets uIder Mr.,
Putnam's administration was $7S,O00-$4C0o
less than during the past year.
At the close Of the last municipal year, a
large amount of work upon the streets had
been ordered, contracted for or commenced,
which The present city government has been
OBJ ICED to complete.
The order had passed to widen Centre St..
and to continue it to Commercial ST., but the
changes had not been made, and it was left
for this administration to build and pave the
street., besides paying the land damages; and
this work has cost about $500, to say moth
ing Of nearly as much more which we have
paid during the last year for the land taken in
widening and continuing the street.
The change OF grade and the paving of
Portland street, which was another work con-
tinued from 1869, has cost the city during the
year about $1,000, not including a large
amount paid for damages caused ty the
change of grade.
The work of grading on the Eastern Prom
enade, begun in 1869 has been completed
tlis year at a cost of about $500.
The changes in Congress street, between
Elm and Pearl, including the wood pavement
have cost the city about $4,000 With the
exception of the wood pavement all will
agree that the work done there was absolate-
ly necessary. The street had been widened
from Temple to Pearl streets but it had never
been rebuilt to conform to the change, and
had been allowed to remain almost precisely
as it was alter the file of 1885, TIE wood
pavement was contracted Tor in writing in the
1ahof 1869, and the contractors who by the
terms E the contract had a reasonable time
to put 1t aewp, claimed as they had not been
able to lay 1t Daore frost came in the fall, they
had right to conrlete their contract in the
spring and so notified the city.
The present administration can neither be
proud nor asham ed of the wood pavement
for it is not one oftner achievements. They
simply fulfilled the contract OF the year before
Mrf-1tnams' administration saw fit to make
the contract, and no foption was left to the
present city government but to Iuil it.
The heavy grading which has been done or
tie extension ofCumbe~land st. and on Lafa,
cite street, is simply the building of streets
which had been located and reducing them to
grade which had been established, before
Mayor Kingsbnry came into office. 1t has
c st about $4,000.
India street has been raised to the grade es-
ta,Iished in 1869 at an expense of about
$500.
A large number of smaller jobs might be
mentioned but the statement already given
of the work ordered, and commenced by the
city government of 1869, and completed by
the present administration is sufficient and
m ore than sufficient to account Tor the excess
of $4,000 10 the appropriations of this year,over
thai OF the last.
About 2 a miles of side walk have b cen
lad the present year.
Four hundred yards of granite block paw.
lag have been laid on Middle street, and old
pavements have been extensively repaired.
The repairs upon bridges which the city is
o',Iiuo5 4, ipt hos oh
1t is not the purpose of this article to at
tick the administration of Mr.. Putnam, but
when the praise OF superior economy is claim
ed Tor that administration it is fair to consider
some OF the expensive works which it has be-
queathed to its successors 10 perform.
And now how stands the administration of
Mayor Kingsbury?
Will our Democratic friends inform US,
what expensive changes, like those which
have been mentioned, they would find upon
their hands, if by miracle as astonishing to
themselves as to everybody else, they were to
assume the municipal administration this
year.
Would they find themselves bound by any
new "wooden pavement contract?
Would they discover that the City Govern
ment OF this year had begun such works as
the changing the grade of Portland or India
or Cumberland or Lafayette streets?
What would they find to do, like the widen
ing and extension and paving of Centre
street?
We venture to say that no municipal adj |
mnistration for years has been so scrupulous |
in retaining from new and unnecessary enter |
prises, as the present. This is its settled pol. |
icy, and it is a common remark among those |
who are conversant with the subject, that |
the work TO be done upon the streets the |
next year may be as effectively done with |
$4,000 as this year it has been with $4,000;
simply because the present administration
has projected so few large and expensive
changes.
Next year the State tax is to be reduced
one-sixth we ale not to be drained of an ex-
ira sixty thousand dollars, for the equalization |
of btunties, as we have been this year; no |
Jobs that require large expenditure have been |
started by the present administration, and the
talk about an increase OF taxation is the idlest
of threats. Il
1t is easy to talk about the incompetence
and extravaganza of any administration, but
the fact that our Democratic friends deal only |
in eeneraties OF this sort shows how dificu
Il Is for them to point 10 any facts which es-
,lbish or tend to establish their theory in re-
: lrd to the present municipal government.
Political Notes.
Gen. Stewart l.. Woodford is to take the
stump in New Hampshire next week.
The Rhode Island Republicans will hold
.helf convention to nominate State officers in