Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-01-02

fculiies attending the subject and the infirmi-
ties of human Judgment to do exact and equal
justice to all, we should make the effort TO ap-
proXimate as nearly TO il rs possible.
The act OF the legislature, passed March Goth
1861, under the authority of which our sewers
have been constructed, provides, Sec A. that
every person owning real estate upon any
street in which any drain or sewer NAV he laid
under or by virue of this act and upon the line
thereof, or who's real estate may be benefited
thereby, shall pay TO said city such sum as the
mayor and aldermen shall assess upon him as
his prooOrtionate share of the expenditure of
the city for drains and sewers"
Section provides that the act shall be void
unless submitted TO the VOTERS of said city of
Worcester, and approved by them. On the 10Th
day OF April, 1867, at meeting duly called for
that purpose, the act was approved by a vote of
S16 in the affirmative to 40 in the negative
Section Of chapter ~ of the city ordinances
provides that cit shall be the duty of the mayor
and aldermen 10 apporli0n and assess, a cord
ing to their best judgment, upon the several
persons and estates adjoining the line of any
common sewer or adjoining anyistreet or highway
IN which any such sewer is constructed and
deriving benefit from such common sewer, either
by the entry Of their particular drains therein
or ny any more remote means, such sum as
said mayor and aldermen shall deem TO be his
proportionae share of the expenditure of the
city for drains and sewers"
These provisions not only authorize but com
pei, the mayor and alderman to make an assess
ment against persons and estates for the purpose
of raising fund to be applied, as far as it may
20, IN payment of our sewer debt, and think |
that the duty of making this assessment should |
at once be entered upon, with full determine
ton, upln some equitable basis, to complete it
at the earliest practical moment, aud when COM
pleted the assessment should be promptly col |
lccted and applied to the relief of our impOvcr-
lshed treasury. 1t should be fair and equifa- |
BILE assessment. His honor MavOr Chnnin in |
his iO1upural address n 1871 said tFNotbipr 10
more important TO the people than careful and |
equitable assessment Much of the reluctance |
to paying taxes, which is privilege no one ex- |
actly Graves may be traced to a kind of dim |
certainty that they are not equitably assessed |
Ii is proposition which it requires no argu- |
ment TO sustain, that IN assessing upon the peo-
pie a tax for the support of municipal govern |
meut, care should be taken that the burden lall |
equally upon all. And in the assessment under |
consideration this proposition should be CON |
stantly recognized, and if it is, our people will,
| know, meet cheertullv and heartily the requi- |
Sitions made upon them in this respect. | think |
the statute which authorizes the assessment, |
and the ordinance which makes it the duty of |
the mayor and aldermen to assess, have, when |
construed together, furnished the rule by which |
we are to be guided in making it,
The statute provides that every person own |
ING real estate upon any street in which a sewer
may be laid, or which may be benefited there |
by, shall pay such sum the mayor and alder |
'Su may dNSVoN, NC, anu tilc ordnance provides
thar it shall he the duty of the mayor and alder
men to assess the several persons and estates, |
&c derlCtng benefit from such common Setcer, |
either by entry Of their particular drains there |
IN, or By any more remote Means such sum as |
they shall deem his proportonate share of the |
expenditure of the city for drains and sewers.
1t seems TO me to be clear that the assess |
ment contemplated by these enactments is to be |
based upon and graduated by the benefit de |
rived or TO be derived; therefore no assessment
based upon valuation of the land or by the |
number of neal front feet of land which a man |
may own along the line of any sewer can alone |
form an equitable basis upon which tins assess |
ment can be made. A man owns an estate on |
Chestnut street, for instance having 800 feet |
front; he has dwelling house upon it; his land
is worth $50 coo; his family consists of four per-
sons; be drains from his house into the sewer
Another man owns, in another part OF the city,
an estate of 100 feet front; upou it he has |
dwelling honses and tenemen's which furnish
shelter for fifty persons; his land is worth $1,000; |
his dwellings, and tenementS drain into the |
sewer. Attempt an assessment based upon val |
uation or front feet Of land, and how soon YOU |
depart from the equitable rule of assessment |
according to benefit derived.
Let those be assessed who derive benefit, |
either from entering their own particular drains |
into the sewer, or by any other more remote |
means, according to benefit received over and |
above the general benefit which all citizens |
alike derive from this great beneiact,on. Such |
an assessment will without doubt meet the APP |
prOval and acquiescencG of our people, To all |
citizens of the city the sewers are a general ben
eft, furnishing as they do surface drainage for |
the streets, thus preventing in Il measure the |
constant wear to which they are subjected from |
rains and thaws And also in a sanitary point |
of view their general benefits are incalcuable. |
So far then as they are of general benefit they |
should be paid for as ali general benefits are by
the community generally. So far as they are a !
particular benefit they should be paid for h,
individuals particularly benefited, ap9-i y The
inc to the particular benefit they H:id accord
Ny idea, then is that sour |e Sc ene or,ros
benefit from nc sewers, other and different
from the general benefit derived by all citizens
alike, he should be assessed for it, and the bal
ance Of the cost oi the sewers be absorbed in
the public debt. The amount of the sewer debt
will be found stated in its appropriate place un
der the head of finances.
BY such means as these, the cost of our sew
eTs, which constitutes the principal part of our
Indebtedness, will be easily disposed of; its
payment will be distributed equitably and as
the debt is now funded with a long day for
payment, the burden will fall lightly on those
who have TO bear it; and those who come after
us, and for whose benefit, as well as our own,
these improvements are made, will be Obliged
TO contribute their proportionate share of the
cost.
am aware that there are wide differences of
opinion as to the proper basis for making this
assessment, and although | feel entirely conf
dent in the equity and justice Of the plan have
suggested, desire thar you shall carefully cx-
anime the subject, so that when you come TO a
conclusion, it may not justly be said that we
have been needless in the performance of this
duty.
SINKING FUND.
The lasteity council by an ordinance passed,
/ think, in August last, laid out the ground
work for sinking fund, the purpose of which
| is TO urOVide for the payment of orr debit. II