The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1875-04-14

j. b. Hereford filed bond rs city sec
rotary and was sworn In. After read
ing and approving the minutes of the
previous meeting, his honor read the
following message:
MAYORS OFFICE, CRY or DALLAS, /
April ~, 1915. !
To the Honorable City Council of the City Of
Dallas;
GENTLEMEN-The commencement OF
a new municipal year renders IL appro-
pirate that should lay before you the
condition of the city, astWell ~ my
views MS to what Is best to be done dur
ing the present session in the different
municipal departments of the city.
The general depression in trade and
manufactures, which was apparent
throughout the country, rs well as the
short cotton crop of last year, has nec-
essarily more or less affected business
here. | am glad to say, however, that
it has not seriously affected the en-
ployment of our mechanics and labor
ers, or materially interfered with the
growth of our city, as there has been
great activity in building, both for
dwellings and business houses. At no
period in the history of this city has
there been greater number of build
ings in course of erection than at pres
ent. This fact has its basis In a gen.
eral confidence In the prosperity and
growth of the city, and the tendency of
capital towards safe investments.
The population of the city is increas-
ing daily by the accession of live, ac-
tive and intelligent citizens. The
number of buildings being erected are
increasing rapidly and steadily, as Is
evidenced by the number of buildings
now to be seen In process of erection
in every ward of the city. These facts,
gentlemen, necessarily increase the de-
mand on you for municipal legislation
to meet these increased wants. One
thing, gentlemen, to be considered is
that the growth of our city in pOpula-
tion and In its architectural extern
sion slowly but irresistibly increases
the department expenses of our mu-
nicipal government, while the increase
of the revenue has not been equal in
proportion, as our rate of taxation, and
the mode ofcollectlng the same is fixed
by charter, and besides, the taxable
values do not increase in proportion to
the growth of the city, l am happy,
however, to state that the assessments
for the present year exceeds the last by
nearly seven hundred thousand dol
lars.
The constant increase in our pOpula-
ton enlarges the depand for hospitals,
for police service, for the opening Of
cross streets, and the repair of the
cross as well as the main streets.
To meet these expenses, l would re-
specially refer your honorable body
to the report of the secretary, and ask
the finance committee to take into
consideration the financial condition
of the city and devise, If possible, some
means to improve the same. When l
was first inaugurated large debt,
eighty eight thousand dollars, was
transferred to me without dollar in
the hands of the treasurer to pay the
same. A large amount of this debt
has been paid by receiving scrip and
other evidences of this debt for ad va
loren and occupation taxes. The
effect of this was to keep the treasury
empty of currency, and to fill 1t with
scrip to be cancelled. The result was
that additional scrip had to be issued
for the payment of claims against the
city, for the purchase and opening of
streets, repairs of hospital, for the pay
ment Of costs In suits against the city,
pay of policemen and city officers, and
for the purchase of hook and ladder
trucks for the fire department.. This
scrip Is still out against the city. l
would ask your honorable body to give
this subject your most serious consid-
Grafton, and would recommend that
all the scrip issued to certain date,
either to the first day of January, or
or first day of April, 1875, be bonded,
bonds In denomination Of 500 and
$500 payable in ten or twenty years,
bearing ten per cent interest from date
and that the taxes to be collected here
after be collected in currency. This
would enable us at once 10 pay the in
terest on our bonds, TO pay of great
part of our Indebtedness and place our |
city paper ON a good basis. l would
further recommend that until we can |
collect a sufficient revenue from the
taxes due that the scrip to be Issued
bear interest at the rate Of eight and q
half per cent per annum, and then
bonded "a other scrip. The last
council had thirty thousand dollars
a a - 1~I n n La.