Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-02-25

The printed reports in which the officers
OF the city submit to the City Government!
and to the public their doings for the year.
or such portion of them as they see fit to
render an account Of, ought to be carefully
read and pondered by the taxpayers. 1t is
the duty of each citizen to know how the
men to whom he and his brother citizens
delegate their control of their own affairs,
perform their duties. The closer the atten-
ton given to these matters by the tax-psy-
ers, the more carefully and faithfully, as a
rule, will those duties be performed. Espec-
tally at this time. when the city is to select
a new City Government for the year to
come, is such scrutiny desirable, on the part
OF all who desire to secure an economical
and honest municipal government.
The Eleventh City Report, just issued. is
before Us, and contains plenty of matter for
study. 1t opens, as usual, with the Mayor 5
message of nearly year ago. This, Of
course, Is properly included in the Report
yet in the main it refers not to the past year
but to the year previous, and Is now, except
for the purpose of keeping up the record,
out Of date |; vas printed in our paper
over ten months ago, and needs no com
ment now. Ii or Mayors would adopt the
practice Of submitting with their estimates,
at the close OF the year, a message, summing
up the proceedings Of the year. in connec-
ton with the reports Of other officials, it
would have a ire~hcr interest and be Of more
value, for the Report, than the old ono.
The only report the Aldermen make is il
the Us, Of off ;er- they elected, and the or
dinances they have passed. These are some
times clumsy enough in their wording, as
where J., l. provided that mo person shall
walk, ,taaj, sit or be upon the turf in said
Battery PARK. but shall pass and repass
oa or through the walk and ways laid out
in ,ad Park Blu; if there Is nothing
worse than tad grammar in the ordinances,
We have little TO complain Of ThIrty-ive
ordinauoe~ are printed in this Report, which
have been c4ioiuAy compiled from the rec
ord. and We understand them to constitute
th- ezi>;in. municipal laws under which
We l,s L. oon.! be well if they were read
ami understood hg every citizen
TIE nlrAsTsEsTS-THE STREETS.
Coming o, the departments. the fI~: is
that f-tr5e;-. We fud from the reports Of
Saper.ntendcn;- L.n-ley and B5ckwith,
that they expended last year on the streets,
park and sewer. So ,I-II5, divided as fol-
lows On>trect-. including the extension #
Willard street, S G97.77 on sewers. H.
GLIDING filling Pomcroy Pond, S3,670I,,
on Parks almost the whole OF It on the
City Park = 290lI; On repairs Of briic
es and public buildings, $3.50, Of which
Colchester owes Us $50 c., for her share Of
repairing the Wnoaski bridge The
Superintendent reports some s 200 due
his department. including uncolleeted
take. which with the highway tax Of 20
cents. viii give the department FOR next
year some S, eco OF S9,cco. lie is assured
that the property owners Will grade and
macadamize some OF the streets next year.
provided the ci.y viii bear "a fair
portion OF The cost. lie advises the cub-
ins apd macsdamizirg of Church street
from Bank to Pearl.
THE FLETCHER IBEE LIBRARY.
We commend 70 general perusal the In
ttresting reports Of the Trustees and Libra
rian Of the Free Library. The extent to
which il j. used, is noteworthy Few
libraries, ,a2 MIR Rogers, yeIy truly, can
show Ike ttt-a circulation in TX months
equa! to go Ter ce-tot the number of Vol
umcs ans the c.a-- Of reading. he say, is
above the average. He expresses the need
OF an assistant, and OF more room. Where
that is to be got, in the present building
We lo NOT 500