Daily Republican., 1879-06-25
The City Finances.


II the City Council had levied tax
sufficient to carry on the city whole
wear and the tax rate had been fixed
at $1.l5 we should have had more faith
in its actions, but according to the re-
port which Mr.. Guthrie, chairman Of
the Finance committee, has made to
Council, the tax estimate is only suti-
cient to carry on the city until the first
of April, or a period Of nine months.
From that time up to July, three
months, the calculation of the commit
tee is to carry on the city by negotiated
notes, the very thing that was intend
ed to be avoided by the law passed at
tue late Le ,islature refunding the city
debt and providing that no more float
ing debts should be incurred. 1t looks
very much as if there was little cleo
tioneerlng scheme in the report which
might be intended to show that the
Democracy had reduced taxation and
should therefore be kept in power.
The report does not pretend that the
tax rate of $l.15 will carry the
city through further than the first
Of April, where as last year the rate
was $l.2O for the whole year. Clearly,
here is one fourth part Of the year not
provided for, and as Mr.. Chandler said
in the meeting of City Council on Mon
day night another floating debt must
inevitably be the result. The report is
vary altfully made out and is creditable
to the ingenuity of the chairman Of the
Finance committee, but with all the
sugar coating with which it is smeared
over, it fails to hide its true purposes.
The reptr. will not bear dissection. The
diff nence letween the tax rates of last
year and tie proposed vet. for this
year is cent, $1.2O last year, $l.15
this year. Tus looks we'll on paper,
AMI is Graded as Democratic refJrm.
If the tstim,te of the Fina1te Com
mittee is only 10 run the city to the
first Of April, and it TAX, g $254, 456.S6,
besides the city revenue, to do that,
then there are three months Of the year
unprovided Tor, which, in the ratio of
the assessment, would require about
$S4,S9S NOR, or total of $685. 275 for
the whole year. Unless there has been
considerable increas. in the revenues of
the city, the floating debt at the end of
the year woull be, by the amount re.
quired to carry it for tie extra three
months, $o4, ,olS. But, says Mr..
Guth,ie, our entire appropriations
are $4,000 less than they were last
year. 1t is hard to see how this can
fail to create large floating debt, and
IS the amount claimed to he saved in
the appropriation approximates within
$1l,Slo of the amount required to car
ry on the city from the first of April to
the first Of July, We mus. conclude
that the appropriations too are only
made for nine months of the year. There
is no diminution of salaries, there are
more policemen to be paid, there is 3d.
500 TO be paid for grading the quarry
lot, there is 1925 Of additional inter
est 10 he paid; $500 to Mr.. McCrea,
$500 to IA. Henze, in all an addition
of $l2,7J0 besides perhaps as many
more items that we cannot think OF and
yet Mr.. Guthrie reports reduction
in the appropriations OF $4,000. This
may be about enou n for nine months,
but surely lot enough for year. If
this report is made for political effect,
Mr.. Glthrie might as well have made
his estimates OF the expenses up to the
first of January as easily as to the first
of April, in which case it would have
10 oJked 80 much the better for party
capital. If these appropriations and
estimates Of expenses are only for nine
months Of the year then the tax rate
of Sl.l5 is entirely too high-much
higher than $l.20 would be for whole
year, especially as Mr.. Guthrie states
that the appropriations are $4,000
less than last year. We think We have
ma ie the u-stion sufficiently plain to
show that Mr.. Guthrie has either made
great error, or that he is ingenously
manufacturing party capital to keel
the Democrats in power in the City
Council another year. We will have
more TO say about these appropriations
join R. MILLER, of Reading, mus
haze terrible horror of pas>in,
through the crisis leading from singh
to married life. A few days ago h