Daily Republican., 1880-01-28
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The items most noticeable as beini
remarkably small as compared with th'
same corresponding items in Whining
ton are the following:
Highways and paving including sur
veys and opening streets, $l4, ,043.33
while in Wilmington the same specif,
duties ara included, in repairs of streets
opening streets and curbing and paving
amounting in the aggregate to 500, 900.
90. From this 1t will be seen that ia,
same work in Wilmington, costs $14,
9a6 67 cents more than 1t does in Read
ing. Another striking item is the Fire
department, Reading having a volun
teer department, composed of nine com
panies, the appropriation to which il
1879 was only $l1, ,5S4.1l.
The City Appropriation to the Will
mington Fire Department comprising
8 companies, is $40, 900, balance in favor
Of Reading, sS,305.S9. 1t is proper
however here to state that the city o
Reading owns all the engine houses,
the engines and all the fixtures requir.
ed in the department, and do all the
repairing needed. The frsmen own
their own horses and they are kept out
of the Council appropriation. The
Reading firemen, however. are not
troubled with payment of interest on
mortgages, like the Wilmington fire.
men are.
Another item in which the difference
Of expenditure is conspicuous is the
relative expenses Of the police depart.
ment. Reading has twenty mine police
men, including two sergeants and one
chief, the patrolmen are paid $45 per
month out of which they are expected
to purchase two suits of uniform which
would reduce the amount to at least
$40 month or $3.50 a year. The two
sergeants get $50 each more and the
chief about $3.50, making a total of
about $l2, $50. In Wilmington there are
twenty-three patrolmen getting 5000
a year, four sergeants at $3.50 each and
chief of police at 900, making a total
Of SIT, l40. This makes an item of
$4,000 in favor of Reading. Besides
police duty the Reading police light and
extinguish the lamps of the city.
The lighting of the city ia another
item in which Reading seems to save
a large amount of money. Mr.. Runkle,
the controller informed us that the
whole expense for gas for year ipclud.
ing the naptha for lighting the lamps
in the outskirts, was only $66s1. SO last
year. The appropriations for lighting
The city of Wilmington this year is
slS, 900. The repairs of lamps however,
and the increase of new lamps, in
Reading belongs to the incidental &C.
counts of the city, and the lighting of
;he lamps as we haye already stated Is
performed by the police. Look at it
rom any standpoint however it will be
'een that the palm for economy in the
way of lighting the city must be award
ID to Reading.
In Wilmington the appropriations for
he Board of Education which this year
8 fixed at $66, 500 form considerable
art of the expense Of the city, but in
leading the public schools are entirely
eparated from the city government. It
axes however, about $75, 900 to support {
he public schools which amount is I
aised by taxation except probably some,
5000 which comes from the State ap-
From the foregoing it
ill be seen that in the Wilmington ,
appropriations $66,5O0 for the sup =
ort Of the public schools is included, 7
lille II Reading raised her money in n
40 same manner, she would be some 7
4 900 in excess Of WILMINGTON. IL
In like manner the Water Depart =
ent Of the City Of Reading is indepen- T
ent Of the city management, though q
10 revenue from that department is a
lid direct into the city treasury, and! \
paid out by orders in the same. la
The water works are about self-sus- ~
lining, not requiring any appropria- - -
on from the city. They are managed = =
? q board Of Water Commissioners q
ther three or five in number who give
leir services gratis to the city. This =
in marked contrast to the Water !.
commissioners Of Wilmington who had I,