Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-12-14
II 1 t FINANCES
And other Local Ahtirs OmeiaI-
Iy Reported.

huu pullCb COLlullnoloubio VI thAn NAs9i
DR.. D. 7. Porter, has made his bien
NAL report to Governor Marks, as re-
quired by the law which organized our
present city government. 1t covers
operations for the % months ending
with the close of November.
The total tax levy for the period
named, and two months additional, is
set down at 1911, 726, 1890, of which
s543,SS8.O2 has been collected, aud
s273,838.44 is yet to be drawn from
tax payers. The sewer tax levy for
December, amounting to Sl44,Ol8.95,
should be deducted from the uncol
lected amount, leaving the delinquent
list for the two years, Sl29,8l9.49.
The report says that since January
last over five miles of stone pavement
have been laid, over twenty-four miles
Of sewers, and as many more of sub
soil drains completed, and all are act
ing s%plendidly.
The public officials are all praised
b. DR.. Porter, and the legislative
council, composed Of four FIRE and po-
lice commissioners, and five members
of the board Of public works, have
never failed to meetwhen called upon,
or in accordance with the law, except
on a single occasion, when no quorum
collected.
The members Of the police and FIRE
board get but $500 per annum each,
while the members of the board Of
public works receive no pay.
The people have obeyed the laws
and been friendly to the city govern
ment. Besides paying taxes they
have expended between $3.50, 900 and
100000 in cleaning vaults and other
sanitary work.
The employees of the city govern
ment have been paid promptly as soon
as their wages became due, and the
city owes nothing except about $4,000
to Measrs. 0verton, Burke & Porter,
advanced temporarily to finish paving
and continue sewer work.
The object ~ofcreating hepresentform
ofolty government was not to repudiate
the old debt, but to have a cheap
form of municipal management, to
pave the streets and put the city in
good sanitary order, thus enabling the
city to pay their debt upon terms that
may be agreed upon by commissioners
representing the city and the creditors
of the latter.
The doctor closes his report by
saying that if he has given reasonable
satisfaction to the governor and his
people, he is fully compensated for the
cares, anxieties, disappointments,
weary days and sleepless nights Incl.
dent to the peculiar, responsible and
only public office he ever held.
Added to DR.. Porter's statement is
numerous tables of figures, made up
by Secretary Pullen, many of which
are entertaining and instructive.
Among others, the tax receipts by the
county trustee for the twenty-five
months are interesting. These fig
ures show the following aggregate col
lection: For wharfage purposes, $685.
S3l.7S; for sewers and sanitary, S223,.
Sl4,l5; for salaries and printing,
s22,8954l; for public schools. so, DOL
81; for lighting the city
S26,327.27; for police, $59,OGO.17; for
fire department, $57, 1923. OF the
foregoing there is on hand 81, 1892;
Of wharfage money, $2l ,6Ol.39; for
salaries, S2,l54.6; for hospital, and
small amounts for lighting the city
and public schools.
The collections show a little over
$4,000 for the present year collected
for the police, about the same for fire
purposes, half as much for public
lights and schools, and $40, 1883 from
wharfage, of which S22, 9l6.7 70 was col.
lected from vessels, and the remain
der paid back by the levees. In add
ton to the above, the report contains
detailed accounts of the paving, with
its cost, and many other items Of in.
terest to those who feel it worth
while to become familiar with the
monetary affairs Of the new govern
ment.
49,