Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-06-07
The MayOr's Message.

The Mayors Message.
The annual message OF the mayor is a
document that is well worth the close
perusal and careful study of taxpayers
and other citizens, not only because
municipal matters come nearer home to
their wishes and their wants, their com
forts and their necessities, than political
affairs generally, but because the present
executive of the city government gives
his intelligent attention to our munich
pal concerns and expresses his views Of
them lucidly and forcibly.
Most interesting and most gratifying
to note is it that the financial condition
of the city is satisfactory and that order
and economy have succeeded to the
wretched irregularities and shpshod
methods which prevailed under his i'm
mediate predecessor. During the four
years prior to Mayor MacGOnigle's in
coming the entire additions to the SINK
ing fund were only $ll, ,35$.9G and this was
far more than offset by deficiency OF
$4,000, which required an imme
diate loan and addition of that
amount to the city debt to meet it..
Between June ], 1878, and June |, 1883,
very nearly hundred thousand dollars
have been added to the fund for the re
demption of the city debt, and within
the last fiscal year there has been an
actual decrease of our bonded obligations
to the amount of $ls,9O0. 1t is certainly
very gratifying that notwithstanding
the extraordinarily heavy outlay Occa
s,oned by the transition from the volun
teer to the paid system in the fire depart
ment, and the very large expense
incurred in opening streets, the finance
committee find it practicabletO continue
the tax rate of last year.
The mayor suggests 4 fruitful topic
for investigation in presenting the ~
tonishing fact that by the failure of the
assessors to do their duty the valuation
of the city real estate, which in 1870
Was Sl3,OOO,OOO, has now fallen to
$12. .OOO, 600, though it is an nndeniable
and plainly apparent fact that the great
local improvements made and the hun-
dreds of new buildings erected within
this time have largely increased the :,c-
tuaI value. We believe that the city has
the right to make its own assessment
and need not take the ready made valu
tion which the county commissioners
show so little disposition To correct so as
10 secure fair uniformity. There are
properties and same entire sec;iOns of
the city assessed ut {. fair rate, many as
high as 50 or 80 per cent. OF their valua
ton, while others are not rated at 80 per
cent. of what their owners hold them at !,
even while offering them for sale. When
these inequalities are So patent as the
tax books now present. them they
shonld be corrected. TO tax a
81 900 property at its full value and t."
assess another worth 100000 at $1,000,
as is now often done, is just Us unequal
as would be nine mill tax on one per
SUI dbu a iiEc IHiii Id'C WI dif'thCi. .
Such injustice the councils, through
their finance committee, should find
some way ,c .ymedy.
The water question is, as the mayor
makes it, one of imminent Importance.
The abundance and purity Of our supply
are considerations which should have
attention before they fail US In the
very near future our present facilities
will he insufficient and that eXigency
will find the public mnprepared for it
and ready to fly to ills we know not of
u,less careful Reconsideration and
discussion of it shall
have pointed the way to the AVOID
ance of the mechanical frauds - and
{" costly blunders that have too often
in the past marked orr SD called wafer
improvements.
Among the many interesting suggps
tiOns regarding matters of detail, in
which the message :ibnunds, none is more
timely and forcible than that relating
to smaller voting precinc's for the
city. From 500 to 800 voters are entirely
t many to be accommodated at a sin
gle poll, as is now necessary, and what
ever councils can do tn relieve this state
of things should lie done ut :,nre. A
longer term for the city solicitor, better
regulation concerning telegraph lines,
the James street railroad bridge, the
location of Il fish market, the rental ar
for city Offices of the post
office property and otl,er subjects treated
of in the message merit the thoughtful
of citizens and the early
attention of councils They are foriu-
nate i'm having them thus brought to
their notice and they will he derelict of
duty if they fail to give them the serious
concern which their importance to the
city demands for them.
Lotteries and Other GamDIing.
The Legislature passed one act, just
before its adjournment, which might
Al