The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1884-03-27

Mayor johnson, apparently feeling conscious
that his administration had been failure in d
financial point of view, has been examining the
appropriations Of the past and iinds comfort
frcm the fact that they shave assessed and com
mitted four thousand one hundred and tfty-thrte
dollars less Than the smallest amount assess
ed and committed for ANY two previous wears
since lN,3. Like an advocate pleading the
cause Of his lent he told only 50 much of the
truth IL he tho ught might be TO the advantage
Of his Illustration. He forgot to mention
that they had a. assessed and conmitted''
during the past two wears AN amount sufficient
to Pay the interest on the city debt and the cur
rent expenses of the city government for that
period. He did not tell Us that the Liabilities
over and above the assets had increased more
than t,t No"~Ied doliatS during The two wears of
his administration. lie did not tell lis that III
1872 the City Council voted to exempt certain
property from taxation for ten years, that the
TAX wa, abated yearly, that This term had cX-
pred and therefore six or seven hundred dol
lars were added 10 the cash assets annual,
Tie did not tell u that MIR. Mar>hall'> admins
tratlon adopted Il policy Of assessing and COM
hitting an amount more than sufficient TO pay
the interest ON tile city debt and the require
ments for the current expenses of the city GOV
ernment, that hIs administration and that of
his Immediate successors paid BOG of the
city Indebtedness besides taking care of the
ordinary expenses. He did not tell Is that the
available assets of the city, outside of the UNI
collected taxes. CATER providing for the inter-
est due Feb. ID. lSS4,l are Sj4SS less at the end
OF his second year than they were at the be-
ginning of his first year Is this record TO be
proud oil: Other places in this state the state
Itself and the nation are reducing their indebt-
edness 1t is the true policy of the city 10 90 in
the same direction and do a little TO relieve the
burden OF our debt, Under previous city adj
minlstration> the war debt was l,aG rs it ma
tured. Under the present it was refunded in
1910 bonds The city Of Portland i, reported
to have largely reduced it, debt the past year
R0ckland is said to have reduced lis debt S.
600 and Ellsworth over $4,000 for the sane
period.
Agreeably with the recommendation OF the
MAYOR Il new departure has been made in the
election of collector of taxes. Mr.. Garlic was
chosen at the first meeting of the ..it; council
and his percentage for collection has been fixed
AT one and three fourths per cent. on the
amount collected and paid in. This will give
him 1929 on the collection of $4,000 IitI
erto II has been customary TO advertise for pro-
posals to collect the taxes and after receiving
the proposals to elect collector, which plan the
Mayor says is liable to place Us in an embar-
RAISING position" How it could do 50 he docs
not point out. Ii is understood that several
bids for the collection of the taxes would have
been made 10y responsible parties. had the
usual proposals been advertised for The real
reason for this hlsty and unusual disposal Of
the collector question i, believed to be very
different from what was ntiuated by the
Mayor.