The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-04-11
Town Organization.


The applications for borough charters
made at the last term of our county court
by Catawissa and Orangeville were unsuc-
cessful mainly because of opposition by
or on behalf of citizens of Catawissa and
Orange townships, outside OF the proposed
boroughs. In each case small township
in form of shell or crescent, would have
been left, surrounding In whole or in part,
a new borough, upon which would fall in
creased expenses for local government In
brief, it was urged in opposition that with
in given limits offices would be greatly
multiplied in number, with increased ex-
penses for local organization and manage
ment. In the case of Catawissa it was
computed that there would be but IS resi-
dent land owners left in the township, if
the borough should be erected, upon
whom would rest the duty of maintaining
about 30 miles Of public roads, and from
the character Of the territory it was not
likely that the population of the township
would largely increase in future.
A dozen or fifteen years ago applications
made to court for a borough charter for
Bloomsbury were resisted upon similar
grounds, and were rejected. There were
difficulties about the limits of the proposed
borough, and it was evident that by erect
ing the borough, Bloom township would be
left in bad shape, with insufficient terri
tory and population. All difficulty and
question was, however, disposed of by the
interposition of the Legislature, in the
passage of the act "to define the limits
and to organize the town of Bloomsbury"
approved March 4th, 1870, which act with
its supplement of the following year, now
constitutes the charter of the town.
The Bloomsbury plan of municipal Or
ganization is well adapted to such cases as
those of Catawssa and Orangevile, for it
admits of the inclusion of farm lands and
| outlying or detached settlements within the
corporate limits, to the mutual advantage
of town and country. For, as to town
taxes, suburban property pays two
thirds and farm land half rate, while a
tull rate is imposed upon property in the
town proper The practical result is, that
the town proper gets more money for its
treasury'from the country districts than it
expends for them, while the country dis
tricts pay less tax than they would pay if
burdened with separate township gov
ernment.
This idea of the classification of proper
ty for local taxing purposes according to
location and character is borrowed from
Acts of Assembly relating to Philadelphia /;
it is not original in the Bloomsburg act,
although it received by that act new and
interesting application. BY means of it,
thus applied, the whole OF Bloom town
ship was brought under town govern
ment, and the experiment has resulted in
successful administration for thirteen
years.
The other features of our town charter,
not found in the general borough laws, are
believed to be wise and salutary. Among
them may be mentioned the plan for col
lecting the town taxes with promptness
and virtually without expense to the townh
the preparation, filing in court, and judic-
ial approval of town map the represen-
tation of minorties In the town offices and
particularly in the Council the retention
for the town of general laws relating to
townships except 50 far as inconsistent
with the charter, &C., &c. OF course,
some of the provisions of the general
borough laws are borrowed and incorpo.
rated in the Bloomsbury charter but still,
in material respects, in fact substantially,
that charter embodies a new plan for local
government.
| II the plan of that charter Is suited to
| such cases among villages as those of Cat
| awissa and Orangeville, where it may be
| desirable to place whole small township
under town organization, what is TO him
der the Legislature from embodying the
plan in general permissiye law-from en-
| acting statute which shall authorize
town organizations under the general fea-
lures of the plan, carefully revised and i'm
proved II thought proper, and made suita-
BILE and convenient for general user II
asked for, | suppose such general law
might be easily secured
April 10, 1884. Q. II. BUCKALEW.