Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-12-18
SO NEAR YET SO FAR.
REASONS WHY BURLINGTON AND WI
NOOSkI SHOULD BE UNITED.
Interesting Interviews with Business
Men of Winooski Views of Prcsi-
dent Sawyer of the Colchester
Mills, +. G. Kennedy and Others.


discussion of the matter. The opposition
TO their union was always strong, espec
tally on the part of the tax payers of Wi
nOoski who objected to the increase of
their taxation that would follow the pro-
posed change. That particular difficulty
has been practically removed by the al
most total disappearance of the differ
ence between the rates of taxation of the
two places, Winooski's tax having been
/ lOj last year while that of Burlington was
only no cents, and in consequence II num-
Der of Winooski's heaviest tax payers
| have expressed themselves as in favor of
| being annexed to Burlington. In order
/ to ascertain the feeling in relation to the
| matter representative of the FREE PRESS
/ interviewed some of the largest property
/ holders in WinOOski and found them to
! be decidedly in favor of the consolidation
/ of the two places into one city.
Hon. +. &. Kennedy, who represents the
Colchester Mills was in favor of the
change. 81 think said he that the feeling
in relation to the matter is very crude
/ just at present There are some bug
bears such as the bonded debt of BurlinG
ton which are Obstacles to the uniting of
/ MnOoski with Burlington, but if Bur
lngton should make an equitable adjust
ment of the financial matters of the two
places there Is no question but the change
would be Il benefit to Wnooski and not
at all Objectionable to our tax payers
The difference between the rates OF taxa
ton between he two places Is constantly
diminishing owing to the laNitN on the
part of the government of WnOoski and
the increasing economy on the part OF
Burlington. The last tax of Winooski
was lO5 cents ON the dollar, but five cents
less than that of Burlington and there
Will soon be practically no difference in
the rates of taxation of the two. OF course
in the case OF the union of the two places,
if Winooski assumed Il taxable portion of
the bonded debt Of Burlington, which we
would have to do, in proportion to its
tax list, that assumption could be com
pcusated for by Burlington making an APP
prOpria'lOn to put the streets and sewers
of WlnOOski in rs good condition as her
own, 50 that the tax payers of WinOO~ki
would he paying tor desirable improve
mcnts our corporation pays one third
of the taxes of WlnOOSki 50 that we would
of course not want to do any thing
that was not for the interest of WinOOSki.
We have no police regulations at present
b. save at private expense; our streets are
in poor condition and unlighted at night,
and our sewer system il in IL very unsatls-
: factory condition. While we pay prac-
tCally the same taxes prOpOrtiOnally as
Burlington we aie getting nothing OF ac-
count for our money. The fact that the
water works of this place are owned by he
AQ.:cduct company would not be IN the
way of the change, because Winooski can
nj time take DOSSpSSlOu OF them nDD1l
certain conditions. If Burlington would
e. Use the same GOOD judgment IN regulating
. matters here as she does in arranging her
, own affair. should favor the union of the
= twOplaces"
Mr.. Joseph sawyer, president of the
u; Colchester Mills, said that he had not
thought of the matter and would want to
know the pros and cons of the proposed
+ change before expressing an opinion eff
: there is nothing III IT that would work to
!. our disadvantage we wouldibe heartily in
T. ravor of doing ANYTHING that would be for
. the public good Of WInooSki In the mat
ter of the Advertisements we should
want to know beforehand what the city
, of Burlington proposed to do in relation to
orr water works. We would be willing
} to give them no. or if wedid not we would
+ want the CITY To- bind itself not to put in
- any water works here
+ Mr. Francis l.eclair. who is the heaviest
| tax puyerln Wuooski EXCEPT the Woollen
company SAID Il have been looking for.
; ward tor many years to the time when
the two places would be united rs one
city. The interests of the two places are
one and rs one government is CHEAPER than
, two it would be Il saving to have the eX-
l uruse of one. burlington owes ante n
Il debt while we owe nothing: but nave mo-
/ doubt that IN the event of the change. that
3. matter could be arranged to the satisfuc.
tion of both parties one wear with an
other ourt taxes average nboHt the same is
i nov Tbe rest of The town of Colchester
+ wuuld urobahIv he clad to Get rid of ms :.
Il trry have always charged rs WIN hrinu
eXtiaynraut IEere are many rcsupcts m
< which If wnuld he "A benefit ia Winooski
and TO burlington as well. 1t would i'm.
crease their Grand list and we would have
better nnlicr nrntectinu. our streets wnnlI
he kent in bc1ter order and they would Inc
. liphtrd Our village nnlernmGnt is i'm -
: very satisfactory condition. M present and
for one ,yould favor this place heinz ~
,,.,., 80 Ilr,li,,,t,,,,
= Nr q Ju,unhruv of the firm, nt
{ SntICrd. Humphrey * Go said he had
= moi thonrht murh 1hout the uurstiuu nt
I plncinp thr two places Ilndrr one govern.
y nrnt hut ne understood that If was heino
n discnSsed some ~ do unt Ihiul thnrn i.
e much difference in The tnXes here and i'm
:. nresnmf Soma years u,,n thar,. ;,,. ~
;, large difference but of late years the
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