, 1886-08-12

chased, which the council will attend
to at the regular time of levying
taxes.
WATER FOR FIRE AND OTHER PURPOSES
Secs. Il and 16 of the charter
authorizes the city to contract for q
water supply for public purposes.
This I understand has been done or
attempted, with the company known
as the Port Townsend Water Co. by
which that company furnishes seven
hydrants, which the city may use for
fire and practice, only at 80 each per
month or S63: II those are the terms
of the contract it does not seem to
me that the city gets value received
for its money. 1t has other uses for
water. The sewers need washing,
the streets should be sprinkled, etc.
l think the price paid is too much, or
the use of the water is too limited,
and the hydrants are not properly
distributed. An examination of this
map will better inform you. [ re.
commend that you obtain better terms
with this company and you may con
clude that we now pay for more
hydrants than we need, or that they
are not properly distributed.
PAYING FOR WATER
Sec. 16 of the charter reads that
the city shall fix the limits of the
benefits and protection of the water
works each gear, and each year shall
levy O special tax upon the property
within those limits not exceeding five
mills to pay the contract price of the
water, and that such taxes shall only
be assessed upon and collected from
property within said limits. We
have no such limits fixed; and there
fore have not dollar available to pay
for this water. Protection from fire
we must have, in some form. These
hydrants and our hose, with an eff
fective fire company, will, it is gener
ally conceded, fill this requirement.
If you think so your first duty will be
to fix those limits, and you should
do it tonight or tomorrow Why
Because We must call special elec,
tion at once for authority to levy the
tax. |, with tie chief of the fire de
partment have carefully looked over
the ground solely to aid you to
prompt action, and have indicated on
this map the property which the pre-
sent arrangement of hydrants will
protect with our present hose-60C
feet.
Ii this tax is levied, it must be al
the regular time of levying taxes. II
cannot be done between. Therefore
the matter cannot be postponed. In
the meantime, before this tax is col
lected, how is the water to be paid
for? Two ways occurs to me. First
by subscription. Second, after the
vote is cast for the tax, issue warrants
on that fund. / estimate the valua-
ton of the property within the limits
protected at 100000 at least, and &
three mill tax on this would give
$500, enough to pay tie present rate
for 14a months, or until the levy Of
next year. The limits being defined, sc
that this tax will fall where the law
says it shall, on those only whose
property is protected, the vote will be
yes" without doubt.
FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The chief of this department re-
ports to me that they must have
another carriage for hose-that they
cannot let all of the hose out On the
one they have We can and must
make this department working sue,
cess, and everything depends upou
the help and encouragement we give
to the different companies. / there
fore recommend that ycu consider
this matter as early as possible.
Cash on hand-$120975 July Ist
Is it better to begin now and pay as
we go, and use surplus to pay oul
debts as it accumulates, or, is it bet
ter to call in back warrants, and issue
new ones for current expenses? II
is a great burden on our servants tc
be obliged to discount their warrants
for salaries each month, and if we
can we should help them to save that
much by paying cash. Besides il
looks bad for the credit and name ol
the city to say its warrants are only
worth S5 to 50 cents, when, as a mat
ter of fact, 1t depends entirely on
who holds the warrant as to what il
is worth. If it is the capitalist it is
worth 100 cts. and if no more were
put on the market by us, they would
not take even that for them, because
10 per cent is big interest where the
investment is safe. For comparison
of investments just think of govern
ment bonds at and 81 per cent aud
eagarly they are taken. If the poor
man, the iaborer, holds our warrants,
they are worth only S5 to 90 cents.
There is the difference 1t all depends
on who holds them To the one with
full purse, they are worth dollar,
to one with an empty purse they are
worth what he can get.
Interest does nobody good except
the rich, and if interest is a thief,
discount is q pirate. l say, let the
whole people pay interest on these
out warrants, and save to the few this
ruinous discount. As it is, the few
pay their part of the interest and the
discount besides, and it is all wrong.
II the law will let US, let rs pay as
we go.
Equalization and levy of taxes
this matter demands your attention
at once.
Ordinance No. 142, fixes first
Friday in July for revision of
assessments, and first Friday in
August for levy of taxes. No re
vision has been made of the asses
ments of this year and it can not
be done except under new ordin-
ance fixing a later date. All who
are assessed have the right under
Sec. II of the Charter, to apply for
a revision of their assessments and
to enable them to exercise that
right, and make assessments of
this year valid, it will be necessary
to fix by ordinance new time for
such revision and also to levy the
taxes OF this year, | therefore rec
ommend that mt this meeting such
ordinance be passed