Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-07-09


the rental now paid represents. In this way
not only would greater comfort be secured t
the unfortunate inmates, but the saving il
fuel, and other economies, would be consider
able.
pressing public need is a station house.
not unfrequently occurs that parties are he'll
in custody for trial. 1t is neither just no
ton and intimate fellowship with hardened
criminals, to say nothing of the DANCE
from disease and varions forms of loath
someness incident to such contact. Th
limited number of cells and crowded
condition of the county jail, compel no
only an indiscriminate lodging of all classes o
prisoners, but renders it impossible to enforct
such sanitary regulations as the rules of health
and the laws of humanity enjOin. The cost o
a station house would be inconSiderable com
pared with the demand for sucAan addition t.
the police equipment With small outlay thu
lower floor of the City Hall could be converted
temporarily at least. With proper drainage
about the building, they might even serve as {
permanency. l cannot too earnestly urge tina
immediate action be had upon this recommen
dation.
NEW PUMPING ENGINE.
In the estimate for expenditures for the
current fiscal year, provision is made Tor the
at the water works, $1,000 being set apart fol
that purpose. In the estimate of receipts is in
cluded 10000 from the Carroll DEBT; Upon th1s
pration for the engine. 1t is not at all probable
that any such amount will be realized from the
Carroll obligation during the next ten no onths
1t rot even accurately known that the def
cheney of the late treasurer Will reacn tnat sum
The estimate may be a close one, but the exact
amount cannot be ascertained until the pend
ing investigation by the commissioner is com.
plete. In any event, the city cannot expect tc
realize largely from this source during the cur
rent fiscal year Mr.. Carroll's property is now
advertised for sale, the terms, on the reality
being small hand payment and the residue
in one, two, and three years, The proceeds OF
the personal property will be almost entirely
absorbed in satisfying the prior demand OF the
State. The city must look to the realty FOL
the satisfaction of her claim and patiently bide
her time. Meanwhile the necessity. for an
additional engine is urgent. Any accident to
the in daily use eona not has
readily repaired, would result In great neon
venience from scarcity of water and, in case O.
a fire. might prove disastrous We cannot
afford to rest our safety upon an uncertain
contingency. 1 therefore recommend that a
early as practicable provision be made for the
purchase of an additional engine. and that i
be placed in position as speedily as may be.
FIRE DEPARTMsNT
i S in excellent condition. No city can boast O
The members are volunteers but they RESPOND
as promptly and zealously to the alarm a
fire record of the city is the best testimonial tt
the efficiency of the department. To secure
still greater efficiency, L respectfully ask thai
the petition sent to your predecessors, request
ing the establishment of a reel house, prop
erly equipped, on North Augusta street, receive
The only serious fires we have
"a fact due to it's remoteness from the present
reel houses, and the difficulty of promptly
reaching it.
WEEKLY SETTLEMENTS.
l doubt not that at the earliest meetings OF
the Council, the custom of supplying city EN-.
ployees with store orders. instead of paying
them in money at the end of each week, will be
The wages they receive are moi
large, and certainly they should have the op
portunity of purchasing to the best advantage
i. e.-for cash. A system of weekly settle
ments, with those who would be benefited
thereby, can be readily arranged, and justice
and right require that 1t should be done with
out delay.
THE COST OF IMPROVEMENTS.
1t may be urged that the improvements indi.
Gated will require too great an expenditure
You gentlemen must judge OF the ability of the
city to meet that expenditure. If it were de-
sired to undertake the entire work ct this
time, the cost would be less than 900. To
meet this, bonds at per cent, or perhaps a less
rate of interest, could be issued and their PAL
value realized. The annual interest charge
would be $500, and possibly less. Provision
amount to $4,000 per year. A restoration of the
tax rate to the figures of last year-$1. 25 on the
$100-would more than meet the additional
charge upon the treasury, and would Cypress
no one.
Can Staunton negotiate such loan? Under
the act approved March Goth, 1885, the city IS
bonded Indebtedness cannot exceed II per cent
of the assessed values of real estate and Is per
cent. Of the assessed values of personal prop
erty. The aggregate of taxable real estate
within the city is Sl,757,196; of personal prop.
erty SAL $50. This fixes the limit of bonded in
debtedness at 64.957.17. The present bonded
debt is 100000 giving us margin in round
Doubt has been expressed as to whether or
not the city would be ultimately held bound
Tasv to the f. s m
bonded debt would be increased $50,000 leaving
only $4,000 to make up the maximum allow
ance under the law. The conditions upon
which that subscription was made have never
been complied with, and in the opinion OF
learned counsel the city cannot be held to it. On
the Dist of April, 1874, Maj. L. G. Elder, the then
city attorney, in response to a resolution of the
council, filed carefully prepared and elabor-
that the failure of the Valley r. r. to meet the
conditions upon which the subscription was
based, released the city from its payment. AS
a matter of fact the city has not recognized the
No bonds have been issued for it,
and her proxies in the stockholders meetings
of the Valley r. r. Co, have uniformly de-
clined to vote a greater number of shares of
stock than the first subscription of 100000 for
which bonds were issued) represents. Not on
ly This. but the Council on the 4th of Feb'y,
1879, formally notified the authorities of the
Valley K: R. Co. of the failure to comply with
thereof the subscription was re-
voked. The notice was served upon Mr.. Key
ser, the President of the Co. Other proceed
ings confirmatorv of that action have since
been had.
The lapse of time and continued failure of the
Co. to make good its part of the contract. have
but strengthened the position taken on behalf
of the city, so that it seems altogether improb-
able that we will ever be called upon to pro-
vide for this subscription.
If however, in the opinion of the Council, it
would be unwise not to regard this $4,000 as a
possible legal demand, to be provided for in the
future, then the city is estopped from any in
crease of her bonded debt, beyond $4,000. In
that event, the expenditures must be limited
to the more pressing demands, such as the
n
engine, &C., leaving systematic improvem emit
of the streets and sewerage, to the future
= may be added, that of the 900 of bonded
debt, bearing interest at and per cent, all
except SS2 700, is redeemable, at the pleasure of
the Council, from time to time, during the next
ten years. This will afford the opportunity of
bonds at less rate of interest for
existing obligations, thereby materially reduc-
ing the annual charge upon the treasury,
The available fund might be supplem ented
by sale of such of the city lots as now bring
in no revenue. The market house property,
if the school is removed, ought to command a
good price, or better still, become source of
profit by being restored to its former uses
There is much to be done that will tax the
resources OF the council. There can be no ques-
ton as to the pressing needs of the city, and in
the existing state of AFFAIRS with labor cheap and
and SO many worthy workmen seek
ing employment, it would seem that no time
more suitable could be chosen to commence
and prosecute the work, provided the necessary
means can be commanded. The measure of a
city's prosperity is not always the rate of tax
alton that prevails, or the annual accretions to
the Sinking Fund. If Stanton expected
nothing from the future, and proposed to invite
neither additions to her population nor Increase
to her trade, then it might be well enough to
drift contentedly along, satisfied with an an
nual decrease of taxation, well as of taxable
values, and having no higher ambition than
the rapid extinction of the debt. Parsimony
is not prosperity. [ take it that you gentle
men, who have been selected to manage the
affairs of the city and promote her interests
will be satisfied with no lesser measure of
luty performed. Whilst neigh boring cities and
owns, less favOrably located: more re-
note from the raw materials; possessing infe-
'ior facilities for transportation and fewer at
ractions for enterprise and capital, are earn
sstly reaching out for fair share of trade, and
aging the foundation for future commercial
Importance. our. own city. to which SO much
1as been given, has remained practically mac
i've and indifferent. There is every reason to
believe that revival of business cannot be
much longer delayed. With renewed activity
in the channels of trade, the attractions of the
5outh-her mineral and timber resources,
water power, cheap lands, cheap labor, &C.
will be awaited of for the location of industrial
plants. That staunton, may press her CLAIMS
for a full proportion of these prospective in
1ustries. L respectfully suggest the appoint
nent. from your body, ola special committee to
De known as the
cozr,rrrruue o1r MA MITE fsTrrpEc