Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-06-03
BALANCE or AUTHORIZATIONS.

1t is to be remem bered, however, that the
foregoing balances are mostly absorbed by
obligations already contracted by the city
and overdue.
| have no means of satisfying myself that
this statement Is complete II not, all the
worse tor the city. Enough Is here exhibit
ted to show that while several OF last years
appropriations have an incOnsldeTable balance
remaining to their credit others are heavily
Oyerdrawn. Provision must De made for a
deficit of at least q, 30 in the item Ot street
damages; OF l,SUO III repairs of streets; SllO
in grading aud gutterng nearly 81, 500 in
water works general 500 in laying water
pipe; over $500 in lighting the city s1i5
police and turnkey, and sl50 i'll fire de-
psrtment general a grand total OF nearly
$4,000 deficiency with which the city
starts upon the next fiscal year. My own
Judgment OF a proper fiscal system Is that all
remaining appropriations should be covered
back into the treasury, aud that all deticien-
cies should be paid out OF the deficiency ap-
prOpriatlons. | am unable to comprehend,
despite the custom, upon what proper prln-
ciple bills contracted and expenditures made
in the several departments during the fiscal
year ending June lst. 1856, should be paid
out OF appropriations made for the year
BEGINNING at that date. Our municipality
will never have proper system until this
distinction is clearly made, and / ask the CO.
operations OF councils in enforcing it
The ordinance appropriating moneys for
llt tDnlltS H-chl year, hOM III
councils, makes provision only for =, 800
deficiency in lighting and 5000 deficiencies
III water department i see no good reason
why all deficiencies should not TO specih-
cally provided for If councils will start the
fiscal year with clear balance sheet, l will
cooperate in the effort to keep expenditures
within the yearly appropriations.
Complaint continues to exist Of unequal
assessments of property and resulting un-
fairness in the levy of taxes The fault
aittlxr wi hA nd th..
remedy is with the people who elect them,
in holding them to stricter accountability. /
believe the county assessments should he
received with close scrutiny, and revised
with great care by the finance committee OF
| councils.
STREETS.
| The last annual report OF the street com
missioner shows virtually the entire appro
| priation for the year ending June lst OK
| pended by March l. This seems to me on
| its face very imprudent; aud for reason,
| / have already stated, 1 disapprove ant
earnestly protest against the expenditure q
| money and contracting of debts in any yea
| To be carried over against the appropriation
| OF the next year. This report exhibits 2,02;
| feet of new crossings laid at an expense o
A., cents per foot Y, 53i feet of gutter laiC
| al 10 cents per foot; aud new streets laid gu
during the year follows: Sherman iron
| Orange to Chestnut; Low from Freiber L /,
| John Chester from Low and John to Souti
| Ann Clay from Duke to 200 feet east O
| Lime, and Fremont from Love Lane to tn,
| city limits. So tar as can be gathered from
this report, the same not being set forth dis
| tnctly, the other new work done during tn,
| year was the macadamizing of one square O
| West Chestnut street, between Mulberry anC
Charlotte; one square of North Lime street
| between Walnut and Lemon one square O
| South Duke street, between Vine and Ger
| man one square of West James street, be
tween Mulberry aud Charlotte. A persona
| examination OF this macadamiZng satistie
me that 1t has not been done with the com
pleteness, supervised with the care no
accepted with the scrutiny that should attacl
| 10 improvements of this character. Specifi
| cations for work OF this kind should requir
the stone TO be broken fine, and the wnol,
work finished with top dressing, 80 as 3
| make a smooth and durable road bed. Thi
| has not been done in any one Of these cases
| and each one OF these four squares il in la,
condition, considering the expense devote
so recently to them. Councils should insis
that these specifications cover passable an
we'll finished highway.
The policy OF laying out the new street
towards the city limits as rapidly as Tn
| financial condition of the city will warrant
is good one the earlier these extension
| are made the less they will cost
As soon as possible, and as fronting proI
| erty owners will make the necessary sui
scriptions, another square OF Belgian blocl