Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-03-09
MIonLseuRY TOWN MEETING.
WHAT THE VOTERS DID ON TUEsDA'

The annual meeting of the voters OF
Middlebury at the town hall ON Tuesday
was well attended and rather lively.
Very few changes were made in the
officers. Phllo s. Severance was elected
road commissioner in place OF George
Hammond, and John II. Stewart succeeds
+. j. Mathews us selectman, Mr.. Mathews
declining to remain longer In office. Most
OF the other officers succeeded themselves.
tax of 20 cents on the dollar was
voted.
e. NJ. Wilds, the moderator, called the
meeting to order at 10 O'Clock and Clerk
Brooks read the warming. Mr.. Wilds
was reelected moderator and Mr.. Brooks
clerk.
The reports of the town officers were
discussed. Judge Slade, who was chair
man of the board of auditors, called at
teution to an error in the footing of the
taxes uncollected, making the amount
5000 more than it should be aud the AS
81 Is of the town that much less than the
auditors reported. He also said that MIR.
Muuroe had collected Sl100 of taxes since
the report was made up, leaving only
about S3400 uucOlecled-a showing
which. in view of the hard tunes aud the
size of lhe tax, he regarded AS commend
able. Judge Slade also explained that
the cost of the temporary bridge built
over the river here last summer was
made too great by over 500; the net cost
of il, 1t. appei RS, was under SoOO. In
answer To a question from I. B. She'd
rick it was brought out that the large
apparent cost of the school in district
No. 3 was made up by charging to i;
orders which were properly chargeable
to the school in district No. l3. School
Director w. n. Cady managed both
schools and it was not clear from the
stubs of the orders drawn by him for
which school the money went. In con-
cusiOn Judge Slade urged the impor-
tance of economy in the conduct of town
affairs the coming year. j. w. Martin
thought it cost altogether too much to
run the town farm, an opinion that was
concurred in by Hon. j. w. Stewart,
who said he understood there had been
a very material increase in the cost since
Selectman 5. X. Seeley gave up the man
agement of it. The price OF farm pro-
ducts had been high the past year and
the farm ought To have done better. Mr..
Stewart also pointed out the necessity
for economy aud urged that TOW II officials
eXpend no more money than was APP
prOpriated. The way the general
government does business is to stop
when the money congress has set apart
for specific purpose has been expended.
| If more money is needed for certain
object, let town meeting be called and
give the voters chance to say whether
they will have the money used in that
way or not. We have IA large debt, due
to expenditures for permanent improve
ments. If it were funded, however. 1t
need not bother the present generation
very much, and an act enabling the town
so to dispose of it should be procured at
the coming session of the legislature.
Darius Severance said he understood
that the stone bridge committee had eX-
ceeded its appropriation by $500. MIR.
Stewart replied that there was differ
ance Df opinion between Mr.. Battell, the
builder of the bridge, and the committee
as to whose duty it was under the con-
tract to fill in the bridge. The bridge
committee thought best to go ahead and
put in the filling and let the town say
whether it was right or not.
+. NJ. Chapman moved, and j. w. Mar
tin seconded the motion, that the town
ratify the action of the bridge committee
in filling in the bridge at the town eX-
pense. The motion prevailed after re-
marks had been made by Moderator
Wids, Darius Severance, Mr.. Martin
and others.
w. II. Bliss. Esq, moved that article 1
of the warning, "rO determine what, If
any, further action shall be taken re-
specring the stone bridge over Otter
creek in the village of Middebury',
should next be taken up; and it was so
voted. Mr.. Bliss then presented a state
ment of the cost of the stone bridge
which Mr. Joseph Battell had asked him
to read. 1t was as follows: