The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-03-14

some 5000 loads of earth or: gravel he has
laid 1880 feet of plank sidewalks, put in a
large number of plank crossings, expended
considerable sum in repairs on bridges
and culverts, and laid some 5000 feet of
tile. Mr.. Roberts shows the work done or
the expenditures made for material etc.
Tor the items that make up the aggregate OF
his account.
Joel Foster, superintendent of water
works, makes the following statement of
receipts
Village hydrants, stand pipes, watering ''- %
. troughs, stone crusher, etc. ......... 2ssl rs
Motors from oct l. 1892 to Oct. I, 1898, in
Domestic and ali her 1ses ss2 ss2
= Total si8iss Os
nance superintendents salary, etc.. s 44l9 90
The estimates of the trustees for the en-
suing year are as follows.
Interest on floating gdebt"...............s 1000 90
henta OF hydrants, ,etc'.,,,.,,...,,...... 1850 90
oruihary expenses l50OO 00
slss5e 90
The trustees state that immediate and ex-
tensive repairs must be made on Capital
Hall If 1t is to be used for any purpose here
after, and the appearance Of this battered
ana grlmy relic of medieval period fully
Justlhes the report 1t is, however, we be-
heve, the judgment of every one familiar
with the condition of the hall that it is a
NOlJ uhuoSlIdDlo piece OI properly IOr tur-
ther investment in repairs or expenditure
OF any other kind The matter of provid-
ing place for town and village meetings,
for offices, and the various other municipal
usages, should receive early consideration,
and with reference to the permanent value
of such accommodations as we'll as the con-
venience OF the officers and the people.
Certain OF the items which make up the
aggregate Of the fifteen months of admins
tratlon naturally seem very large. There
does not, however, appear to be a general
disposition to make unjust or captious criti-
clsm on the score OF the expenditures.
Much OF this is of an extraordinary and
permanent value, notably in the street de-
partment Some So, 900 has been spent in
new concrete sidewalks, and no one will be
disposed to complain OF this expenditure.
The suggestion, however, is pertinent that
village improvement in this direction has
now been carried to point where a halt
may be called, at least for period. We
assume that many OF the other expendi-
lures in this department are OF an ex-
traordinary character, and that the taxpay-
ers may reasonably expect in the year to
come lighter burdens without any material
diminution OF the very excellent care the
superintendent has given to those comforts,
or conveniences, or sanitary requirements
which should become permanent charge
upon the department of streets and side
walks.
The question of the policy of municipal
HRuIluB Will derive new interest from the
growing sum called for for street lighting and
very naturally there is more or less OF quo
Udrrdnto comment on the size of the bill for
police service and on the charges for legal
services in a time when the village is
neither plaintiff nor defendant in legal pro-
ceedings. That is to say, many taxpayers
are exercising their nalienable right to
scold about sundry and various items OF ex-
pense, and desire to impress upon the trus-
tees the necessity, in these hard times, for
judicious economy in every department Of
administration.
The apparent uselessness of two systems
OF government - town and village - for
nearly the same territory and the same
people, with attendant additional expense
and confusion, forced itself upon the atten-
tion OF many voters on Monday. Less
than week before. they had spent a day in
town meeting acting upon town reports
and choosing a board of town officers,
and now they had met to repeat, prac-
tically, the work they had gone over in
town meeting or which might as well have
been done at one meeting. This feeling de-
veloped in the action taken for consoldat-
ing and simplifying the business and les
sening the cost of governing Montpelier.