Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-02-16
in THE LOCAL FIELD.
IBRATTLEBoRo FINANCES.
Figures from the Annual Report of the
Selectmen and Auditors.

| ne AUDITORS report and annual exhibit
Of the finances of the town of Brattleboro
was issued from The Phoenix Job printing
| Office last evening and is now ready for
distribution at the usual places. Mr..
| Dowley's account as treasurer shows total
transactions of 500 sO0.1O, with cash in
| the treasury amounting to S374.70 When
the old board of selectmen-H Hooker. Hall
and Perry-took the affairs of the town
from their predecessors certain items were
entered under the head of bills contracted
| by Herrick and Boyden. At the request
of the present board, and in Justice to
them, as showing fully their management
of the towns finances, a series of items is
! given under the head of "Bils contracted
! by Hooker Hall and Perry and paid bv
| the present board These items make
an aggregate of S2,90G.G6, and in addition
there is an aggregate of S3G6.SG, which is
the amount of orders ISSUED by Hooker.
Hall and Perry from Feb. l to March :.
1873, and not included in last years
report.
Under the head of payments for salaries
of town officers it will be found that pay
ments for two years, 1892 and 1898. have
been made to all except the listers. This
is explained by the fact that the statute
provides that no money shall be paid for
salaries except such as are fixed by law,
without vote of the town. When this
matter was called to the attention of the
town at the annual meeting last year by
Auditor Chamberlain it was voted to pay
the salaries for the year 1892 and to pay
the same salaries for the year 1898.
The expense of caring for the poor
the past year has been less than during the
year 1892. The orders paid on account of
"a I,o 90
ed to only S1120.94 against S13G1.S So last
year; for the poor not at the farm SGj424
against S704.9j. Overseer Hooker. in his
report, says that the people of Brattleboro
have a right to congratulate themselves on
the absence of poverty in this town, the cost
of the poor, notwithstanding the depres-
sion in business, having been nearly $500
less than in 1893 The good work of the
associated charities and Sisters of St ,Jo-
seph is recognized, and attention is called
to the fact that Mr.. Campbell, besides hay
ing charge of the farm, has earned $500
for the town by work on the highways.
The cost of bridges and culverts has
been unusually large on account of the
damage done by the freshet last spring.
All the expenses are given in detail. The
cost of maintaining the highways has been
also increased from the same cause, and
the treasurer's report shows the amount
paid out on orders given by Road Commits
soner Hooker to have been S17.79436. In
this connection it may be noted that the
20 per cent highway tax required by law
would yield 50, 1920 on the grand list of
S4S, S36.03. Add to this the 5000 ap-
propriated for stone roads, the item of
S3SS.37 received from the state treasurer
on account of the highway tax, and S149.3S
on account of the state highway tax, shown
in the treasurer's summary, and we have
total amount of 1904. Deduct this
from the total amount of the road com
mssioner's orders and there remains
$2490 which appears to be the amount
overdrawn on the highway account. This,
as already stated, is accounted for by the
heavy outlay required by the freshet,
the extra cost of which Col. Hooker places
in round numbers at 5000. The amount
paid out for concrete walks was S2240.67,
and for stone roads S4365.1S "a little
less than the appropriation. The road
commissioner urges, and for the best rea-
sons, the continuation of $1,000 for this
purpose.
\ letter is submitted from the Estey Or
gan company in which they state that the
macadamizing of the roadway from the de-
pot up TO the Vnton building has made a
saving to the company of 81 per day for
each horse used because the smooth, hard
road enables the teams to draw larger loads.
| They express the hope that the whole of
Canal street may be macadamized as soon
as is consistent with other demands.
The cost of the Vernon road improve
ments is carefully itemized, and the total
| figures are S221S.27. Toward this sum
the railroad company has already paid
$500, and will pay $500 more, leaving the
cost to the town a tritle over $1,000, which
is very moderate sum for a very good
! piece of work.
Business at the liquor agency has not
been quite as thriving as the year previous,
the natural result, perhaps, of the hard
| times. The total sales were 50, ,4S7. "a
against SlO.S09 in 1892; the profits were
! SlS43. 80 against over S220O in 1892 The
net income of the town hall was S696.07.
| The following summary of liabilities and
assets Feb. l, 1894, is of interest:
LIABILITIES.
Funded debt, Vermont savings bank,
| interest paid TO Jan. l, 1894, at per
cent. $4,000 90
Mass, Hmsdale bridge bonds in
terest paid to Dee. !, 1893, al 4 per
Road machinery bonds interest paid
to Oct, ]. 1898, at 4 per cent, 10000 90
| Highway bond, 5000 90
Temporary loan, Vermont national
bank, Feb 8, 1891, 1900 90
| One-thrd state tax collected on list
State school tax collected on list of
1898, including interest on L. S.
deposit, 62lO "a
s45552 81
ASSETS.
Cash on hand, S81479