The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-09
FINANCES IN GOOD SHAPE.
THE CITY'S RECORD FOR THE FIRST
sIX MONTHS OF THE YEAR.

The Majority of the Departments
Keep within Their APpropria-
afOns-The Excess of Expenditures
for the First Six Months Smaller
Than for the same Period Last
Year-MayOr Myers Says the City's
Income is Coming in All Right
and the Prospects Are bright for
a Successful Year.
Assistant City Clerk Hernandez finished
the work yesterday Of correcting AMI
summing up the city's expenditures for
the first six months of the year. The
total budget appropriation for the year is
s7Ss.sOO. The expenditures for the first six
months amounted TO sSSS. 52l.63, leaving a
balance on hand Of S35l. 1881, 10 run the
city for the remaining half Of the year.
The expenditures exceed an even half
of the budget by less than $1,000. This
is rather a smaller excess than usual, bs
the expenditures during the first half
of the year for many reasons always ex-
coed those Of the latter half. The de-
partments in which the excess is mo-t
marked are the board Of health. city court
harbor and wharves, incidentals, OPEN
ing streets, paving streets, printing and
stationery, quarantine. new water works.
The latter is almost entirely expended
having been made for notes which have
already fallen due. The same thing OK
plains the heavy expenditure for the OPEN
ing Of streets during the first six months.
A Morning News reporter had a short
talk on the subject with Mayor Myers
yesterday. THE report makes a very
satisfactory showing" said the mayor
THE expenditures during the first half
of the year always exceed those of the
second half for various reasons, chief
ay because Of notes falling due, old ac-
counts brought over from the previous
year and necessary expenditures for the
new years work. Another thing that
tends to increase the expenditures during
the first six months is that the work Of
paving and opening streets, draining the
lowlands and giving the city its spring
cleaning up is chiefly done in the early
part Of the year before our ordinance
against the upturning Of the soil during
the summer months goes into effect.
The excess Of expenditures for the first
six months this year is less than for the
same period last year. You will find on
examination that the majority of the de-
partments are behind, instead of ahead of
their expenditures. Our notes for the new
water works and for opening streets
chiefly account for the present excess.
The board of health has exceeded its ap-
preparation considerably so far. This is a
hard department to keep down, because
there Is never any telling what new expen-
uiture will be required for the sake of the
city's health. Quarantine is one of our
hardest nuts to crack. 1t returns only a
small income under the present arrange
ment, and the continuous demand for i'm
provement and repairs makes it very diff
hcult to keep the expenditures for this
branch within the amount Appropriated.
Altogether, we are doing nicely, though
and at the present rate will easily come out
within the budget"
How about the city's income this year?''
Mayor Myers was asked. 'Will 1t equal
the amount calculated upon in the budget
or will it fall short?"
81 think the income will equal our cal
culations," he replied. There was some
falling off in returns, but things are much
brighter now than they were at the begin
ming of the year. Business Is holding its
own with continuous gradual increase
Ihere Is great deal of building and i'm
provement going on in the city. 1t is evil
dent that confidence has returned, by the
way people are improving their property
and branching out into business. The
cltys income, / am satisfied, will equal
that of last year.
The departments which have expended
less than half of their appropriations so
1ar are the streets and lanes, water works
ScaVenger department, drainage and dry
culture and the o. E. NJ. department.