Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-08-21
ANOTHER VETO
From Mayor MilIiksn-Messase TabIed-cib
Council Adjourned 10 This Eyeninu.

At the special meeting of the city conn.
Gil, Tuesday evening, the following veto
message came from the mayor:
Gentlemen of the Board of Aldermen.
l deem 1t to be my plain duty to return,
without my approval, the ACCOMPANYING
orders passed by the city council, whereby
the city of Augusta would become a party
to contract for the erection of a so-called
city building, AMI respectfully submit nv
objections.
Inc nrst order calls for the discharge
OF the old committee, and it is jmmedi-
ately followed by an order appointing a
new committee consisting of the same
persons with the exception Of the stubborn
member who would not sign the previous
contract This committee Is directed to
forthwith execute contract which (while
we condemn 1t in its entirety we wish to
consider some of Its provisions in par
ticular.
First notice the preamble, which con-
tains these words:
whereas, The business of the city is
carried on at great expense and incon-
venience''
10 be CONSTANT with the provisions of
the contract, this preamble should read as
follows:
whereas, the business of the city is
carried on at great expense, therefore
ordered
That the expense shall be made much
larger. Or Ito get down to flgures)
whereas 1t now costs the city 1875 for
rentals, therefore ordered that the city be
put to an annual expense of from $4,000 to
SoOOO, at the great Inconvenience of the
tax payers.
There Is no denial that the contract
under consideration is contrary to the
spirit OF the constitution of this State; but
learned and astute counsel for the City
Building Company, after long study and
various changes, claims that he has at last
accomplished technical evasion of the
constitutional prohibition of excessive
municipal Indebtedness.
If this contract should receive the sane
ton of the court, it would open the door
to all sorts. of municipal Indebtedness,
limited only by the inventive genius of
syndicates and municipal authorities act
ing in unison.
am neither lawyer or the son of a
lawyer, but contend that this contract is
debt-creating instrument.
The following figures will substantiate
my statement:
What will the city have paid in clean
cash for 81 -ycars old building?
In addition to this, compute what the
cost of running such building will be
over and above what 1t now costs us.
Int est for the first ten years, $22 900 90
Annual instalments and interest for
the next eleven years, 10000 co
Additional cost of running such
building over and above present
rentals, including State and county
tag, 1925 90
Giving the enormous sum of s12s 225 90
as the amount the city will have paid for
a 21-years old building
The estimated annual expense, itemizcd,
Is as follows
Interest, $4,000 90
Insurance, 500 90
Janitor, 500 90
Fireman and fuel, 500 90
Lighting aud water, 500 90
Annual repairs, 800 90
State and county tax, 220 90
Total, $500 90
Deduct from this our present rentals, 1915 90
Which gives US, 1896 90
as the increased annual expense for office
and hall rents. 4
The cost of furnishing such a building
cannot be less than $4,000.
What is a 99-ycars per cent. loan con-
sidered worth in the markets of the world?
A London syndicate within few years
offered to take the entire debt of the city
of Boston at per cent, running 100
years, and at the end of that time give up
the principal and thereby extinguish the
debt.
| am informed that two different
financial houses in Boston have said
through their agents, that they would
supply the city with the necessary funds
to build n city building at per cent on
20 or 20 year bonds; relying upon the
honor and good faith of the city.
We do not need 1t. 1t is a luxury, not
q present necessity. Luxurtes are we'll If
people can afford them. Indebtedness
should always be Stunned. A debt Is
not SO bad if the object which caused it is
self sustaining. Here you are asked to
create an Indebtedness which will not
only yield no revenue, but call for large
annual expenditure of the public funds.
Our present bonded Indebtedness is in
round numbers $500, 900. ] submit, If 1t
is not wise to reduce this rather than in
crease 1t, even If the constitution per-
mitted.
Our unavoidable annual expenses are
increasing from year to year. Our pre-
sent tax rate Is 20 6-10 mills exclusive of
school taxi: based on temporarily in
creased valuation caused largely by the
Horace Williams estate, which amounted
to 1870, 900. the larger part of which we
shall undoubtedly lose before another year,
and on account of the decision OF the city
not to make any improvements on the
high ways Our tax rate, including
school tax, has been for years, and must
he in the future about "a per cent The
present income from money Is from ~
TO per cent, so that the tax payers of
Augusta pay at least one half of the In
come from money for taxes Is 1t not our
duty to strenuously oppose any unnects-
sary or avoidable increased expenditure,
especially when 1t involves not merely
one wear, and one administration, but
ties the hands of future city governments,
and mortgages the next three generations
>-.ho5r dop;ac that the rooms of the city