The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-09
FIGHT OF THE COMMISSIONS.
THE CITY COUNCILS PROTEST
AGAINST THEIR REPEAL.

Viewed-A Committee TO Urge BE-
fore the Senate the Defeat of the
Measure Providing For AnnuImcnt
of the New City Departments--T'he
Amendments to the Commission
Laws Received by the Represen-
tadves From Chatham.
The city council met yesterday after
noon and adopted resolutions protesting
against the passage of the bills now before
the legislature repeating the laws crea-
ting the police, fire. water and public
works commissions and the board of tax
assessors and receivers.
The resolutions briefly state the results
of the operations of the several city de-
partments under the commissions and the
financial results to the city as an argu-
ment in favor of the retention of these
bodies. %
A committee of three is to be appointed
to appear before the general assembly in
opposition to the bills.
The council met in the long room at 4:S0
o'clock, Mayor Myers and Aldermen Falli-
CANT, Watson, Screven, Lamotte. Tiede-
man, Bacon, Garrard, Hudson and Letter
were present. The object of the meeting
was briefly stated by the mayor in the fol-
lowing language:
II have summoned you to take into con-
sidention the bills recently introduced in
the Legislature by the representatives from
Chatham county, looking to the repeal of
the acts creating all the commissions with
the exception of the park and tree COM
mission, this latter commission having no
patronage attached to it. 1 cannot find
where any Of our representatives took the
trouble to investigate the workings of
these various commissions; it did not seem
to be of any material consequence to them
whether they were beneficial or injurious
to the best interests of our city. cannot
refrain from expressing my disappont-
ment in finding our representatives so an
tagonstic to this administration, and n
my judgment to the best interest of the
city, having hoped that they would arise
above any petty factional partisanship,
and use their able judgment and influence
in adjusting and healing the differences in
our community, which is so essential to its
prosperity l therefore ask you as the rep
resentatives of our city to send such in
formation, and protest, to the members Of
5OON
judgment may determine in the premises.
The following resolution was introduced
by Alderman Garrard:
Whereas bills have been introduced into
the House of Representatives of the pres
ent general assembly of Georgia by the
representatives from Chatham county
seeking to repeal the acts passed by the
general assembly of Georgia and approved
in December, 1895, by and with the re-
quest and sanction of the city council
of Savannah, creating respectively a board
of tax assessors and receivers, a board of
police commissioners, a board of water
commissioners, a board of fire commits
sioners, and the Office of commissioner
of public works for the city of Savannah,
which laws went into effect on the first
Monday in January, 1885,
And whereas, it has been demonstrated
by less than one years experience, that
the effect of the acts now sought to be
repealed has been towards an economical
administration of the city government
of Savannah, better service in all said
departments and a large saving of public
money, holding out the hope of carrying
into effect, in the year 1897 and thereafter,
measures of internal improvement, not
possible under the administration of said
government, as conducted prior to 1896;
it being already clearly shown that
AS to the board of tax assessors and re-
ceivers, the revenues of the city of Sa-
vannah had fallen off year by year,
for several years up to 1895
and 1T became manifest in said last
named year that it was necessary to put
men in office who would give their atten-
ton to the assessment of real and personal
property, with such powers as should be
conferred upon said officials by the CITY
council of Savannah, and to that end the
board OF tax assessors and receivers was
created, and said board was strengthened
0rnlnanpaE cd hnrf he, -
of Savannah, compelling people to make
returns Of personal property who
had never yet made them
and forcing others to make
true and just returns, who had hitherto
made such as they saw fit. The result in
less than one year has carried the num-
Der OF returns of personal property
from 1854 to 4,476, and instead
OF decrease in the city rev.
enue happening in 1896, as in years 1ust
previous, an increase of 2,5l2 in the num-
Der of returns was the result, amounting
to N,24S,496, producing from taxation on
the returns of personal property in 1896
an increase of $1S,72744. inspite of the
heavy depreciations of all securities, and
the absolute loss OF many stock and bonds
consequent upon the failures of railroad
systems and Of other corporations in Geor-
gia. The total salaries of the board of
tax assessors and receivers for the year
1850, mas Deeu St,GOV. Inc average amount
paid out by the city Of Savannah in the
past years for such assessments as were
made from time to time upon improve
ments on real estate, has been about $1,000
a year, so that the net increase in the ex-
penses of this department was about S., 200.
which, deducted from the increase pro-
duced by this board as above, leaves a
net result to the credit of the city Of Sa-
vannah for the year 1896, from this source
in round numbers, say $l5.5O0. These tax
assessors and receivers have been ac-
quainted themselves also during the period
in which they have been in office with the
real estate Of the city of Savannah and its
values so as to be ready to go on with a
new assessment as soon as ordered by the
city council
As TO the board OF police commissioners:
This is composed of three Of the most
prominent business men in Savannah, who
have given their time faithfully to the re-
organization of the police force and 20 the
administration of the affairs OF that de-
partment watching carefully all OF the
purchases and expenditures, with no sal
airy attached TO the office. 1t Is beyond
question that they have improved tho
morale and efficiency Of the police force,