The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-09-10
FOUR MILL TAX TO BE LAID
AT THE SPECIAL DISTRICT MEET
 ING TO BE HELD SEPT. 21,

Suggested by the Board of Education
 Explained to the Board of Finance Yes-
 terday-Salaries of Members and Clerk
 of Bureau of Compensation Decided On
 The greater part of the time of the meeting of the board of finance yester- day afternoon was taken up in hearing Commissioner James T. Moran and Clerk Hewitt of the board of educa- tion in reference to the special tax to be laid, as prescribed in section 1O7 of the charter, at a special district meet ing to be held on Tuesday, September 21
 MT. Moran explained to the board that the district has previously been governed by state law according to which the school year ends on July IA each year. But since the consolidation of the district with the city the fiscal year in the municipal department of education, as in other municipal de- partments, ends on December 31 each year, and the new fiscal year begins on January following.
 The district tax laid last year was to carry the district through until July IA last and now comes a. period of about six months from July last to January 1 next, to pay the school expenses of which there are no funds. The special district meeting, and the last district meeting to be held in New Haven, is provided for In the charter in order that special tax may be laid to pay school expenses of these six months.
 MT. Moran called attention to the fact that recommendation was adopt ed at a district meeting not long ago, giving the board of education authority to levy each year, in addition to the tax needed to pay the expenses of the district, a one-mill tax to go into building fund.-
 The experience of years has shown that on an average the erection of new school building has been necessary about once In every two years. It was thought therefore that two years accu- mutation of this annual one-mill tax, with interest, would be sufficient to erect grammar school. MT. Moran said that the question as to whether or not the board of education in laying this special tax for six months should levy a -half-mill tax for the building fund.
 He said that a three and one-half- mill tax would hardly net sufficient money to pay the expenses for six months, while a four-mill tax would be yN6 fJyc ,f hay, $25, GOO. The board of education finance committee had finally decided that it would be we'll to allow this surplus of $25,000 to go to the building fund and not lay an additional one-half-milI tax for that purpose.
 It is now practically certain that a four-mill tax will be recommended to the special district meeting.
 Another question which Mir. Moran brought to the notice of the board of finance, in reference to the laying of this special tax, was whether it was advisable to fix upon special time for its collection or to borrow money on the special tax laid and allow the collec- tion of the tax to go over until the time of the collection of the regular taxes
 
 Der 1.
 MT. Moran called the attention of the board to the fact that in case it was decided to borrow, in anticipation of the tax, after it is laid the question would probably arise as to whether the au- thority to so borrow was vested in the board of education or in the board of finance. He was inclined to think since section 107 of the charter stated that no meetings of the New Haven school district shall be held after the third In September, that the authority lay with the board of finance.
 The members of the board of finance looked favorably upon the plans for laying the tax, the rate and collection as suggested by the finance committee of the board of education and outlined by MT. Moran. It was decided to refer to the corporatio counsel for an opin- ion the question as to where the author ity resides to borrow in anticipation of the special tax.
 At the meeting of the board of edu- cation this evening a statement will be submitted by the finance committee of that board showing the estimated ex- penses of the district for the six 
 The gentlemen of the board of edu- cation having been heard by the board of finance, Mayor Farnsworth brought up the matter of the salaries of the members of the bureau of compensa- tion. The charter prescribes that the salary of each member of this board shall not be more than $500 per an- mum.
 Commissioner Reuben H. Brown ask ed if $500 was an excessive amount for the salary of members of the bureau of compensation.
 Mayor Farnsworth replied that he thought the amount fair and on motion of Commissioner Brown it was voted to fix the salary at $500 per year for each member of the bureau. The may or volunteered the information that he had held no conversation with any of the bureau in regard to the salary of the position.
 Mayor Farnsworth then stated that Director Beecher of the department of public works had found that his clerical force was very busy, especially MT. searcher of the records. who has large amount of work piled up before him. MT. Beecher could not spare any of his clerical force to detail as clerk of the bureau of compensation. He had thprpfore annpinta6 William ~