Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-13

towns of the state to any additional ex-
| pense.
There are several hard nuts for the
| committee on agriculture to crack. One
or the hardest Is the question of an ap-
preparation for continuing the work of
'exterminating' the gypsy moth. The
| moth committee of the state board of
! agriculture, reinforced by the state en-
| tomologist the field director, the divis-
ion superintendent, the special agents,
| the ordinary agents, the special inspec-
tors and the ordinary inspectors, and a
lot of high privates appeared before the
committee on agriculture, Thursday,
and sang "a song of siXpence." But
their siXpence was most plethoric one.
1t involves an appropriation of $780, 900,
1t included the threat that unless the
total appropriation was granted not
sou was wanted Better that the state
should be left to the tender mercies
of the moth, than to spend a cent upon
anything but the basis of total exter-
mination.
1t may be interesting for the people of
the state to understand just what total
determination means, and incidentally,
the cost. There has already been spent
in fighting this pest, nearly 100000.
Nothing has been done, however, in the
direction of total eXIermination. Those
in charge of the work claim that this
has been impossible, for two reasons;
that the legislature has failed to make
sufficient appropriation, from $4,000 to
100000 short of the amount asked for
each year, and that the appropriation
when made has been so tardy that the
best period for fighting the moth has
passed. So the work of the committee
has been limited to continuing the moth
I'D tkg,,-v a. ,Fge4 Tod
And now the picture of total eXtermina-
ton is spread before the committee on
agriculture In the bewildering beauty
which is borrowed from millions of the
dollars of the taxpayers money. Prof.
Fernald, entomologist Of the state board,
is the artist and the canvas that is
spread before the committee is practic-
ally the same one that was revealed last
year. Prof. Fernald is just as positive
Of total determination for the gypsy
moth as were the scientists of the board
of cattle commissioners of 1894-5, of the
total eradication" Of tuberculosis
among the cattle of Massachusetts.
But ''total eXtermination'' and total
eradication" are shoots from tine same
tree. And this tree is the enormous ex-
penditure of the peoples money for
what it is absolutely impossible to ac-
complish. The people Of the state have
discovered this about tuberculosis, and
the sooner they realize the same truth
regarding the gypsy moth, the easier 1t
VIII be for their pockets. According to
Prof. Fernald, the total determination of
the gypsy moth Is to be obtained by an
expenditure of 5000 900 a year for five
successive years, then an appropriation
Of 100000 a year for five successive /
years, and finally an appropriation of
5000 a year for five successive years.
In other words, further sum of
$1,575,000 to the 100000 already eXpend-
ed, and no guarantee of the absolute
extinction of the moth. 1t is indeed a
pertinent question and timely one that
the further lavish expenditures in this
direction be abandoned.
Representative Carberry of Worcester
has introduced a bill of considerable |
merit, which provides for legislation to
fix the rate of interest on unpaid taxes
at per cent. With most cities and
towns in the commonw wealth there are |
two rates of interest on unpaid taxes /
The dehnquents are given certain |
period after the time for the payment I
of taxes has expired, and are charged |
Z per cent. Then there is a second |
period with interest at the same rate |
There are a few exceptions, however, in /
which the rate for the first interest
bearing period is fixed at per cent and
for the second period at per cent. BY
y
for the first period is fixed at 5 pei. cent |
and for the second period at 6 per cent
The member from Worcester has been
in correspondence with assessors in all |
the cities of the commonwealth and
finds that in 80 cities which collect
about three-fourths of the entire tax,
there is collected in a single year for in
terest on taxes over $225, ,0O0 Taking the
remainder of the state at the same
average, the interest money collected in
a single year amounts to over 5000, 900,
and 80 per cent of this amount comes
from small property holders who can
not meet their taxes when due. The
city Of Boston, with rates of interest at
and Z, per cent, collects 100000 in a
single year. Worcester, with a Z per
cent rate, collects nearly $4,000; Spring.
field, at 7 per cent, collects $4,000; Fitch
burg, at Z per cent collects over $4,000;
Northampton, at per cent, collects
nearly $1,000; Holyoke, at per cent,
over $4,000; Pittsfeld, at and 7 per
cent, an even $4,000, and Marlboro, at 6
per cent, over $2500.
The state rate for interest on taxes
was fixed at per cent in 1882, when it
was reduced from IL per cent. Then a
rate of per cent was not considered
high, as that was a common rate on
loans with good security. But cities and
towns can now borrow all the money /
they want to at from 312 to per cent,
and bonds at this rate of interest sell
at premium 1t does not appear that
the question of security to the city or
town enters into the proposed legisla-
tion, as the tax is always the first claim /
and the statutes provide for their col
lection according to law after a certain
time has elapsed. By the provisions of
the bill, the small property holders of
the state are tc be benefited to the eX-
tend of from $50OO0 to 100000 a year,
and the general sentiment among the
members of the two branches is favor