The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-10-24
Can't Spend Money It
Doesn't Have.
City Badly Handicapped BY Bills
From Last Year.

1
committee yesterday afternoon. Mayor
Robinson did not hesitate to outllLe the
policy of his administration Of the city's
affairs. He impressed the fact upon the
members Of the school board that he did
not believe in spending money unless the
money to be spent was at hand. The
discussion was brought about by the
consideration of few orders from the
principals Of the public schools amount
ing to $50 or perhaps less. 1t was not
the amount involved, but the principle
Of the thing that brought forth the state
ment from Mayor Robinson tina. 'tall the
city departments are engaged In marking
time at present. as far as the expendi-
ture of money Is concerned, and "are
endeavoring t. keep within their Appro-
priations so as to give tn, next city
council clean bill of health 1t was
at first stated that the purchase OF this
amount Of books would bring about the
exceeding Of tina appropriation for
school books. but after long discus :
sion Ii was learned that the books could
be Durchase1 without excseding the APP
propriation and the school committee
finally voted that they should be pur-
| cfasei.
. Wren these orders were presented at the
last regular meeting CT the schoolhoard
they were returned to the principals of
TIE several schools for revieion with in
sructions to out them down II possible.
They were returned at yesterdays meet
ing with very few changes, all the teach
eis expressing themselves to the effect
that every one the books sailed for
was absolutely needed. The statement
| was made by some member of the board
| that to purchase these books would CAUSE
the overdrawlng of the appropriation, but
that the looks were absolutely necessary
This was the beginning of the discussion
which WAS extended for some time
Mayor Robinson said THAT il the board
after having made mp its estimates of the
amount required for school purposes for
the year and then foun1 that tire esti.
mates were too small to cover the expen.
diturts, they were exactly in the same
condition as was q man who wanted
something, but hadn't the means to pur-
chsss 1t.
1
he should be governed by the Mayors
a1vice. He knew that the books were
needed. but he didn't favor overdraw.
ing tho appropriation tic get them.
Mr. Whitehouse said that the books In
question should he purth as some
children were being deprived of text
books and the teachers wfre handicapped
in their work for the need OF them. He
though IL unwise to tring TO standstill
all of the school wo=k because of ths
want of $50 worth of tocks.
MIR. Hall slid that at thu commence
ment of the present year 1t had heen very
difficult to make an estimate of the
amount of money which would be re-
qiired because OF the annexation of Deer
lag. Deering required more books and
more supplies of various kinas than the
estimate COMMITTEES had thought would
he required in that seotion Of the city.
Mr.. Heseltine called attention 10 the
fact that the original estimates for text
hooks had lean cut down by $1,000 by the
city council who thought they were TAX.
Ing out the amount sat aside for the pur-
chess of music books when as a matter of
fact they took away much more than the
mnsio books would have cost,
Mayor Robinson said that he recog-
nized the justice of all this. but lack Of
funds were also being felt in all the city
departments. The question should be
met fairly Us to what should be done
when the appropriations we're exhausted.
"Will you go on and spsnd what you
Lave no right to expend, or will you do
something els9s" said he. az am not
here to draw the purse strings too tight
ly. bnt there IL right way to do these
things and a wrong way to do them. If
your estimates were inaccurate. will you
go aheau and spend money that you have
no legal right to spend, or will you draw
the line at this point and If necessary
appeal to the city council for more
fundsp''
| MIR. Heseltine suggested that the city
council had not done right when it cut
off the $1,000 from the text books estimates
which the toard had submitted to them.
MIR. Whitehouse said that he thought
the proper time to have taken into consid-
Grafton these matters was when the sala-
ries of various teachers were being rnised
and unusual expenditures ordered. He
thought it absurd now to refuse to ap-
propriats paltry $50 when the children
in some schools were really In need of
these text books and this entire school
work crippled for want of them.
Mayor Robinson replied that 1t was
never too late to commence to do right.
If mistake had been made In the past
1t conld net be rectilel by making an
other blunder now. This Is mere
bagateiie, but there are many calls being
made uroa US, and il We grant this one