The Portland daily press., 1899-06-06
Bill in Accordance With Veto Message
Presented
Was Passed by the AL
dermen.
The Council Fails to. Agree on
One Item.

The meeting of the city government
last evening was rendered Important by
Mayor Kobinson's veto Of the annual APP
preparation bill. All the aldermen were
present when the Mayor called the board
to order. The Council were not then in
session. and many of the counoilmen
were spectators of the proceedings Of the
aldermen. There were also several other
spectators; but the attendance was not
large. 1'he Mayor read his message as
follows:
The VETO MESSAGE.
The order passed ON the 9th of May
last. and known as theAppropriation bill,
is hereby returned without approval.
Delay that should have teen avoided
has been occasioned, for the reason that
| the time appointed by the charter for the
formal communication Of the fact of dis
approval is TAT the next stated session Of
the city council"
Lack of power to object to specific
| items in the order has neoessitatsd its
disapproval as whole. This Is but one
power Is not commensurate with his re-
sponsibility, or 10 fettersd with serious
endorsements.
The present order, II passed, will on
crate to lay yet heavier assessments upon
the taxpayer. In 1897 the tax rate was
raised to FL, higher than it had been for
leighteen Years
The purposes Of the various appropria-
lions under consideration are Of them :
selves unexceptionable in their character,
but lit Is submitted that no public exig-
| ency or need exists for the imposition of
higher taxes to effectuate them, and that,
Il nj a a nanaFal xwatfara
mands that the prevalent tendency TO
increased taxation shall stop.
The duty arises, therefore, for MS to CO.
operate in earnest endeavors to make
every reasonable reduction possible In the
appropriations for this year, and to that
end your attention Is respectfully directed
| to the follow wing suggestions:
"a. The item of 5000 appropriated for
discount on taxes may be struck out
On a former occasion your attention was
| called to the recommendation Of the city
treasurer that our present system OF dis
COUNT on taxes should be abolished. The
i system does not prevail in the large cities
Of our neighboring states. and every dol
lar Of the discount has TO be raised by
taxation.
cd The appropriation OF $1,000 for the
revision. etc., of the city ordinance may
| be postponed without serious consequent
ces.
81 Two items in the estimates of the
Commissioner OF Public Works, namely
$1,000 for paving ON Washington street,
and $1,000 for paving on Green street,
may be deferred to next year.
| al With economy and good manage.
ment the more immediate and urgent
wants of wards /, z, and in respect OF
additional lire protection can be provided
for without exceeding (exsept by about
$4,000 the amount of the appropriations
/ for the salaries and running expenses Of
| the lire department. as originally reported
by the coynmittee on estimates. The
4 $3.50 me bti6ned can be obtained by trans
| fer from the appropriation made for the
unpaid bills of Deering. an error having
been discovered that releases at least the
required sum. The appropriations OF
$11 900, $3.50 and $1,000 respectively, made
| for the foregoing purposes. may be
omitted in all the sum OF Sl7, 500.
The total amount Of the items mention
ed is $50, 900; and is believed to be sutii-
Gent with other available resources to
| bring the tax rate down to $2l on $1,000.
1t is recommended that new appro-
priation bill embodying substantially tine
features OF the present one, except as
Modified in accordance with the foregoing
suggestions, and such further ones, II
any, as may occur TO you. be at once put
on its passage. It'll is advised that the
appropriation in relation to the Park
| street school house he dropped from the
new bill, but without prejudice to the
| measure itself. 1t is believed that in
the end the progress Of that matter will
not be retarded. and that the despatch of
| the general appropriations will be- expe-
| dited by following such course. Imme-
date but separate consideration should
| be given the subject OF the Park street
school house, and q suitable appropria-
| ton can be made seasonabiy to be in
cluded in this years taxes.
As soon as the reading of the MESA ge
was completed. Mayor Robinson put the
question whether, upon consideration,
the board would pass the bill. the May
or's objection to the contrary notwith-
standing.
The vote was then taken, and to the
surprise Of many and the amusement OF
all, the nine aldermen all voted to sus-
taip, the veto. This ended the matter,
the message not being sent to the lower
hoard
A little later Alderman Moulton pre-
scented new appropriation bill. which
was the old bill modified to meet the rec
concentrations of the Mayors veto mes
sage The Park street school house is
not in the bill; as 1t was found impossi-
BILE to have IL in without endangering the
whole pill. But as the tax levy is not
laid until July it is thought that the
school house matter may be considered
at special meetings and If 1t seems best
to build the school house special addi-
ton may be made to the tax levy.
BY unanimous consent the bill was
amended in two or thres slight particu-
lars relating to the salary Of
the sealer of weights and meas
ures, the sanitary appropriations,
etc. The total Of the bill as changed was
about thousand dollars more. making
the total 81. o6s,0
These amendments having been
adopted Alderman Lamson proposed an
amendment appropriating $4,000 for