Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-04-06

need a new library building, an auxiliary
pump and an extension of water mains
may be called for, and we shall need more
money for school house construction or
repairs and 80 on. Hvery demand must
be considered upon its own individual
merit but all calls certainly cannot be
met this year.
In connection with the subject OF muni
clpal expenses we have to recognize the
fact that a considerable part of what
would properly be II pubic burden mas
been relieved by private beneiicencc, or
the charities of religious bodies. our
cemeteries ara thus provided for and our
poor rate, notably low for city of its
population, would be much larger we're IT.
not for the Howard Relief, the Mary
Fletcher hospital, the two orphan asy-
lums and other minor charities And the
schools of the Roman Catholic church
largely sclievc the general public of the
burden of instruction to the young. The
public parks also have been largely adorn-
ed and bcautited at private expense.
But as our expenses in such directions
have thus been happily limited so, on the
! other hand, has the field for public econo-
my been curtailed.
Tho various state taxes and the county
! tax are fixed by law and so is the twenty
per cent tax for highways. Under tho
( charter the gross receipts of the water
department are applied to the sole uses
| Of that department. The cost of street
/ lights, as at present installed, is practical
| ly fixed by contract. The interest on The
public debt is fixed charge.
Thus it would appear that tneHe
/ is left for the exercise or
our economies only the school, fire and
minor departments. And it is obvious that
( the administration of the new - gh
/ school will increase the expenses of the
| school department unless a saving can
be made by 1t in some other direction. The
state highway tax is unjust to TINS ana
other populous centers, but it must be
| paid. The war and other extraordinary
demands upon the State have increased,
by five ptr cent per annum, The burden
/ upon our list for two years. The corpora
ton tax. which has probably justified itsct
by trial, has nevertheless withdrawn from
the local list much that logically be-
longs to it. 1T would appear then that our
4 tax rate can only be lowered either by
greater economy in expenditure which. as
| have indicated, the city Council cannot
wholly control. or by an Increase IN the
Grand list. This list can be diminished by
excessive taxation but cannot be 1nClcls-
ed, presently, or in the near future by
any means other than by the normal
growth of the citys wealth and popua-
ton. If a dilemma is here presented 1t is
not one of my making.
This is not the occasion where citn r
custom or law imposes upon the mayor
the duty OF formulating estimates My
purpose is simply to present to your at
tontion certain aspects Of our financial
condition which are matters Of more or
less public comment and which are also
we'll known to you. but which al this par
ticular period In our city's progress, call
for serious attention.
| Outside the Burlington & Lamoille rail-
road bonds, nearly the whole of our debt
vas incurred for highway Improvements,
,votor works and schools As "A result we