The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-03-15

The full text of Mayor Andrew r.
Sweeney's message 10 council which
was presented to that body at It's
meeting last night, Is as follows: He
favors a new workhouse, refundlng of
the clty's pans at rate of 3ls per cent,
q consolidation OF the many local char
liable institutions into board OF char
tiles. with headquarters at the city
building; free ioll for the citizens Of the
municipality between the city side and
the Island, new Baltimore & Ohio
passenger station, the encouragement Of
new industries by q joint committee
representing the city and chamber OF
commerce. more care in granting llquo:
licenses. etc. He crltlclses the city
water board for not extending TO him
Information he asked for to use in the
compilation of his message to council.
To the Honorable First and Second
Branch of the Council Of the City OF
Wheeling.
GENTLEMEN:-In Compliance with
section of the ordinance In relation to
the mayor of the city, ! beg to submit
the following for your consideration:
Under the system of estimating the \
revenues OF the city for the current
year there is n great temptation 20
overstep the bounds of propriety In the
matter OF overestimating the probable
income. very pernicous practice. re-
sultlng In the establishing of additional
Indebtedness in the form of outstand-
ing or accepted orders; these orders
being virtually the note Of the city, 4
promise to pay, but having no fixed
time of payment. being redeemed only
when the fund upon which they are
drawn shall have available funds are
accepted by the banks which are the
city repositories and interest computed
at pc. cent from the date of their ac-
ceptancc until payment Is made. An in
terest rate OF 6 per cent upon these out
standing orders appears to be excess
sive. especially since the banks which
hold these outstanding orders in one
fund may and often do haYe on depos-
1t money belonging to one Of the ether
funds Of the city, so that In Il measure
the city is borrowing back her own
money at high interest rate. The
books Of the city show as unpaid $1,000
and the interest account is charged
wI:.l thirty-nine and one-half years in
terest on the same ut 3 per cent, or
s5,9l5. q total for bonds and interest OF
sl0,925. 1t IS very improbable that
these bonds will ever be presented for
payment and ! would suggest that the
amount be charged off.
On February Is the balance of the
1870 Loan amounting to $4,000, was
paid, thus retiring the loan. The net
debt of the city January |, 1899, was
sjG6.92O g.. GeductinS the payment OF
the 1880 loan. and Il the Marietta and
Cincinnati bonds and interest be
charged off the net debt would be $780,
0O5 G.. The valuation of real and per-
soral property within the city for the
purpose OF taxation Is S25,527 ,l53 CO. The
city is authorized 70 Issue bonds to the
extent OFFS per cent of the county val
uation. Sl9.0G0.000. or s9500O0. so that the
city is well within her financial limit.
Assuming that the receipts for the
present year will approximate those OF
last the estimated receipts will exceed
the expenditures Chased on last years
appropriations). about $4,000. which
amount is about oil that will be avail
able for new work or new improve
ments.
GAS WORKS AND LIGHT PLANT.
From the best figures obtninable the
revenues Of the gas works for the cur
rent year will fell short of the estima-
ted expenditures including the electric
light maintenance. approximately $1,000.
This deficit Is due largely TO the COM
petition in the sale of the bl-products
necessltating n material reduction In
price. 1t has been the custom for all
city departments to receive gas free of
charge, custom that should never
have obtained, for it does the gas works
injustice and does not properly repre-
sent the cost of the other departments
In my opinion. each city department
using gas should pay the gas works
Continued on Sixth Page