The Portland daily press., 1899-03-14
MAYOR ROBINsoN's ADDRESS.

The time that intervenes between cleo
ton day and Inauguration is hardly
sufficient for the Mayor to inform him
self in regard to municipal facts and IL
entirely Inadequate for the formulation of
a policy except of the most general kind,
or for the discovery of the most effec-
tive remedies for conditions that need to
be corrected. Hence a Mayors inaugural
is not expected to contain many specific
recommendations. Those must come
later after there has been time for criti
cal examination and study. AT the very
outset of mis- address Judge Robinson
recognizes these Limitations and declares
it to be his intention mot to do more
than make few suggestions and recon-
mendatlons /"
One suggestion which he makes at the
very outset is that an effort be made to
reduce the tax rate. That will strike
every body favorably, and verybody will!
hope that the effort will be made and will
succeed. And yet, as Judge Robinson
| points out, the people themselves are gem
orally more responsible for high tax
rates than the city council. Everybody
is in favor of economy and low tax
alton; but no ward and no neightoI hood
Is ready to see any public improvement
in which it is specially interested post.
poned or curtailed. But sacrifice Of this
sort is absolutely essential If lower
tax rate is to be brought about, Did any
one ever hear of u ward or school dis
trict that was willing to put up with u
school house less elaborate and costly
than some other district had that the
tax rate might be lowered, Ut that was
willing to wait until the city could bet
ter afford the expenditure? We think
not. Every ward and every neighborhood
wants the lest and wants 1t right of,
Collectively the people are in favor of
economy but nobody wants to make any
sacrifice to get it. Yet the price of econo.
my is sacrifice and if the people are not
willing to pay the price they will never
get 1t.
During the past year the net debt OF
the city has been reduced sos, 900. which
Fin view of the fact that extraordinary
expenses were imposed by the Spanish
WuE anu ihoit VI icas tipociy
related thereto. is very good showing.
still the debt is considerably above the
con stitutional limit and the work OF re-
ductiou should still go on with. if posi-
BILE, increased vigor. The addition of
Desring adds behring's debt, but that will
not perhaps materially affect the rela-
lions between the debt and the taxable
property of the city.
Turning to the subject of schools the
Mayor points out the necessity of push
ing forwad the Park street school house
which has already been determined upon,
and of improving the sanitary arrange
ments of the Casco street school.
The figures which the Mayor presents
from the report of the poor department
may fairly be characterized as startling.
Last year $50, 700 was appropriated for
the support of the poor, but the expendi-
lures will reach Si2. ZOO, or more than 3S
per cent more than the appropriation.
Judging from this report poverty has
been increasing In this city by leaps and
bounds though the most of US have been
accustomed to pride oursel YES on living
in city where the per cent of poverty
was very small and decreasing. 1t APP
pears that In twenty tive years the "out
side poor" have grown from ITO familie s
to 543, or more than trebled, while the
expenditures for the relief OF this class
have risen from 50, $50. 20 in 1880, to Si2,.
| los. 70 in 1898, OF more than five times as
much. AS the secretary reports
that applications for relief have
been investigated with much care
it does not appear likely that
there is any considerable percent of fraud