Waterbury Democrat., 1900-10-20
THE CITY APPROPRIATIONS.
Trying to Keep the Sum Below What
 Work Laid Out Calls For.

Work Laid Out Calls For.
 The work of making the city appro priations for next year has already | commenced. and as usual some of our l economists are about town endeayor- | ing to convince people that we can get | along next season with less money | than we had this year. In q certain sense that is true, but if the money is not appropriated for public uses others will put up big howl because they cannot get water mains, sewers. sidewalks and other Improvements that they have been waiting for the past few years. This is a rather peculiar question and in most cases every man looks at it from a selfish standpoint, and in consequence those who do not 1 want public improvements cannot see why we should continue spending money in this way while the people who have not yet been provided with them object to seeing the business | stopped until they receive some re- turn for the money they have paid towards the development of their | neighbors' property. This is na tural feeling and as result two strong ele- ments are at work. one in favor of a tax that will enable the city to do 1 considerable amount of work every year. and the other making war upon public officials for what they term ga reckless waste of the peoples money.' It does not make much diff ference to the office holders whether the appropria tions are large or small that is. it does not add to or diminish their salaries. but it annoys them some what to be constantly importuned to do more work than the funds at their disposal will stand, especially when they know that the work asked for needs attention and that the petitioners have rights in common with others who have had the benefit of similar , improvements for years which were . paid for in part by those who are still } without them. Some people would have a cinch on their neighbors if the city should decide to stop all public improvements and compel every mar to make his own improvements in the ' future. but of course this is out of the question, vet there is as much sense il $ it as there is in the arguments of tht j. fellows who because they have all tho [. sewers. sidewalks, electric lights [. water mains and macadam roads the, l. need. consider any further outlay il ' this direction the height of folly an, Il stand ready at all times to assail mel e who differ with them.
 q No man wants to pay more taxe e than is necessary to conduct the at ;, fairs of the city in creditable manner Il and if people would. acquaint then
 selves with the facts as to where. tn = money appropriated for public use
 goes. and how far it falls short c
 being sufficient to meet the demand
 made upon the different department ~ they would pause before jumping g , conclusions regarding the matter - taxation for no matter whether W
 like it or not, we must continue
 make public improvements and if W
 stint ourselves one year the bur1e
 will come to us on the double the fo
 lowing season. At present enough D
 titions for public Improvements in q
 parts of the city have been referrre
 by the board of aldermen to the sul l.. ordinate boards to involve an outls
 of over S200.000. to say nothing of Il
 number that will come in between no
 and next spring. If $2OO.OOO wor
 of work is hanging back after one SC
 son it must be plain to any intelIge 'C reader what the needs of the depa1
 ments must be the next year if an
 thing is to be attended to besides wh
 has been asked for already
 The figures quoted do not include t
 "eiit' nus Ut the puDIIc SCHOOL SySte
 and the $15O,00O worth of bonds whi
 will have to be issued to meet the e of raising the dam at the Wigwam r, eC ervoir. so that the man who ow
 property must make up his mind tn
 he will have to keep np planking doy
 fhe dust for public improvements
 IS he lives. and will be fortuna
 does not pay more in the futu
 than he has in the past.