Waterbury Democrat., 1901-11-15
BOARD OF FINANCE
Met and Discussed Appropriations for the Coming Year.

The board of finance held q meeting last night, Mayor Kilduff presiding. and all the members being present. w. D. Griggs appeared before the board and was heard relative to the bill of $3OU for himself and John w. Gaffney and Cornelius Tracy, for their service in preparing the building or dinance. MT Griggs explained how the committee was appointed, the amount of time devoted to the subject, the character of the work, and con- cluded by stating that he considered $1O0 apiece very small compensation for the time they gave to the prepara- tion of the draft.
 Mayor Kilduff called attention to the invitation extended to the city of Gcials to visit the opening of the cook ing school at the Friendly league and suggested that the board make a call there before taking lp anything else, adding that perhaps their presence
 might be source of encoura cement to the management who are endeayor- ing to make good cooks of the pupils in the public schools and thus make the rising generation happy. On mo- tion of MT Hall it was voted to visit the institution and in q jiffy his hon. CT. Mayor Kilduff. Commissioners Kent, York, Hall. Bannon, Comptrol- Ter Russell, City Clerk Ryan, Sheriff Mcdonald, and q trio of newspaper reporters were vending their way toward the Friendly league headquar- ters on Leavenworth street. Miss Ward met the party at the entrance to the cooking department and in that hap py manner which has won her so many friends extended all cordial welcome and with a corps of competent aids explained the work which the league is doing to train the youth to cook to the best possible advantage. The young ladies paid particular attention to City Clerk Ryan and after being initiated into the mysteries of the kitchen and pantry he was loud in his praise of the system of cooking and thought that every girl who aims at making some fellow happy in the fu- Ture should take few lessons in the art of cooking as exemplified at the Friendly league. The party had q libation from the lemonade bowl and while it was being passed around Miss
 
 sorry she had nothing better to offer. The officials bowed gracefully and re piled that inasmuch as all were tee tOtalers nothing could be more accept able than what was before them. Miss Ward was pleased to hear this and then with many good wishes for the success of the cooking school. the may or and the board of finance withdrew and retraced their steps to the city hall where they resumed their labors and talked money matters until close onto II o'clock, when adjournment was taken until next Wednesday night.
 The bill of W. E. Griggs, John W. Gaffney and Cornelius Tracy, referred to herein before. was taken from the table and ordered paid.
 Mayor Kilduff then introduced the estimates for 1902. as submitted by the different boards. The recommen- dations of the board of education, printed in yesterdays Democrat, were taken up first. The mayor read the different items and explained them i'll detail Referring to the conditions that obtain at the Elm street school, he said that there are 175 children ill the basement, which is poorly venti- lated and has very little light except what is furnished by artificial means. He could not see how children or teachers could remain there and have health. The total amount for school purposes amounts to S224. .445, which means a school tax of 1872 mills on the dollar. Some one asked wliat the Ss1sh0nl fax x1 Ir<1 4In fer district became q department of the city government
 MT BannOn: Eleven mills on the dollar"
 MT Lord: ''Yes. but they had un- limited borrowing powers
 Mayor Kilduff: ssThey laid an eleven mill tax and spent twenty. We have the proof of that in school bonds
 After discussing the pros and cons of the school appropriations is was decided to allow them to stand for the present and then the mayor read the estimates as submitted by the board of public works. The members were quick to notice the increase over last year, but the mayor explained that this was due to the S25, ,0O0 for the completion of the water works, the bond issue of $125.OOO for that purpose falling short of meeting all the cost incident to the completion of the project. MT Bannon thought that this was unfortunate. It means a two and a half mill tax, which added 10 what it would have been without that will make the rate bills so high people will not know what to say about them Mir Bannon thought it would be a good idea to have the city clerk write to the clerks of fifteen or twenty cities and find out what rates of taxation they are paying and how property is assessed. Mir Kent want ed to know if all property is listed at one-third it's market value. The small holdings" said MT Bannon, s'and in many instances over that. People who own places worth $3,OOO or $4,OO0 are taxed on one-third and beyond that, but owners of real estate and other taxable property worth con- more than that are not taxed on one-sixth its value. The large buildings are not taxed as high as the small ones in proportion and with re- gard to the corporations they don't pay on a tenth of the actual value"
 Mayor Kilduff: 'It is common thing fo hear of a corporation buying |