The Nome nugget., 1901-11-09
VITALITY OF THE CITY OF NOME.

Tho report of City hr req surer N.> B. Soner, which covers period of five months and eleYen days, as published in the last issue of the NUGGET an inter- esting document It shows the vitality of even an Arctic town ina mining region. It also shows the patience of ong-suffering people l. shows more
 than that, isasmuch the treasurer cement is as plain as open book. It shows, for instance, a reckless expenditure of the peoples money; it shows a business incompetence the part of the council that is nexcusablG We have never minced matters iR speaking of public affairs have we, ever at tsmptedto eondonc the faults of public men, It may Sisy to do in peouniary sense fora brief season. but the.end is ever in sight We wishto state un- slisstatngly, and without the fear Unsuccessful fndicton, that in the conduct of the affairs off, Nome since it became incorporated city, the people have lie received their moneys worth. By reference to the -cport we find that the receipts between May 2O when Treasurer Solner took office, and October 3l amounted to the snug sum of $67 ,S1s27. the dis bursements for the time being $66917 .01. The receipts include slO 49;r received from general hccrises,' s761950 from " fines and forfeitures ,, "poll taxes" yielded the small of $2, 635 25, which shows that,a great many overlooked, while the willing, cnes always found; out of 1900 dogs more in the town, the, simpl minded -ofaless than 200 came up1 with two dollars apiece for their or.less worthless cannes while the great remainder went scot free; real and per sonal property taxes yielded $15,S1306; special street fund '7 taxes, S 551. 46, and school fund " $11 1gOo.,
 AS we have said ait IS healthy but decidedly one- sided showing Many people have been permitted to escape paying their just proportion of the public 5arden whte these that were easy and willing have been taxed to the utermost. But the showing would not be so bad the city cut Of debt. The of e&7,S1S.27, expended in brief five months in town of this size, is an enormous but 1t would net be ostriking # that showed the total expenditures Iadoes not. The e1ety is in debt There warrants outstanding amounting approximately, to $25,0OO, and this sum added to the amount actually received and paid out brings the grand total u1 ito nearly AOO.OOO.
 ft4will be urged, and justly, that quite propor- tien of the expenditures, $15551 was for street inn provenent purposes. We grant.it, and we will state that the improvements were needed; but again in thlscase many have escaped paying their proporton jilstor otherwise. What is the state of affairs today, after SIX months experiment with local self-govern- ment? The city is' bankrupt; police officers must hawk their warrants from door' to doorat big dis count, or pocket them, awaiting time when there shaiI be money Tn the ~easury to pay then;. SUD- plies for ecity departments longer be had on the promise to- pay contained in city warrant, and 50 the people who have Loyalty maintained and supported the city government must suffer alike with those who have gotten " "something for nothing'-
 The government of the town has been conducted on too extravagant plan; no one we feel assured, will have the temeriy to deny it in face of the above figures. It is tims.a halt called It is a poor plan to lock the door after the steed is stolen but if you buy second horse you can remember your ex- perence with the first.