Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-06-09
THE FINANCE COMMITTEES.

THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.
1t will occur to those citizens even
tolerably conversant with the financial
affairs of the city that the Council
Committee or Finance might have made
a much better showing in its annual
estimate of receipts and expenditures
had a reasonable effort been made. The
public is watching the present Council
very closely, and trusts that it will
not fall into the errors of some of it's
predecessors. Its chief aim should be
economy.and good service to the public,
but the practical passing of department
tai and committee estimates as sent in
is not step in the right direction. The
expenditures should be cut to meet the
estimated revenues, and the estimated
ven should be based upon reason
able expectation and not swelled, as was
done in some former years, when
Councilmen perfect well know the es-
Inmates will not be realized.
There are several cases particularly
conspicuous where changes advantag-
eous to the city and it's credit might
have been made. The first, if not the
most conspicuous, is the increase in the
salaries of fremen. More than four
thousand dollars might nave been saved
there, without hurting the firemen, who,
although they receive five dollars per
month less than the police, are furnish
ed by the city with what is practically
a home in everything save meals. They
are given comfortable quarters, beds and
bedding, bath tubs and ice, waterproof
coats and hats, heat in winter, and a
number of other things which police
men have to pay for out of their own
pockets, and the difference is far more
than five dollars per month. In in
clement weather the fireman can sit
in the house and see the policeman
the case may be, and often ne is not call
ed upon for active service for weeks.
His lot, taking one month or one year
with another, is not a hard one, for
during days and weeks he has moth
ing to do but curry and feed the horses,
and keep the house tidy.
Another failure Of the committee was
in deferring all payments on account
of city loans, principal and interest.
This was not necessary, and for this
reason: Some trimming OF estimates
would have reasonably resulted in the
saving Of $4,000. 1t might have been
~inconvenient, but it was possible. On
top of that, the Committee might have
taken cognizance of the fact that the
Water Board has collected something
like $40, 900 of delinquent accounts since
the new administration came into pow
er, and will probably swell this sum by
10000 during the mex sixty days from
collectable bills, without working any
very great hardship upon d%elinquents
able and willing to pay. The Commit
tee might have recommended that these
practically extraordinary funds in this
department be set aside for the pay
ment of principal and interest upon
bonds falling due this year, and that
would have solved the bond problem
save and excepting the $50, 900 of COM
promise bonds, which must, of course,
be provided for Don or later.
What is needed is close economy, and
such trimming as will make both ends
meet. That is the expectation of the
people from this city administration.
and they will be satisfied with nothing
less. There should, in all justice, be a
revision of the Finance Committees
figures. A few hundred dollars Topped
on here and there will aggregate a con-
siderable sum-, and Council has ample
power to shift some of the loans over
to the Water Board, for that department
in years gone by, had to assume such
obligations, and did so. The present
Councilmen should steer clear of the
rocks that eventually wrecked the adj
ministrations of the past five or six
years. The closest pruning of estimat-
ed expenditures will best meet the
views of the taxpayers.
The news that Mrs. Mckinley is mo
worse is no reassuring. She is evil
IDENTIFY a very sick woman.