The St. Louis Republic., 1901-10-12

possess II was never intended to deprtv
| st. Louis of this privilege
! The proposition 10 levy tax to pay tn
| Worlds Fair bonds is 80 obviously fail
mat there can be no reasonable objection
| That Is Just common. everyday business
! honesty The voters understood when the,
authorized the bonds that payment would
/ have to be made. If the money is not raised
! in this way the amount will have to com,
| out OF the already overburdened genera
| revenue.
EQUITABLE CHANGES IN
SPECIAL TAX SYSTEM.
: Under the provisions of the fourth
amendment the general revenue of the city
| is to be relieved of paying for grading and
cross walks. and the excess above Is PER
cent of the value OF the property benefited
by the Improvement. The city's poverty
makes this change imperative The added
burden to the taxpayers will b.. slight and
Improvement will now be made possible
which citizens have desired for wears and
never could get
In order to make this change more
equitable. 1t is provided that. instead Of
having tax bills payable in lump on de-
mand. as at present. with an exorbi; nt
interest. If the property owner happens m
have no money with which to settle at once
n system of payment by instailments with
moderate interest, shall be established. No
fairer proposition for the taxpayer could
he made. He can settle the entire bill AT
any time. NJ the City Treasury and thus
stop interest on the payments noe yet due
or. If he happens TO be without ready
money. or has his funds invested at n bet
ter rate than per cent. he can avail him.
self Of the extended time And all the time
that he IS paying for his new street or sew
or the citizen has the us,e Of these improve
ments, and they have become in effect an
to
VALIDITY OF TAX BILLS
AMPLY SECURED.
There Is every reason to believe that
cheaper work will result from the adoption
Of the amendments. The fact that notice
OF the special tax bills Is served by the CITY
Marshal will make the financial institutions
OF the city willing to handle them. At pres
ent no trust company will buy tax bills be-
cause there is no record to show when in
terest begins. This doubt would be all re-
moved If the City Marshal, instead of an
empioye of the contractors. should servo
the notices. With the certainty that he h, =,
ready money at his command for every bit
of work he can do. the contractor largo or
small. will be able 10 make better prices
on his work and still find 1t profitable
The fear that the banks and trust COM
panles may force the contractors to sub |
nit to heavy discounts on the long time tar !
bills does not seem to extend to the con- |
tractors
COST NOTHING TO
NOT BENEFITED.
The manner of assessment: of specia,
taxes for street improvements under the
amendments is such that the cor
ner lot is relieved of excessive burdens and
az the same time those lots toward the |
middle of the block. which are undoubtedly
benefited by the Improvement. are made TO
pay their just share In no case, 1 am
will the amount assessed against |
any piece of land be so large as to be tn- |
iuly burdensome. At the same time only
those directly benefited will he asked to
'ay for any Improvement. In case Il boule
'ard is established the cost is not assessed
IS In the case Of other streets. The citi
zen will rot have TO pay for a boulevard I'm
ront of another mans house. Not only
he cost of paving. but all other expenses
with establishing and maintain
ns the boulevard. will be assessed against
property fronting on that boulevard.
VITAL NECESSITY
FOR BETTER DRAINAGE.
THE problem Of drainage for large ci,,es
9 one of the most vital. Our system ~
ewers is admitted to be wholly inadeouate
md the defects in the so-caIled nuhIic
ewers are so great that they even now
arse the city endless litigation. We have
10 money to repair these sewers. but We
ire obliged to pay the expenses of law