Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1900-1903, 1902-12-04
And the Taxpayer Finds Fault
At His High Assessment.
MORE SCHOOLS MUST BE BUILT.

To Accommodate the Growing Up
ters-Improvements Asked
for in Every Part Of the City
People who Want Them Scold il
They Are Not Forthcoming-And
All of Them Together Boost Taxes
So High That Poor People Are Be-
coming Poorer.
Who is responsible for the high rate
Of taxation we are said to have in Wa
terbury? Most people would answer
this question i'll an off hand way by
laying the whole blame at the door OF
the men elected or appointed to dis
charge duties which involve the ex-
penditures of public money, while as
a matter of fact the boot is on the
other foot, and were it not for the bold
front men in public positions show to
citizens who are constantly looking
for improvements of one kind and an
other the tax rate would be at least
20 or 80 mills on the dollar instead OF
what it is. No doubt there are thous-
ards who will regard this as foolish
statement, but those who think so
should make little investigation.
At the present time there are more
petitions for public improvements in
the different parts of the city on file
in the city clerks Office than would
eat up every cent Of the appropriations
recommended by the board of finance
without making any allowance for
what will pour in between now and
next fall. In nearly every case the
| work asked for, but which has been
| left over, needs attention, but the line
| has to be drawn somewhere and If pub
| lie officials did not do this the people
| themselves would swamp the city be-
| fore they knew where they were at.
lIf the taxpayers don't like the high
rate of taxation they should lead in
1 the matter of economy themselves
and then the way will be easy for
those who have to do with public ex-
penditures. Every other man you
meet wants an electric light, sewer,
a new street more fire and police pro-
lection, reduction in water rates, an
extension of the water mains. better
sidewalks. paved streets. relief from
surface water macadamized roads, ed
ditional school room facilities and the
Lord only knows what else and if he
fail in getting what he is after he
| thinks he is abused. This popular
/
before we can expect anything like a
reasonable rate Of taxation.
i Take the school expenses for ex-
ample. What are you going to do
with the children. They are here and
surely it would be manifestly unfair
to charge public officials for the pres
epce of the 1900 pupils that demand
atter tion. What are you going to do
with theml Stop building new schools
or pass law prohibiting further addi-
| tions in the ranks Of our school popu-
| lation? Probably some Of our econom-
lists can answer this question. The re-
4 porter does not pretend to be compe-
tent to deal with the question. He
knows the condition that confronts the
city and is not able to offer any better
way of dealing with it than that en-
lployed by the school board.
The same thing might be said with
reference to sidewalks, sewers and
other public improvements. The 9TH
Ter day the powers that be bonded the
city for 100000 to be used for storm
water drainage. This was done to
save the city from litigation on the
part of the people who show a dispo-
sition to sue every time little water
trickles onto their premises from the
city streets. IL man happens to be
i looking the other way and falls on q
i sidewalk whether it is good or bad, he
i forthwith sues the city and usually
comes off the victor. But to make q
long story short almost everybody is
aiming at the city treasury and as
rule people who do the most shouting
for more improvements and are the
readiest to go into the courts are the
leaders in denouncing the alleged ex-
Il cessive rate of taxation. 1t looks as
if Waterbury was getting to live some
thing like the family that wanted a
better rent than they were able to pay
for and not being able to keep up with
! the procession stopped to rail at ev-
erybody without giving a thought to
: the real source Of their trouble. Wa
terbury is in need of many things, but
if it tries to get them all at once many
\ will have to go to the wall and by the
time everything is supplied n vast
amount of property will have changed
hands and thousands will lose what
. equity they have in the holdings to-
day. 1t is q game of grab on the part
of most people. They tell you if the
. money is not spent in their district
it will 60 somewhere else where there
. is no need of it and for this reason you
have to push or get left out in the
cold. 1t is this disposition that forces
taxes upward and if it continues it
will not make much difference to
large number Of the rate payers
whether the rate bills are high or low,
because they will have nothing tax
able.
1t is said that the factories. if taxed
at full value would make up a grand
list equal to what it is at the present
time without adding anything from
private or personal property. If this
be true we have reached the stage
: where the ordinary mortal might as
well make up their minds to be con-
tent with full dinner pail and not
= bother himself about making any pro-
vision for the future. But it would
not be fair to say much about this
e matter until the process Of readjust-
: ment Of values has been gone over in
] a thorough manner and the assessors
given fair opportunity to get the new
s | system down to q business basis so
e that every man and corporation shall
g pay in proportion to what he and they
3 own. In the meantime we had better