Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1904-07-28

MAYOR LEMONS fN-E2VGE W

The following is from the tAttle
Rock Democrat.
/ Considerable interest attaches III
Little Rock to the statements mate
by Mayor II King White OF Pine
Bluff in giving his reasons tor op-
posing the proposed amendment pro
vidng for municipal bonds tor inter
nal Improvements. He says:
"The city OF Little Rock. says ne.
has been paying a f1vemil tax for
many years on just such debt as this
amendment would allow. and has not
decreased the principal one dollar.
Such bonded Indebtedness simply
means an additional tax upon the prop
erty owners from which they will
never be free after the debt is con
tracted
"Another reason | oppose the amend
ment.' continued Mayor White. 'is be-
cause it will afford means OF graft
for public officials so inclined in the
matter of letting contracts to favored
parties and in the placing OF bonds.
1t will afford chances for some people
to get away with money that does not
belong them. and the same amount OF
public improvements cannot be made
with the same money under this sys-
tenn as under the one now being used
b. the city of Pine Bluff.
Gin the district improvement system
the property owners select their own
commissioners who perform the work
of commissioners without emolument
and let the contracts for the work to
the very best advantage. venture
the assertion that if the same amount
of money expended by Pine Biurf had
peen secured by means of the bonded
Indebtedness system this city would
not have had the same improvements
"
The same system that is now in vogue
in this city, if kept moving for two or
three years. will make Pine Bluff rival
any city of the same size in the south
in permanent improvements. The
present system used in this city has
been adopted by all cities as the
nd of Tho wing
of streets in Pine Bluff costs the prop
erty owners sixty per cent. the city
twenty per cent. while twenty per
cent is paid out Of the road tax OF the
county I think this is the safest and
best way and will oppose the amend
ment to allow cities of the first and
second class to float a bonded indebt-
edness.'
In speaking of the interview Of
Mayor White. Mayor Lennon said
today:
"Mayor White made an erro" a: the
outset with regart to the condition
of affairs in Little Rock. He states
that the city is paying 5-mill tax
while the facts are there is no cCLh
indebtedness such as ne snaaks OF.
and there is none at ALL EXCEPT that
contracted by our city prior to 1874.
to pay which the city issued bonds
in 1889 under constitutional right
that allowed the city to levy IT,
mill tax, but the city did not levy
a 1O-mill tax. The only tax levied
for the purpose of paying Oft that
Indebtedness was one-half OF one mill.
Last year the city bought $10,3D0
worth of these bonds and gave 10 II
premium. We now have S35 900 WITH
which to pHrchase bonds. but there
are none on the market.
These bonds bear interest at the
rate of ) per cent. and with the fact
that these bonds are not due until
1909. FIVE years hence, this is reduced
to 3 per cent.
with regard to the Improvement
district plan, the commissioners OF one
of the improvement districts recently
!. formed in this city have informed me-
that they have borrowed S2O, 900 upon
which they are to pay per cent in
lterest. Under the proposed amend