Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-11-02
and a Lower Water Rate Should
Prevail in Aberdeen.

that Aberdeen would no longer occupy
the unique position of owning its water
system and paying more for water than
any other city in the state, and probably
on the Pacific coast
ANOTHER FINANCIAL BLUNDER.
Next in order of its importance, in this
story of municipal blunders is the Heron
street bridge. Although not quite Of the
money magnitude of the water works, in
point of Cuisines lunacy," or worse, it
stands second to none.
In the first place, the old structure was
permitted to become totally decrepit, to
the expensive Inconvenience of the i'm.
mense traffic that used it daily, and,
when it was found to be in that cond-
ton, instead of quickly repairing it. at
least for foot travel which constitutes
95 per cent of the travel over the river
the bridge is torn down and an expensive
ferry established, and bridge contracted
for that could not be built within six
months. Contractors estimate the cost
Of rebuilding the old bridge, so that it
would have been good for i've years, at
from $1,000 to $1,000. What is the plan
adopted costing? Let us again look up
the record:
Cost Of tearing down old struc-
ture :................. loO.OO
Cost Of ,eirv boat 25O.OO
Operating ferry, 6 months at
$50 per month .......... 2,700. 90
Loss of time by teams and indi-
viduals, at $40 a day. y........ 2,l20.00
fetal 49,. ..,..... .......S 6,22oOO
To which add cost new bridge. ~ ,625. 90
Gross cost OF bunder $500. $33 ,S45. 90
Deduct price Of rebuilding old
pflnse e...... ............. 5,UOO oU
Net cost OF blunder. $50 $40. 90
Had the old bridge been allowed to
stand, and its entrances reduced to
pedestrian width, it might still have
been doing duty for 50 per cent OF the
traffic over the Wishkah river-the ferry
being operated for teams The cost of a
bridge tender would have been saved by
there being no neces sity to run the ferry
after 6 p. M, and much valuable time
saved by those having business requir.
ing them to cross the river.
This costly piece of mismanagement is
difficult to account for, although common
rumOr is not slow to attribute it to mo-
tives that will scarcely stand the broad
light of day. However, this article is
dealing with recorded facts, not rumors.
Let US imagine that this whole business
was the private affair of any one mem.
ber of the city government, and try to
figure how that business man would
have met the problem, and one will
readily see that the successful man o.
business is not always success in public
matters.
Recolect. too, that at the very time
this reckl less expenditure is incurred We
are confronted with this condition: A
large mill is being built just east of the
cityllne; it will require about 10000 to
make road to it on the water level, so
that this establishment would practically
be in the city COR all business purposes ;
without such road new town will be
started with its compan, hotel, stores,
etc, so that it is safe to assume that in
less than three years there will be more
trade diverted from Aberdeen than would
suffice to build this road. Yet you may
scrntinze the records of tie city council
in vain to discover any attempt to bnil4
this necessary road; on the contrary,
when YOU find it mentioned at all, it will
he to say the city is not able financially
to make The improvement. While $50,
0U0 is available to build a bridge not
urgently demanded, $1,000 cannot be
found to aid in the extension OF Aber-
deems trade into its own nearby terri
tory.
RETARDED BY HIGH TAXES.
That the growth Of Aberdeen is retard
ed by the high rate of municipal taxes is
plain to all. 1t is equally plain to all
who investigate the matter that the rate
is higher than it should be with proper
financial management. The taxes on
Aberdeen property for this year amounts
to 55 mills on the dollar, or 5ia per cent
on pretty stiff valuation. Here are the
levles:
State and county purposes -. .1Sta mills
Municipal ........... .......25
Special school. .11R
Total .55 mills