Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-03-18


VILLAGES sHULD BE INCORPORATED.
A glance at these items will disclose
the fact that four sepa ate villages in
Anne Arundel comfy are enjoying many
of the blessings OF municipal govern
ment without paying the cost of the
same. The four localities, or villages, are
Brooklyn, Curtis Bay, Germantown and
Passport II is safe To say that no other
villages in the state enjoy such benefits,
as a reading of the Acts of our General
Assembly will SHOW, that all villages in
counties like Montgomery, Frederick,
Washington, Allegany aud Carroll are
compelled to incorporate and pay all or
dinary municipal taxation. Thus it is
hald 10 understand just why taxpayer
of the Eighth district snould be taxed to
paw his proportion of the cost of electric
lights at Eastport, Germantown, Brook
lyn and Curtis Bay, to say nothing of
five police officers ut Brooklyn, and one
at Eastport. He never sees one of
these police officers and only the
Germantown lights when he has reach
ed the city limits of Annapolis. Bad as
these conditions are for the taxpayers
of the rural districts, they ate worse for
the taxpayers of Annapolis city. They
pay without the aid of the other taxpay-
ers of the county 81 500 each year for
electric lights, $4,000 for police office
in their own city and then help to pay
their proportion of the $4,000 at
Brooklyn and Curtis Bav, and 81 500 at
Eastport for lights, $3.50 for police at
Brooklyn and Curtis Bay, $3.50 at East
port and 1920 for a police surgeon at
Brooklyn, luxury not enjoyed by the
Annapolis taxpayer. Thus after the tax
PAYERS of Annapolis have paid over $1,000
for police and lights in their own city,
they are compelled TO contribute nearly
$4,000 towards the payment of cost
of lights and police in other sections
of the county This condition of affairs
has become intolerable aud will certainly
be remedied at an early day.
WHERE REDUCTIONS CAN BE MADE.
Let us then see what can be taken
from the items of this commissioners
fund of $SI .044.2S by proper Legislation.
First deduct the items that should be
born bv the local communities enjoying
them, namely:
Light Eastport, &c.........$ 1900 90
Brooklyn, &c........ $500 90
Police at Brooklyn. ..... $3.50 90
Police at Eastport. ....... 4S0 90
Police Surgeon Brooklyn..... 420 90
$10,3sO 90
When this is done mark my word the
communities will soon have reduction
in the prices now paid.
TAX DISCOUNTS.
The next items to command our atten
tion are the discount OF 5000 on school
taxes and $500 on county taxes. The
schools now receive % cents on each one
hundred dollars without deductions of
any kind. This item was before the Court
of Appeals and the Court decided that as
the county Commissioners in making the
levy had failed toprovide for the discount
being deducted from the corpus of the tax.
at the time of making the levy, the
amount would have to be paid in full for
the year under consideration, but the
County Commissioners by changing the
wording of the levy can save this money
without an Act of the General Assembly;
but why should any discount be allowed
for the prompt payment of taxes. when
the result of it is that the taxpayer able
to pay his taxes often pays IL per cent
Less than his unfortunate brother, unable