The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-05-09

purpose against the time when pay
ment may be demanded.
am quite sure that the members
of this Board and the great majority
OF the citizens of the town feel that
the time has arrived when Morris
town should have some adequate mu-
nicipal building We are paying rent
for the rooms we occupy; are paying
storage room in vaults for the towns
books, and have no place of our own
for keeping the records Of the town,
which are Invaluable. The amount
that could be saved In these annual
expenditures by the possession of a
municipal building, on which no tax
would have to be paid, would warrant
the investment of sufficient amount
of the towns funds to produce an in
spend for these purposes. Our pride
in our town would also Justify the
expenditure of money for the erec-
tion of an adequate building of a
character to correspond with our bus
mess institutions. 1t would be not
only financial benefit to us, but
also an evidence. of progress and pub
lie spirit.
1t seems to me it would be well to
establish fund for the joint purpose
of providing for each of the objects
just above referred to. 1t is time we
should have some other aim in our
municipal life beyond simply keeping
out of debt and keeping the tax rate
down; commendable as both of these
are. I do not mean to be understood
as wishing to imply that we should
not strive for both of these; but rath-
er as wishing to urge that through
economy and without increasing the
tax rate if possible, we should save
sufficient, with what we have already
saved, to accomplish the above pur-
poses. With the funds already in
hand, if set aside, for that specific
purpose, and with an equal amount
which could be saved in the coming
projected municipal building, with
the prospect of having it practically
paid for by the time OF its completion
two or three years hence. And If not
able to build at once, we could start
1t in such way that the public senti-
ment of the town and sound business
policy would imperatively demand its
completion in the near future,
We are not unmindful of the fact
that it would be eminently desirable
to have in the meantime many inn
provements in the way Of better
lights and better streets. But in this
connection we would desire to hold
fast to moderate scale of expendi-
ture for the purpose of saving our
money for the ultimate good rather
than to spend all our income for tenn
porary purposes and to run in debt
for improvements.
The condition Of the streets has
been steadily improving from year
to year and they are now, taking the
town over, in better shape than they
have been heretofore. New macadam
work has been done in Willow street
and Wetmore avenue, and the sur
faces of a number of the old streets
previously macadamized have been
restoned. Other streets, and among
them the most public ones Of the
town, notably Washington street and
the north side of the park, need top
dressing This will be attended to
in the immediate future, and other
matters in connection with street inn
provements will so on as heretofore,
as our means will warrant it. We
have macadamized all the streets
that haze been macadamized by the
town. without mourning any obliga-
tions which are now unsettled. Most
municipalities that have done this
kind of work on their streets have
done it more speedily, but are paying
interest on the bonds issued for the