The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-07-31
COUNCIL FIXES
CITY TAX LEVY
Twelve Mills Is the Figure
Which SOlOns Decide
Upon.
COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
RECOMMENDS THE ACTION
Fernstrom Indulges in TRADE
Against the American
Party.

tOnllnRcnb Luna, , IllIlSI "utcI 5OuTCcSy
y of l mill; interest on water bonds
and sinking fund, n of l mill; street,
mills; sewers, Ii Of 1 mill; library
fund, Il Of ] mill.
Tho action of the Council was taken
on the report submitted by the Com
mittcc on Finance which recommended
that the tax be fixed at 12 mills, IN
increase Of l mill over the tnx of last
year AS has been stated before, this
| increase is to provide for the payment
Of interest on the million dollar bond
issue of last year and TO provide sink
ing fund with which to redeem the
bonds when they become due,
Fernstrom Heard From.
Mr.. Fcrnstrom contended that the
American party has had terrible ex-
| cess Of expenditures over the last ad
! ministration and claimed that at the
end of the coming year the contingent
fund will be found TO have shortage
of Sl50,000 to 100000. Mr., Black was
prepared with the figures to show Mr..
Fernstrom that the actual excess of this
| year amounted 10 $4,000,
''ln view of the fact that this adj
| ministration has been loaded with
debts said Mr.. Black, (which the
previous administration loaded off on
us and also the fact that the vast
amount of public improvements has re-
tingent fund, the showing is a most
excellent one.
Mr.. Fernstrom then claimed, as is
shown in the document printed below,
which he read before the Council, that
the increase was result of the raising
| OF salaries of city employees, mainly
the teamstcrs and laborers. Mr.. Fern
strom even went so fur as TO put him
self on record as recommending on the
Hnpr of phu m Ha
pay OF the laborcrs and teamstcrs be
reduced TO what they formerly were.
Mr.. Fernstrom also went on TO ac
! cuse tho American administration of
collecting ''tithing,' as he termed it,
in the shape of a campaign fund, and
| accused the heads Of departments Of
| eXactng 10 per cent Of the salaries Of
| employees, to be devoted to campaign
| purposes. He made special charges
against the street department and
stated that he had documents 10 prove
his assertion. He then presented q
letter to be read which was written by
a former employee of The street depart
ment, who claimed That he had been
discharged because he had failed TO
exact the ''tithing' from the men un-
der him.
Superintendent Raleigh of the street
department, who was present, was called
on and he stated that he had discharged
the writer of the letter four days ago
for drunkenness, and, further, denied
that he had ever exacted cent from
any of the men in his department.
Several OF the American members OF
the Council stated that if Mr., Fern
! strom could prove any of his asser-
tlons in regard to any Of the city de-
partments that they would vote for the
immediate discharge IF the heads of
the departments. Mr. Fernstrom said
| he was not prepared at that time to
prove what he had stated, but that he
would do so if given time
81 know said Fernstrom, "that the
American party is dong tho hierarch
act and exacting 10 per cent from the
employees of the city" On motion
the chair appointed a special commit
tee tc investigate tho charges made by
Mr.. Fernstrom. The committee con
sists of Mr.. Crabtree, Mr.. Mulyey and
Mr.. Fernstrom. The statement read by
Mr.. Fernstrom follows:
Statement of Fernstrom.
As member Of the Finance committee, l
wish TO state for the information OF the
Council that We met last Thursday evening
and discussed the financial matters OF the
city with the view of recommending a tax
levy; that our means OF knowing the exact
financial condition OF the city was very
meager because the Auditor had failed to
comply with his sworn duty 10 furnish not
alone the Finance committee but tho public
with full and complete statement but 90
much was ascertained to show that the
necessity for raising our taxes is unavold-
able: and when they are raised the street
and contingent funds will be raised to the
full extent of the law.
There will he deficiency at tho end OF
the yenr OF at least $l50.000 TO 5000 900 con-
dtion which has never before confronted the
city And unless some extraordinary means
are adopted to meet this most serious condi-
tion. the city's credit will be utterly de-
tion is undoubtedly the hasty raising OF
wages and the increase of employees In the
various departments,
The raising of wages does now appear TO
me as conspiracy and a collusion among
the leaders Of the American party, as the
following document will clearly demonstrate.
% cents per day after he has paid his 10 per
cent or "tithlng" to tho American party Is
benefited by this raise two and one-halt cents
per day. The teamstcr. who IL was so ear
nestly advocated should have a raise be-
cause hay and grain were disproporton-
ately high. is benefited by this raise by
cents per day, and the American party raKes
on out OF tho city treasury fund As cents. and
all employees who may object to the paying
OF this tithing are threatened with imme-
This is SO hnsrantly unjust and corrupt
that tho courts of this district should have
their attention called TO the fact and see
q grand jury should be mpanelcd TO investi.
gate and indct the guilty parties, SO as TO
break up this most corrupt and damnablo
coIlusion that ever cncroached upon tho pub
lie treasury OF Salt Like City.
That there is u scheme Of raising cam.
pnign fund ut the city's expense cannot be
denied and that the money which is going
to BIO secured from the city treasury Is no
small sum. For instance, tho sprinkling
department, whose expenses nre over $4,000
per month: is nearly all team work Ten
per cent of that means 5000 monthly TO the
American party corruption fund from that
department alone. SO il is wonder that
tho citys finances ruined in eight
months. recommend that the city discharge
NIL unnecessary employees that the wages
be restored to whore they before tho
uthing scheme was inaugurated. and TINT
any employee in any department. who at.
tcmpts to collect tithing from the employees
bo ut once discharged; and il there is no Inv
against such shameful practice, that IL tho
Legislature rcconvenos, tho Governor and
lows as will severely punish such corrunL and |