The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-01-17
PAWTUCKET'S NEW
COMMON COUNCIL
HOLDS MEETING

uQGOO tttEG shS
There was but little business before the
common council last evening, IL being me
first meeting OF the body since Inaugural
ton day. An interesting report was re-
StiVcd from the city auditor GNlhs l-s'
OF estimated receipts ana eNpondataiNs TOT
thc several departments Of the city Tor the
Year 1917: and az was referred 70 thc
finance committee, which Will be prepared
10 return an appropriation OH IN aoou'
TWO weeks.
A position vas resolved from the people
OF tho South WOoalawn seoGon asking
that they be given better ire projection.
The ooGncil was callod 90 or0er at S'W
O'Clock. BY President Hughes, ana All put
three OF the members were present FROM
the committee on ordinances came "A re-
port. submitting AN ordinance reiauhs 10
the water sinking fund OF the CITY Inc
ordinance was passed. and is as follows.
'.Section 1. The revenue derived from
the water works shah be applied as fol-
lows: FIRST. to pay the necessary eN-
penses OF tho operation and maintenance,
sccond, 10 pay Interest upon indcotcd-
ness incurred for their construction;
third. 70 apply 10 the water works sink
ing fund such sums as may lO annually
required. which, together with the inoome
from the water works sinking tund' Viii
provide for the complete amortization of
tuasty: fourth TO apply the surplus Ieve-
nue.. II any. 20 the sinking fund OF the
city and any balance that may remain 20
the general account OF the city.
From the board OF aldermen came a
3oint resolution accepting the sum OF $3.50
90 be applied 60 the Mary Robinson burial
fund. This was passed In concurrence.
A petition from the ctizons OF the
South Woodlavn section OF the city and
quite generally signed asking for addl-
tional fire Profession WIS received ana
referiNed 10 the committee on finance.
The petition called attention TO the fact
that this section OF the city is very
poorly protected against nre At the pres
ant time there Is a population OF about
1000 living there and the property valua-
sion is about s2.0o,oo0.
The annual report OF the city auditor
and sinking fund commissioners was
received and reforved TO the committee
on finance.
A petition for the erection OF an elec-
tric light on sherman street was referred
Go the committee on lights,
At the meeting OF the Pawtucket COM
mon council held last evening. the an
nual report OF City Auditor George NJ
Rex was suhmitted, IL chief interest
60 tho general public lies in the fact that
since the last report was made n change
has hcen made In tho method OF book
keeping and also because OF the fact
that there has been change In the fiscal
year OF the city 80 that II now Is prac-
sically the same as the municipal year
The report Is as follows, In part:
Our city properties arc valued at
s6.oS7, ,S69. N.while our gross. debt (SSe9.-
s0S.s4), less sinking fund (sl5s0.oV0.t tsl Is
N.9es. e. wi6ch shows that the excess
OF value OF city property over gross
debt. less the sinking funds, sl.SiT, ,9S6 81.
IN other words. n the city decided 10
close up business Gs private corporation
aN.wt4H ls.N
moss and have surplus OF that amount
on hand.
"A statement has within n ew months
been presented to the public through the
newspapers to the effect that according
20 the bureaus " census tho net per capita
debt of the city was sie4ia This state
ment has never been made by the bureau
os census, What the bureau OF census
did state was that the net per cap.ta
debt. less sinking funds was the amount
named"
CITY AUDITORS REPORT.
The report OF City Auditor Rex received
by the common council, held last evening,
was In part ms follows:
~ would seem that. at first glance. the
additional three months expenditures
would be estimated as one-uuarter or the
yearly expenditures. but careful inves-
ugauon of the conditions that exist In re-
iaton 70 those three months prove that
this is not 80. In some cases the eNpendi-
lures are considerably more than quar-
ter while In other cases they are less
than quarter OF the l2-month year
The conditions that obtain IN the Is
months, so far aS n comparison between
receipts and expenditures Is concerned
are peculiar. In that period we have as
actual receipts the levy for two years
turcs from those taxes. we have is
months state tax 10 pay. the additional
state tax amounting 10 more than s%.oNo.
The growth OF the amount which we
have 10 pay as state tax has been simply
marvellous, owing 20 the recent law
passed by the general assembly 10 Is
entirely out OF proportion 20 the benefits
derived. and is likewise out OF proportion
TO the amounts paid 10y some of the
towns or the state, | would suggcst that
some COMMITTEES be appointed or some
more equitable adjustment OF tho amount
20 be paid may hc obtained AZ the pres
ent time this city not only PAYS 90 the
state moro than Ssa.Ao in state taxes hut
az also pays TO the state more than $4,000
on account OF nquor and other licenses
and ~ receives In return a little more
than tlo.o0 for schools Besides this
amount there Is paid 10 the public library
for books a matter OF Sieo a year. while
~ the city received what tho law allows
II TO receive there would he paid FOR this
purpose TO the public library nearly Si0lA
I'm making these estimates of receipts
i have not considered Il best 20 estimate
as part of those receipts the taxes
which will be assessed on July 10. 1877.
next and which will be due and incom-
Ing within tho fiscal year And while on
the expenditure side I have included the
estimated expenditures of the cemetery
department ] have not included the csti-
mated receipts Tor this department for
the reason that according 20 the proVis-
IONS OF an ordinance which went into ef-
feet Oct. l. i90N, all cemetery receipts pre
placed In a sinking fund which s. In tho
nature of n trust fund. and cannot lie
used for general purposes.
The summary OF the reccipts and eN-
pcnditures show that there will be a de-
nett OF moro than SSooQo but when this is