The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-03
ADJUSTMENTS TODAY.
THE METALS.
| AYING UP TROUBLE.

Just by way Of diversion, the ma
jority of the city council has voted for
an extension OF the city crematoTy to
cost a little over $4,000. If the extern
sion were really needed as a measure
Of sanitary precautiOn, there would be
no objection TO it even though the fund
from which il is TO be paid for shows
an overdraft; but the present plant is
not worked to its full capacity, the
employees running it are spending a
large proportion of their time sorting
Junk from the refuse, which junk goes
TO swell the income of the employees,
though they work on city time. When
they are not sorting junk or selling
hides for their own profit, their work is
done in slip-shod fashion and the Gre
matory plant is not utilized for half
its real capacity. 1t is as though
manufacturer decided to double his
plant when by working three shifts ne
could save the cost of a larger plant,
the interest on the additional invest
ment and all the other costs of an I'M
necessarily large establishment.
However the $4,000 is not the most
serious part of the councils system.
The contingent fund at the present
rate of expenditure will show at the
smallest estimate an Overdraft of
sl0O,0 600 or more at the end of the year.
Warrants for this amount will be out
standing, with no funds to meet them.
Under the law of Utah it is a felony
for the auditor to certify warrants as
being within the debt limit when they
are not; and it is also a felony for the
treasurer TO pay such warrants when
the fund is exhausted.
Allowing for the revenue from taxes
in the months of November and De-
cember there will still be no money in
the contingent fund with which TO meet
the excess warrants. II follows in
evitably that at the present rate of
expenditure the city of Salt Lake will
be in a position by Jan. of next year
where a large amount will be due that
cannot be met legally. Nor can II be
paid legally until the legislature au-
that specific purpose.
Surely the American" administra-
ton ought to stop long enough in its
plans for wholesale depletion of the
treasury TO consider the very grave
condition which it is inviting for the
city. No matter what warrants are
issued, no citizen is going to permit
their ultimate repudiatOn-that goes
without saying, because the city's cred
il is too valuable and its citizens re-
gard their commercial honor too high
ly TO consider questionable finances.
But there will be a period, at the pres
enJ rate, during which the city will be
unable to pay its floating warrants I'M
der any legal plan that could be de-
vised and that of itself would be
blow at the credit of the municipality
1t is bad enough TO spend $4,000 in
one year more than the revenue avail
able for that year; but it is worse TO
plunge the treasury into a condition
where it cannot meet all obligations
promptly, fully and legally. Unless the
administration checks its extravagance
and prepares TO retrench. it must stand
convicted Of deliberately and wilfury
creating a large deficit which must be
a heavy burden to the taxpayers i'm
after years, as we'll as a serious refec-
ton on the conservatism and stability
of Salt Lakes business methods.