Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-03-17


should surely avail ourselves of it's pro =
visions. There has been too much TEN.
| porary improvement and too little per-
manent improvement in the years
which have gone by.
1t is questionable in my mind wheth-
| er the city or the abutters should nav
for the street sprinkling and 1 wish
you to consider that proposition.
1t seems to me that the city can OBJ
tain better walks and at less expense
by contracting for them / am much
| of the opinion that no man can do
everything as well as those who have
| mad particular training in separate
| anu distinct branches. and if
the street commissioner makes ar
rangenents with experts to build
the SIDEWALKS. he will then have
50 E1ucn more time to devote to
the streets and bridges, and l believe
with much better satisfaction to the
| citizens generally. No plank walks
should be laid where it is possible to
nse permanent material. The bridges
at grist-mill. Winter Street and New
Mills should be looked over carefully
and placed in proper. condition
Everything should be done for the
better protection of the school chill
dren and Supt. Turner will no doubt
institute at once, the fire drill'' and
other measures necessary 10 insure the
absolute safety of the occupants of the
buildings. have caused a rigid III
VtstiSation Of the fire escapes and exits
and II either need changing, it shall be
done.
it XIII be the duty of the municipal
officers TO make contract with the
electric road corporation. regarding the
removal of the snow from Water Strecr
and ! trust that we shall be able to
turn it to our advantage, fer I believe
1t will be an advantage to have the
snow cut Of the street
l would recommend that the house at
New Mills, owned by the city, be sold,
but that the stable be retained. There
IS no profit to the city in owning Il
tenement, for the loss of taxes and re-
pairs ana the interest on the money
seem 10 more than offset the rent re-
ceiveC.
l have no doubt that the newly elect
ed City Marshal will see that all laws
are enforced. particularly the prohibi-
VINO entorces the law who is thought
most Ct, and while l am Of the opiniuu,
that the rigid enforcement of all law
will not prevent all crime. still 1 am
equally OF the opinion, that il is q pre-
tentative of much and the law abiding
public are entitled to protection.
Thu ordinances relative to loafing and
expectorating should be strictly en-
forced. If the men do not care about
il particularly. the women should be
considered. and they have certainly had
much cause for complaint in the past
think an ordinance should be passed
requiring the owners on Wafer Street
to place fiat roofs or roofs Sl0ping TO
the rear, upon the business blocks. a
reasonable time. perhaps two years,
might be given them during which the
change could be made and n provision
for q suitable penalty inserted in the
ordinance.
1T seems to me that the liquor agent
should have his salary raised to six
hundred dollars and have a cash reg
lister Instituted and then have an inven-
tory taken at certain monthly periods
by committee of the municipal Off
GERS. l believe the city business should
be conducted If possible as we would
conduct our own
y bill should be introduced in the
next legislature providing for the an
nexatiOn of Farmingdale and Randolph
to Gardiner. We are communities or
identical interests and it would of
course do no harm to vote upon the
question.
The city has bonds coming due April
10th. to the amount Of $4,000 and
these must be taken care of. l would
advise immediate action that the same
may be refunded when due and l would
call your attention to the fact that we
have ffty-six thousand dollars in tenn
porory notes drawing interest at five
per cent. with the exception of five
thousand which is drawing four. Now
I believe these notes could and should
be converted into bonds at par upon a
four per cent. basis, and perhaps a
slightly better figure than par could be
obtained. I would make those bonds
thirty year bonds and l would offer to
exchange them with the holders OF the
notes, and Their if they did not care to
make the exchange, | would offer the
local public the first opportunity to
purchase them, and if they did NOT
purchase all of them, / would place
the remainder with some bond house
After those bonds had been issued, l
would provide for a sinking fund of
three or four thousand dollars n year
and at the end of thirty years, the city
would be free from debt. That would
be my plan and | wish you to think it
over carefully and see how it strikes
you.
Gardiner has been one of the best
managed cities in Maine. out OF the
twenty cities. only seven had two per
cent tax rate last year and we were
one of the seven. When you consider
how expenses have grown the past
few years and how our valuation has
remained stationary, ii is really re-
markable that we have been able to
keep the tax rate at two per cent. In
1904 we had valuation of s3,52l 1856;
in 1905 of S3.j77,233: in 1906 of S3,62S.-
or and in 1907 of $3.50 ,056, so that you
can readily see that while we have I'M
doubtedly increased in population, we
have not increased in taxable property,
hut haze actually gone back q little