Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-07-16

rIIE cry TAX LEVY.

Criticism Of the Albuquerque city
administration from the preiudieed
standpoint OF possible political effect
Is unfortunate ana should be froWned
upon by every fair-minded man who
cares for Albuquerque's welfare. II
The city administration and the city
council takes wrong action u is fair
and right thar they should be criti-
visrd. but the effort to censure mere.
ls for political effect Is 10 be- deplored.
The effort OF the Daily Citizen IN
connection with The city tax levy. to
eensure the council apparently with
ont other reason than for political ef-
feet is a ease IN point The action Of
the council IN lowering the tax levy
seems To us, IN View of the conditions
surrounding the reduction made. to.
have been wise and proper and IN fact
Ihe only course open 10 thu. council
IN the first place. avery taxpayer Is
IA favor ~ lower taxes provided. Of
course, that the public service does
not suffer from insufficient revenue
The present city council IS spending a
good deal of money. u Is spending
most Of this money on the streets
where work IL and has long been sad
ls needed The council probably real
Ices more fully and clearly than any
citizen the city's need for revenue.
St Is not likely that II would cut
this revenue ncedicsaly aud thus tie its
own hands ana cripple tho usefulness
of the administration It seems likely
that the council would be In q posi-
ton to know about where q stood he
Ior, making the reduction
The reduction made, moreover. was
IN the lerx for interest payments, and
seems to nave been wisely made aud
made upon sensible advice.
The levy for intcres, payments ln
past years has been four mills This
year Il is reduo,S ~ 9 y" miHs The
former levy rtr-ed considerably more
money tgap was needed 20 meet the
city's interest charges. and Il had
been the custom Of former admins
t%ratlous 60 apply the excess upon 9th
er accounts Thorc has always been
"a question as 10 The legality OF this
procedure. although the former ad.
m-inistratious huve On an cases applied
the excess funds Co purposes where
expenditure was needed and proper.
me present council however deter
mined hat Sc was not proper ia so
apply an excess fund and therefore re-
duced the levy Go just the amount
necessary 10 meet thc interest charges
u is difficult to see how the council
could p, honestly oensurcd FOR this. II
is probable that q further reduction
ln the tax lcyy could have boon made.
without seriously injurinE the citSs
service hud IL not been for the add
anoc IN the lcey Tor public school
purposes which Is now al he legal
Iimit The money is needed for the
schools and there can bee mo- criticism
OF thi. levy.
% h worth remembering thut the
tax lcyy o. not forever. a. is simply
for this year. Albuquerque has many
2"ars io live. ana much time ga which
fo do the things which a growing city
must do We are Go Doe called upon
shortly Go appropriate large sums of.
mnnty for "a sewer system. uur taxes
viii surely boz heavy enough. and 81
th' council nul- % way Tea get along
with Jess none aud at the same
time dn ihe work th8t g. to boz, done.
the council deserves credit from every
eItIzon whether OBJ. council D.. ,am-
posed ~ D. majority nf democrat "a
majority o' republicans coz o. major
uy of auar.hFt=
ul 10 3 found. after experiment that
tne revenue raised b. not sufficient t1
meet ihe cts necessary charges
th.r- ia much amo and the esp,r-
ment wH have taught us something
The present ciy admiuisiratIou l.
drnornflr Boz tns political nIfh nf
maiaH1 OF nrnu.ra lf tn. govern.
mruL fHuf faf tha malafIB boz
Hffn nn evidence nf HfianlnF rarI
san ufHN Il bose anything fH H.
$500 Ia a.fIlH r. ini HaH.r N Hr
thrn fne 1000 sHlnu nf H
m F f N HH H
H n m.IH
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