The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-25
THE INCREASED ASSESSMENTS.


The business interests In the center
OF the city we're enllvened yesterday by
the exclusive story printed In the news
columns Of The Journal-C Courier telling
OF the Increased valuations made OF
central property Business interests
remote from the center also found
something to interest them in the move
OF the assessors. They are interested
IN knowing how soon II will be thought
necessary to advance rates everywhere
TO keep pace with growing government
expenses.
In way these increases can be ex-
planned on the ground that the opening
OF Crown street and the improvement
In the grade at corners bifurcated by
theNew Haven railroad have Increased
the value of adjoining property, and
ment. To be more exact, however, the
city has taken advantage of these Inn
provements to increase the city's In
come and thus the more easily to grant
tho increased appropriations which are
asked for, II is simple proposition
In mathematics or economics that TO
spend money government must raise
money So in the case of New Haven
II cannot. any more than an individual
can, appropriate money for govern
mental needs without getting II some
where. There are at the present time
many demands upon the purse of the
city OF New Haven which represent an
intelligent understanding Of the needs
OF the city and they will be found con-
nected with every department. The
ways and means of gratifying all those
demands are yet to be ascertained
II is on the other hand. serious
thing TO increase property valuations
to any degree not well established by
experience. Increased property val
uations mean usually increased rents
to the occupants of the property used,
This, where possible, is turned into
higher values for goods offered for sale,
all three movements spelling an in
! creased cost of living: the raising OF
the expense Of daily life as II is ex-
pressed In dollars and cents. 1t may
be said at once that these are the In
evitable consequences Of Social com
pact and organized political society,
and are to be cheerfully endured II
they are forced by business under
standing Of the governmental needs OF
the city They are neither inevitable
nor Justified II they are permitted 10
exist, regardless Of the practice OF
economics In every department of the
city
Some years ago when the general as.
sembly was asked to appropriate large
sums of money for many purposes II
was suggested that a commission be
appointed charged with the task of in.
vestigating the receipts and expend.
itures OF the state government Such g
commission was appointed by Governor
Cooke and 1t did its work we'll Its
chairman was the late 7. Atwater
Barnes of this city. The report recon.
mended the introduction Of bushes.
habits and methods, which, II adopted
would save the state half million {
year without impairng the efficiency O
government. The report was neve
acted upon for political reasons, but Il
may be recalled now In order to Civ,
weigN to the suggestion that perhap,
a similar investigation of New Haven
receipts and expenses might lead to
like discovery and better application
of the recommendation made.
There Is no disposition on the part o
the taxpayers of New Haven to with.
hold the support the local government
needs but 1t would increase their con
fdence nightly II they knew beyon
peradventure that intelligent economics
were practiced In every department Al
inquiry conducted by business mel
would show the truth. 1t should b
, made.