The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-25
BREWER URGES
COUNCIL TO ACT
Mayor Says Increase Taxes
or Else Cut Down Ex-
penSeS of City.

Mayor Brewer. in a message to the city
council last evening. presented a number
of recommendations which. if put into
effect. will mean a considerable change
in what appears to be the reckless ex-
Gus departments.
For the purpose of considering these
recommendations the COUNSEL will meet
with the mayor Wednesday evening
The finance committee Joined with May
or Brewer in the conclusion that either
the taxes would have to be increased or
the expenses OF the city lessened.
Among other things the mayor called
the councils attention to the fact that
the revenue of the various departments
since 1900, outside of direct taxes, has
decreased, and expenses have increased
by about 800 per cent. He submitted fig
ures showing THAI it costs half again as
much to collect the revenue Of the police
department as the revenue itself amounts
to. This, too, in spite of the fact that
the revenues are increasing each succeed
ing year. He said that the expenses of
the fire department had increased 2le
per cent. He took up all the departments
in turn. showing where they increased
out of proportion to revenue. lie held
that it was a serious matter and it was
up to the council to increase the taxes or
decrease the expenses. He recommend
ed that the departments be cut down in
proportion 10 their revenue dtlu dUSOlult
necessities. He Illustrated with the po-
lice department. saying that he did not
understand why it should cost more TO
run it now than during the cutoff
period. He submitted figures to show
that Ogden ran behind s10O.S67 from 1900
to 1906 and during the years 1906 and 1907
il ran behind SS.000
He gave as his opinion that soda water
fountains selling liquor should be charged
the same license as saloon keepers, and
that cigar stores running card games
should be charged the same as gambling
halls. He recommended the appointment
of a special auditor 20 audit the city
accounts and devise means to simplify
matters so that it can be seen at a
glance whether or not the city is on
paying basis.
He also urged revision of the ordi-
nances and that the ordinances include
only such laws as are being enforced
His other recommendations included reg
ular meeting nights for the standing
committees and that city warrants be
paid in order and according to their num-
Der. His message closed with an appeal
TO the council to cooperate with him in
putting the city on a paying basis.
The resignation of Joseph H. T. Sny-
der, city jailer, was accepted, and when
it came to naming his successor the coun-
ell divided on political lines. Hagbert An
derson, Democrat. and r. B. Paine. Re-
publican. were named for the position,
each receiving his party's vote. The
matter of placing man in the position
temporarily was left to the chief of po-
lice. The jailer's salary was made $50 a
month. and the price allowed for each
meal fed the prisoners was reduced from
121a cents to 10 cents. The chief of po-
lice recommended that the rooms at the
city Jail heretofore used by the jailer
for living apartments be turned into
detention hospital requiring the jailer to
live elsewhere. This went to the police
committee.
Mayor Brewer reappointed ]. F. Lewis
as a member of the park commission for
four years, to succeed himself, and the
appointment was confirmed.
Councilman Thomas. as acting mayor
vetoed the proposition adopted at the last
session, providing for the payment by the
city of One-half the expense for building
a wing dam along Ogden river. for the
reason that there was not enough city
property affected to warrant the expense
The veto was voted down.
The sanitary committee reported fifty
four new cases Of contagion, making a to-
tai of seventy-fOur now in quarantine
Pay rolls amounting to $977.S5 were al
lowed