The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-04-16
MIL TRY TO keep
DOWN TAX RATE.
Conssrvstive Party in Board Of e.
Inmates Alarmed By Pressure For
Big Appropriations.


n sure behind the various requests for
Increased appropriations this year,
oonservative members of the board OF
so<imatss are discussing the calling Of
- meeting OF the ehaifmen Of the var
1ous committees TO agree on a plan OF
cutting down the budget. II seems
certain that this will be done within a
few days or q week at most.
The proposed increase in the salar-
les of library assistants. new fire
houses, park improvements. new
schools. and sewers and an unusual
number OF requests for paving appro.
priations make up prospect OF iu-
creases that has frightened the ele-
mont In the board which seeks TO keep
the tar rate down to the present basis.
Last year. when the tax rate was SHOW
5 ed down few cents per thousand dol
81 lars OF assessment. meeting OF
+ chairmen was held at which II was
agreed to stick to committee reports
and stand against the insertion OF
4 items once cut out.
The board Is now getting to the
point where actual work on the dispo-
nition of the budget will be in order
- the FIRST committee reports will be
In next week. All the committees are
B at work and several Of them have but
Z one more meeting to hold TO draft
their reports.
Thursday afternoons meeting OF the
y school fund committee, In the board OF
education Offices. was made spicy by
IN alteration between Supt. Martin
dale and Estimator Craig. while a
number Of other hot debates occurred
Ia
were being discussed, Craig made the
assertion that he had been told that
the school board officials were In the
4 habit of hauling away wagon loads OF
books from the store rooms just prior
70 an inspection by the estimators so
ss to make a showing OF requiring
more.
You are blufilng-talking TO the
galleries" declared Martindale. Tell
me the name of the man"
Craig offered TO tell IL privately. but
Martindale insisted that, since the
charge had been made publicly. the
name OF the accuser be given He
offered Craig 500 to name his inform
ant but the latter still refused. Then
Inspector Hutton inquired OF Craig II
\ he thought the amount asked per pupil
y for text-book was too much and the
4 latter admitted that he did not know
that II was.
In attacking the items for night
schools, baths in the schools and play
grounds. Craig had an ally In Inspec-
tor Burton, who pointed out what ne
4 considered extravagances. George +.
. echeflner. No. 334 Lawton-ave.. was
present and declared the vacation
\ playground of the CLANCY school near
\ HIS house was nuisance. the teach
ers being unable to keep the little
\ boys from swearing and spending too
much time talking to one another.
I'VE have to cut 100000 from this
budget, maybe more" said Craig at
the beginning OF the meeting. He
asked Supt. Martindale and Inspector
4 George to show the places where cuts
N the budget OF $1.476.739 could be
hest made. The school officials de-
4 INJURED. saying that the council had
X already cut too deeply.
II seemed probable, from the COM
3 ments Of the estimators. that the
items for schools to replace the Pitch
Or and rirnane will be cut out
The committee on the poor commits
nlon and health board funds found lit
4 Tie. II anything, to cut from the poor
commisaion estimates, as that body
has had to apply to the council for re-
lief already ON account Of the cuts
4 made last year. An additional city
physician may be allowed. Secretary
4 Prenxlauer stating, this would make It
possible for the city to have a physi-
4 elan visit the city poor in hospitals
every day instead of twice q week, and
thus assure their proper care. as well
- saving expense by having patients
discharged from hospitals as soon as
possible.
Health oficer Kiefer. DR.. Z. w.
\ Haass and John N. Bagley tolu the
committee Of the work OF the health
3 board. A new sanitary inspector was
ASKED for to assist In cleaning up the
unsanitary spots in town, such as the
= Japanese village and House Of All
Nations, which have been recently
condemned. Improvements in the tn
herculosis work and a new addition TO
e the contagious disease hospital are
also wanted. DR.. Kiefer explaining
;. that the fatality from measles 10 now
( nreater than from scarlet fever or
6iphtheria and that special facilities
a are needed to combat IL. The commit
Zee went out, Friday morning. TO look
H over the city hospital site out Hamil-
X ton boulevard.
Aid. Gilman. OF the Eighteenth ward,
E pleaded eloQuently for the new sew
ers asked for his ward before the sew
or committee, Thursday night. and
nucceeded In having the Central-ave.
and Fort-st. sewers retained. The
4 committee cut out new sewers in Lin
4 Wood-ave., Twenty-eighth-st.. and Wes-
son-ave., thereby lessening the sewer
budget by $30,972. The 100000 ask
"a for the Fairview pumping station Is
otill under consideration.
No DEFINITE action was taken by the
& public building committee. which
spent most o. its time In debating the
Necessity of a custodian OF public
buildings. and inquiring into the oper-
s alton OF the public bath house. This
B nas taken In $50 In ninc months at
enc and two cents per bath. and the
estimates call for s10.2e5 for It's main
4 tenance the coming year. A number
o. increases In salaries were explain
"a by Commissioner Haarer, OF the ID.
p. w. who showed the Increasing work
of his ONCE.