The Detroit times., 1909-04-17
WILL TRY TO KEEP
DOWN TAX RATE
Conservative Party in Board of Es'
Inmates Alarmed By Pressure For
Big Appropriations.

sure Denlnd the various requests iof
increased appropriations this year.
conservative members OF the board OF
estimates are discussing the calling or
meeting OF the chairmen OF the var
cutting down the budget. II seems
certain that this will be done within a
few days or week at most.
The proposed Increase IN the salar'
les Of library assistants. new hre
houses. park Improvements. new
schools. and sewers and an unusual
number OF requests FOR paving appro'
priations make up prospect OF in-
creases that has frightened the ele-
ment in the board which seeks TO keep
the tax rate down 10 the present basis.
Last year. when the tax rate was SHOW
ed down few cents per thousand dol
lars OF assessment, a meeting or
chairmen was held at which IL was
agreed TO stick 10 committee reports
and stand against the insertion OF
items once cut out.
The board Is now getting TO the
point where actual work on the dispo-
sition of the budget will, be in order
as the first committee reports will be
in next week. All the committees are
AT work and several OF them have but
one more meeting 10 hold 10 draft
their reports.
Thursday afternoons meeting OF the
school fund committee, In the board OF
education offices. was made spicy by
an alteration between Supt. Martin
dale and Estimator Craig. Awhile
- hNf AAI
from time to time. While school books
were being discussed. Craig made the
assertion that he had been told that
the school board officials were In the
habit OF hauling away wagon loads or
books from the store rooms just prior
10 an inspection by the estimators so
as TO make a showing OF requiring
more.
You are hluffing-talking 10 the
galleries" declared Martindale. Tell
me the name OF the man"
Craig offered TO tell II privately. but
Martindale insisted that, since the
charge had been made publicly. the
name OF the accuser be given he
offered Craig 800 10 name his inform
ant but the latter still refused. Then
Inspector Hutton inquired OF Craig II
he thought the amount asked per pupil
! for text books was too much and the
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 lnspec-
tor Burton. who pointed out what he
considered extravagances. George +.
Schefrner, No 334 Lawton-ave.. was
present and declared the vacation
! playground OF the CLANCY school near
| his house was a nuisance, the teach
ers being unable to keep the little
boys from swearing and spending too
much time talking TO one another.
We have TO cut 100000 from this
| budget. maybe more" said Craig at
/ the beginning of the meeting. He
asked Supt. Martindale and Inspector
/ George to show the places where cuts
/ in the budget OF sl.476.739 could be
best made The school officials de-
INJURED. saying that the council had
already cut too deeply
II seemed probable. from the com
ments cf the estimators. that the
items for schools to replace the Pitch
err and Firnane will be cut out.
I The committee on the poor commits
sion and health board funds found lit
| tIe II anything. TO cut from the poor
commission estimates. as that body
| has had TO apply TO the council for re-
/ lief already on account OF the cuts
made last year An additional city
physician may be allowed. Secretary
! Prenzlauer stating this would make II
! possible for the city 10 have physl-
clan visi; the city poor in hospitals
every day instead OF twice week, and
| thus assure their proper care. as well
as saving expense by having patients
| discharged from hospitals as soon as
! possible.
Health Otficer Kiefer, Or. F.. w.
Haas and John y. Bagley tolu the
committee OF the work OF the health
board. Z 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
J Nations, which have been recently
| condemned. improvements in the tn
| berculosis work and new addition TO
! the conta gious disease hospital are
also wanted. DR.. kiefer explaining
that the fatality from measles Is now
greater than from scarlet fever or
diphtheria and that special facilities
are needed to combat II. The commit
tee went out. Friday morning. TO look
over the city hospital site out Hamil-
ton boulevard.
! Aid. Gilman. OF the Eighteenth ward
pleaded eloquently for the new sew
ers asked for his ward before the sew
err committee, Thursday night. and
succeeded in having the Central-ave
and Fort-st. sewers retained. The
committee cut out new sewers In Lin
wood.ave., Twenty eighth-st.. and Wes-
son.ave, thereby lessenlng the sewer
| hndpet by 230.972 The Sl02. 600 ask.