The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-05
DONNELY'S OPPOSITION
 EFFECTIVE
Collector Led Fight Against Plan to Lay General Tax fer Universal Street
 Sprinkling.

NO ONE FAVORED ORIGINAL PIE
 TETON WHILE SEVERAL SPOKE
 AGAINST THE IDEA BECAUSE
 TT WOULD RESULT IN A TAX
 INCREASE
 Collector John M. Donnelly led the opposition to the sprinkling of all the streets in the Second district at the hearing last night before the Common Council. He made it clear that he did not favor the plan, that he believed the sprinkling problem would eventually take care of itself and that the pro- position to do away with the present assessment system did not emanate from him.
 The collector said the hearing was illegal because it conf1icted with the charter. The only way the city could order streets sprinkled he said was by a majority of abutting property own CTS on a street petitioning for the same, and then the petition must be in the hands of the Common Council not later than December 15 of the year preceding the season when such sprink- ling is required
 At the last meeting of the council when Alderman Wilson offered his resolution calling for the hearing AL derman Griffin told the council that the hearing wouldi be fruitless as it. was contrary to the charter.
 When the hearing was called last night no one appeared in favor of the project. The mayor called upon Col lector Donnelly as he said the assistant collector was the only. >signer of the original petition for thes sprinkling of all the streets in the Second district The collector said if the assistant col lector was a signer he had affixed his name as a private citizen and not as an attache of the collectors office as he (the. collector) had no knowledge of the petition.
 Among the things said by those who appeared in opposition were the fol- lowing:
 we had the 20 year water contract Sneaked in on us and we don't want any more underhanded work.''-Johne J. O'Neill.
 'Tt is hard enough to get work let alone pay additional taxes. Sprinkling only means muddy feet in the kitchen, anyway."-South End resident.
 There are 2,000 vacant rents now and about 1000 more families in the city who can't pay their rent. We cer- tainly don't want any more taxes. = Thomas Arnold, ST.
 T represent myself and about a half dozen others who own property near Benham avenue and Norman street. We oppose this plan because we be- 1eve we are overburdened with taxa tion at the present time. That alone should be good reason for our protest Jerome Phelan.
 Several others, including John S. Hubbell. the veteran builder, protested and signed petitions from the owners of property in Wheeler avenue and Charles street were received asking that those streets be not sprinkled
 There are over 133 miles of streets in the Second district of which 57 miles are sprinkled under the assess ment system. including 22 miles upon which trolley lines are operated. To sprinkle the entire 133 or more miles, and pay for the same by direct taxa ton would mean an additional appro- priation of $ss,O00, after making an a1- lowance for. the streets upon which electric cars are run. Iris would mean an additional tax of about 1 and 1-1O mills upon all of the property owners in the city except the few who live in the unimproved section between the town line and the boundary of the Second district.