The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1909-02-06
TIMES BUREAU,
AT STATE CAPITAL.

AT STATE CAPITAL.
indianapolis. Ind, Feb. Eff there is
anything that the house committee on
cities and towns failed TO hear about
street improvements at it's meeting it
surely was overlooked, for the crowd
present talked about everything it
could think of. A. F. Knots Of Ham
mond was the principal ta1ker.
When the committee adjourned at
80 o'clock, Representative Elliott, a
member Of the committee, said that So
~lutions had been offered for the entire
list of yexing questions which have
arisen since the passage Of the cities
and towns act Of 1905 and its amend-
ment in 1907. AS a result Of the dis
c~ussion. a bill. prepared by Mayor Law
renee Becker of Hammond will prob
ably be introduced in one of the
branches of the general assembly. to
take the place of a dozen or more bills
| that have been introduced to relieve
conditions attending the enforcement
of the law concerning street and side
walk paving and sewer building.
To Exempt improvement Bonds.
MI. Knots appeared in behalf of the
Becker bill, and explained it in detail
He reate some surprise when he
SAC " SA Tia AAO b&%A O g
ton designed to exempt street improve
ment bonds from taxation. but ex-
planned Mr.. Becker's position by say
ing hat there are more than a billion
dollars worth of such bonds on which
not a penny in taxes is paid. Under
the law there is no way of reaching thu
bonds for assessment purposes wher
they are taken outside the state. Mos
of the street Improvement bonds, h
said, are taken to Chicago, Cincinnati
or other -neighboring cities, where thu
trust companies of Indiana go and bu,
them up and are able to sequester an,
hold them without assessment. BY ex
empting the bonds from taxation, MI
Becker believes the Indiana buyer VIII
has from $2,O 900 to $40, 600 to invest vii
be able to become a competitor wit
the bondholders and be certain 0
equal treatment at the hands of tn
township assessor.
Street Assessment Methods.
Better methods Of collecting assess
ments on street improvements in orde
to keep down contract bids, it was ex
planned, are provided in the Becker bill
Mr.. Knots, who said he had been en-
. ployed by a great number of contract
ors as attorney, explained that the av
erage contractor figures his bid to max
! a profit Of 20 per cent. Then he fig
$ ures an additional 10 to 20 per Ger
for losses which he is likely to sus
attorneys fees in foreclosures, an
tain through defaults, delinquenciei
other costs which, in Mr.. Knots opin
ion. may be avoided by a proper draft
ing of a public improvement law.
. The Becker bill provides that delir
: q~uencies in payment of street improve
: ment costs shall be treated exactly g
delinquent taxes are treated, exceI
d that in case OF delinquency and defau
n after due notice, the contractor ma
o foreelose for the entire amount of til
assessment. les sthe interest for ii
time intervening between the fore
: closure and the expiration of the bon
Under the present law the contractc
cannot forecIose until after the bon
6 become due, usually ten years. Tt
: bill also contains a clause against
property owners signing a waiv,
: where the total assessment is less tina
SO. The ponds are made to begi
drawing interest when the improvement
Is completed and accepted IN the pa
of the city.
Petitions and "Reminiscences.
: The question of how to provide fl
petitions and circumstances was gor
$ over at length, without the committee
reaching a decision as to how tn
could best be provided for. All agree
f that the present system is bad. in ths
d by providing that petitions and r,
monstrances shall be in the hands
resident property wners.' it often r,
suits in blocking needed improvement
> or in forcing improvements against II
wishes of the actual owners of the rel
estate in the t~horoughfare it is pre-
posed to improve. The question arc:
d as to whether or not property owner
d on side streets affected under the la
by the paving of street intersection