Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-03-15

1
| within its appropriations is safe ad-
| minstration.
The paramount propositions mat we
must face in the coming year are mat
ters of finance and the completion ol
the new high school building. These
propositions are so interviewer that
| shall not try to discuss them separate
ly.
| From the last city report / gleam the
following facts regarding the new higf
| school The last administration pur-
| chased a lot for $1,000, paying $1,000 ir
cash and issuing the city's notes fol
$4,000 COW ards the construction of the
building and incidentals total of S13,-
80 was paid. By virtue of an agree.
ment made with the contractor in Oc-
tober last and ratified at u city meet
ing held since the close of the fiscal
year, last years administration has
pledged this administration to the pay
m@nt of a total of $29,919 on account OF
the new high school building, $l1, 992 OF
this the contractor has just received,
the money having been borrowed in
anticipation of taxes for 1910 The 9TH
er Sl3,9S7 is due on the completion of
the contract.
In other words although the last ad-
ministration was only able to pay Sl4,-
102.92 toward the mouse and lot and
hire $4,000 by notes which are unpaid,
Il total of S20702.92 nevertheless it has
.lortgaged this administration to the
extent OF S25.979 which we must pay.
| am informed that a fair estimate
for the cOrnH1otinn n the hIli11jnO is
slC,o09 that the heating apparatus and
plumbing will, roughly speaking, cost
$4,000 more. In addition to this the
building must be furnished. | presume
it would he practical to partially COM
plete the unfinished work and thus get
a portion OF the building ready for oc-
cupancy before the structure is entire
ly completed. But that we do this
much in addition to paying the S25,979
passed down TO Us from the last ad
ministration, | do not believe. The idea
that We can have this structure ready
for occupancy in September next, ]
resa,l as a visionary one.
| venture to state without fear of
contradiction that no man familiar
with city finances believes that we can
swing this proposition and pay the leg
itimate running expenses Of the city
out of the 1910 assessment. There
would then remain but two other cour-
ses open. We must either borrow or
raise the tax rate We are either be-
yCnd the five per cent. debt limit al
lowed by the constitution or uncom-
fOrtahly close to it and as there ap-
pears to be Soma uncertainty as to just
what our debt limit is. | recommend
that we Instruct our city solicitor to
investigate carefully and report at an
early date
AS our borrowing capacity is eXhaus-
ted except for some increase that will
probably result from the looked for in
crease in valuation for 1910. our only
other source of increased revenue is
from an increased tax rate.
The scrool board, in a statement
Which it has rece ently issued, urging the
completion of the building, closes its
arne"l with these words, "Provided
his can be done without increasing the
present tax rate of the city Of Water
Vile"
| am in entire accord with the opin-
ion of the school board that the tax
rate Shculd not be raised. A further
increase in that direction would be
cr-huraensome to the tax payer and
would tend :" drive away investment
seeking capital.
That the constitutional five per cent
tax limit should not be exceeded seems
to me is an automatic proposition, even
though we could find investors who
p,iuht no CO inno nj n l,a
our securities
Rut the new high school building is
needed. We all want il. I believe we
should bend every energy toward it's
complotiOn at lhC earliest possible date.
With that end in view ii behooves us
to econor.ize all along the lines.
But at the same time let us exercise
business sagacity and give due regard
TO constitutional limitations.
In closing | want to say that. while
we must give due regard to these Sc
rious financial problems with which We
are face to face, we should not over
look moral questions. AS citizens of
our city we are proud of it and justly
so but it is not perfect and we should
do all we can to make it cleaner and
nurer and better. If we are guided by
our better natures | am sure we shall
not go far astray. Let us not forget
that higher power as the poet express
Ses it is the closing words OF his ode
to Waterfowl
He who from zone to zone
Guides through the boundless sky thy
certain flight,
In the long way that must tread alone,
VIII lead my steps Alright.
Norman X. Fulled.