The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-02-25

renlnel the plan ana the county of
ficers in the counties in which com
mission government cities are locat
ID are mng quoted here as author
~ for the statement that commits
sion rule Is very expensive Knowing
that The star is favorable to the plan
/ write TO ask if commission govern
ment has increased taxes anywhere
IN Kansas
a PITTSBURG READER
If the county clerks and other coun
IS Officers are making such state
ments the voters Of Pittsburg they
are puposely misrepresenting the
truth L is possible that the taxes
lave been slightly Increased in every
city in Kansas the past year All
least that Is the CHARGE made against
ihe admr stralion Of Governor Stubs
hT his political enemies and Ii is ea-l
laipcl shat the increase was made /
iacause Of system Of false econ
pmy practiced in the last ten years
or political purposes. The levy
made lost year was not because Of /
ny inc"easa IN public expense. but
10 remedy a deieci III the state levy
to prevent the state being forced goI
stamp i,s warrants, "Not paid fol
lack OF funds But this applies tot
every cily alike.
There are five cities IN Kansas now
operating under commission govern
ment .eavenworth is the only CITY
'ihal has rounded. OUT a full year Of
rev rule Independence, Hutchinson.
ANTHONY and Wichita have been
working unde. the commission plan
less than a year while Leayenworit
has had 'he nlan in effect for nearly
TWO years. But there is not one Of
these cities where commission gov
ernmeni las been responsible for AMI
Inc ease in taxes, and the people In
any one ei them would doubtless be
pterestea in knowing what county OF
fleers have been charging that fact.
Operating Expenses Reduced
Indeeh de voters Of Pittsburg may
efest assV-ed that The very opposite IS
ftua Operating expenses have been
reduced IN every instance under the
rev wr|p Instead OF increasing the
axes The city debts have been de-
! creased and not one OF the comm s
slor government cities will have IT'S
dpnicipll debt increased SO far as
Is gene al fund is concefned And
lds cauaaa te said OF smaly Of The
.c3ios wori,ing under the old system.
independence is ne only exception
to This unusual situation regarding
commission goyerliineitss test IN
Eansas 4e-comaissiens=s nave not
neen abr % accomplish as much n
hat city as in others for The reason
tina, when they went into office las
NAY they found that tax levy had
been maze or he year or Sl40 ON
each hundred dollars for all purposes
o cary on an expenditure that wouS'
have rcnu red a levy of $40 on the
SlN0 Ahout go per cent Of the funds
for the entire year had already been
exhausted and the city was in debt
So thai with only one-third OF the
year goae and almost fwothirds OF
f. tiie reS+aue for The entire year OK
legded. Hey We're facing difficult
problem For commission govern
+ menf does moi allow The commission
cis % rlg tie city into debt
But even with This great han leap
she people OF Independence generally
are moro than satisfied with the re
suit of the change 20 the new rule.
/ In LeaN enworth the saving to the
4 taxpayers under the first twelve
months OF the new rule was stSs5G.Gl
or s1gJ9 per month. In addition fol
I this the city kept itself free from
/ debt ana accomplished that splendid
result in spite Of the fact that the
+ revenue OF the city was decreased
$4,000 annually By the closing OF
/ the saloons. In the year and ten
months Of new rule Leayenwnrth hass
lEaia all It's operating expenses ins
ivash anq redaeed rs bonded indebted
iAss 81 $3.50 ana II has contracted
4 II that iaae onlg s27 .0t9 ofnew bond
~ Indebtedness for Pablo improves
ineuts. although Il has paved five
and alf niles Of streets in the
'weuty-tTo months. AHi in twenty
sve ye3rs cf the old rule I.eayen-
ao1h hat paved only twelve miles oi
streets.
In ne Mones. Ia. the FIRST year
lof ibc commission plan saved slS2.-'
coo ~ fae operating expenses u the
tfsis osel sAa ,4& fa- II 10 - rule
end redrs "a she tax levy for 1903
How 4 Has worked
n cesa Rapids. Ia. the commits
W. ~ =. t.f.. 80