Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1910-04-22

planned and carefully built in part.
1t is located with it's walled and
spacious yard in the very business
center of the city. The first install J.
ment of this valuable building is now
finished and in public service and
when the whole is completed, it
promises to be an institution that
will be indispensable in the matter of
public economy. All things therein
are we'll housed and always under
lock and key and regularly inventor
led and have been recently appraised.
The same is we'll lighted and heated
and therefore allows repairs, cleaning
and painting of such possessions to
be dune during the winters. In
spriDgtime these properties may
appear IN attractive colors and a
good state of repair. The uniform
group of sprinklin9 wagons owned by
the city have been instrumental and
are very appreciably lessing COM
plants concerning that line of work.
The city owns dump wagons ard thev
have expediated street work and ad-
justed inequities in team work. but
more such wagons are now urgently
necessary in such work. The sanitary
method of washing or flushing the
pavements with city water by use
of good flushing wagons. is successful
and public comfort.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
There has been inaugurated, and
l say wisely, the policy that the city
or public buildings should hold
premiership of quality among the
other buildings of the city. With
this in view, much repair and
rearrangement has been done in and
about the City Hail and the Phoenix
Engine House.. Their functional
purposes have been thereby bettered,
business can therein be dons better
and more economically In the in
stallation of excellenrly planned and
equipped heating systems the city
saves fuel and provides the maximum
of comfort. All city buildings are
valuable assets and should be inven-
torIed and appraised as such yearly.
The building of the Lincoln School
is the prototype of the group of the
public schools of the future.
CITY's FINANCE.
During the last four years the levy
of taxes for city purposes has stayed
at a constant rate because the city 8
material growth has furnished an
increase in the totals Of the assess
rnent rolls. The said rate last
October upon a reconsideration was
changed but tritie and that only,
upon the earnest solicitation of the
board of education and citizens.
The entire issues of recent years
of such bonds have been divided into
bonds of small denominations and
these have been most eagerly sought
for purchase as a means of q small
annual sure interest bearing invest
cent by our own people. The strife
- get some of these entire issues
even by the payment of a premium
by large ourside bond concerns WAS
ut times serious and always interest
ing. Citizens of moderate means ale
constantly inqulring about such issues,
even when none are contemplated.
This shows the virtue of saying and
the popularity of this notably adopted
plan of public finance.
The truly vexAtious questions o1
city finance Is the one bearips upor
the issuance of general city bonds
for extending help to owners of prop
erty abutting on streets to be
improved in order to lower the speciaI
assessments cf these parties. No ONT
can prove any precedent which binds
the city to a settled policy in this
regard because some have paid for the
entire cost and others have received
aid. Right or wrung, there seems
to have been the possession of the
thought that where street extend.
past proper lines that would be bepe
fitted as much by less dursble ant
less expensive roadway ana the roat
itself was of prime Importance il
order to bring commerce to tn.
markets or center of the city wher,
the abuttng properties were as rul.
in outlying sections and not easily
merehantible, then a bonus by the
means of such q help wss offered t,