The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-01-23

KEArrNG,s REPORT.

sioas and needs possessed by City
Auditor Heating, gives special i'm
portance to his annual recommends
tons to the board of Apportionment
Not always does the board adopt his
auRgesfious, which is usually a mat
tar Of regret. Last year, he advised
tax rate of 1s mills. but the APP
petitioners made it ia mills and
this. according to current report,
rather for political than public rea-
sons They even refused to accept
the Mayors suggestion of q rate Of
16.S mills.
This year, Auditor Heating recon-
mends a tax rate of 1871 mills, and
expresses regret that he cannot sug-
gest a lower rate. This is seven
tenths OF mill higher than his rec
ommendation of last year, and the
same amount lower than the rate fix
ed by the board of Apportionment in
1910. We regret, with the Auditor
that he could not, in view of all con-
ditions. recommend an even lower
rate. The growth of the city is the
Foundation cause of the high tax rate,
but . continuance of its growth may
be checked by that rate.
Upon the bond question. Mr.. Keat-
ing recommends issues for new West
End police station. new Isolation hos
pitai. new fire engine house and a
garage at central police station. AS
compared with other suggestions for
bond issues. the aggregate of those
recommended by the Auditor would
be small. unless advocates of the
City Beautiful" should succeed in
securing costly ornamentation of the
structures, in which event we should
suggest statue Of Major Boudren
for the Isolation hospital.
Apparently, the Auditor does not,
at least at present, favor bond issues
for . new High school. new Aims
house. new East Washington bridge
or new dock. but he does not MEN
ton the proposed new hall of Rec
ordA He does. however, protest
against unnecessary or excessive
bonding" and gives, figures which
indicate very clearly the imprudence.
to speak mildly. Of any such heavy
increase In bopded Indebtedness as
would result II all pending bonding
suggestions were adopted.
With the present bonded indebted
ness over $4,000 and the present
payments for interest thereupon with
sinking fund appropriations. aggre-
eating $4,000, OF about one-tenth of
the citys total revenue. it seems the
height Of folly to add million to
the bonded debt and about $4,000
to the annual outlay which would
then take about one-eighth of the
city revenue. Such is the substance
of the argument against pending
bond issues Of heavy amounts, which
may be drawn from the figures pro-
duced by the Auditor. Whether or
not he intended to be so understood.
does not matter-the argument is in
the figure and unacceptable.
Mr.. Heating believes, and produces
figures and facts IL support Of his
belief, that the General Assembly
viii find unnecessary a continuance
Of the State tax on the towns. If
public sentiment is given due con-
sideration and weight. this unpopu-
lar and. II proper economy is en-
forced. unnecessary burden will not
be renewed. The cities, through their
Mayors and at the suggestion Of
Mayor Buckingham Of Bridgeport,
are a1igning themselves against this
tax, and surely the country towns
which suffer most severely therefrom
because less able to pay, ana which
when united control the General AS
sembly, should antagonize it.
The Auditor does not consider 1t
right to issue bonds for the so-caIled
permanent paving" but if they
should be used therefor, the term
should not be more than ten years.
There is, in fact, no such thing as
permanent paving; the phrase is a
nlisnomer- If any paving of more
than ten years life-that is, life in
suitable condition for trafic-has
been found, it hasn't appeared here.
There is. therefore. no sufficient rea-
son for thrusting upon a much-abus-
ed posterity the cost of such a transit
tory public Improvement Incident
siiv- attention might reasonably be
called TO the injustice OF shouldering
upon the property-owners on "perma-
nentIy paved streets any other share
of the cost of paving than would
come to them as taxpayers if the city
should pay the entire cost. They are
not specially benefited; the street is
used by all.
Also incidentally, and with no de-
sire to supply the Executive commit
tee Of the Taxpayers league with an
HH sHMa Aa