Evening journal., 1911-07-01

payrolls have been charged as part
OF the fiscal year beginning July L.,
thereafter.
Mr. Gleason. the expert accountant
who was employed by the city about
three or four years ago to inaughrate
a system of municipal bookkeeping
left this practice unchanged. and with
merely the recommendation that it
be changed at such times as a surplus
in any fiscal year would Justify The
present Council has met and paid the
monthly bills and payrolls for twen-
ty-four months, it having In July of
1909 paid the bills and payroll for
June of that year
In considering the present hnan-
cial condition II should be borne in
mind that the present administration
for the benefit Of the city. elected to
take up and dispose of the delln-
quencies Of the past administration
making payments TO the United States
Army Engineers for Harbor Improve
ments to the amount of $40, 996.55.
Previous administrations had re-
peatedly failed to meet these obliga-
tions, which. when met by the pres
ent Council. aggregated the said
amount The failure to pay such a
debt was exceedingly stupid. as n
tended to discourage the Federal Gov
ernment's continuation of harbor inn
provements here. and was a handicap
upon the Industrial and commercial
interests Of the city.
Another obligation which was in
terrified from previous administrations
was a balance due for the compila-
tion of the Statutes and Ordinances
OF the city, amounting to SO 10000.
and cost of printing the same. which
amounted TO over 50 10000. This ag-
gregate OF over 100000 is exclusive
of the cost Of the annotation OF such
compilation and the printing thereof.
The foregoing items. approxi-
mating S16,000.00. are debts created
or rendered necessary by previous
Councils and uuprovided for and TO
that extent to the present Council
extraordinary expenses There were
two other items, small In themselves.
which were left over from the pre-
vious administration. and which were
not part of their June bills. $3.50 due
TO the Society for the Prevention OF
| Cruelty to Animals and S58796 due
to the Wilmington Sanitary Company
The present administration also has
TO take care of the unanticipated and
extraordinary expenses amounting Ia
S2,2S0.S1 at the time the BattleshiT
Delaware was here. and also Of tho
expenses incident to a smallpox cpl
demic.
Coming back to our financial sys
TEN; nearly related to the assessment
and collection of taxes, is the ofiicl
of City Treasurer. There is no rea
son why the City Treasurer shoull
not be the sole financial agent of thi
city, and there is every reason VIII
he should be- Our method Of Cit.
administration would be much les
susceptible of lost motion and discorI
If taxes and all money owed to tn
city, directly or through any of IL
departments. we're collectible direct
" by the City Treasure
and all moneys due fron
the city payable by him upon the war
rants of the respective departments
This apparent complete control Of th
moneys Of the city could be safel
guarded by ample bonding Of the Cit
Treasurer. This would do away wit
the cubersome and illogical situatio
, / whereby money due to the city ma
/ now be paid into any one Of half
/. dozen Offices, and money due from III
r city paid out in nearly as many di
ferent ways.
One of the glaring defects in III
- physical condition Of our city is thu
in relation to side walk paving an
n street paving In those sections
n the city which have recently bee
Il building up with great apidity, n
Il building taking place at irregular n
q tervais, along streets there are le
h intervening vacant lots and along q
s fronts of great many of these lot
d the only convenience or accommodi
n tion by way of pavements that hi
#; been provided are ash and cind,
e walks; frequently the places alon
= which the owners OF tenants Of n
n newly constructed houses have
/. pass. are no better than COW path
I, While we have no law by which v
n can compel the abutting owners
- pave the streets inAfront of their r.
l. spective properties, there is a la
whereby the construction of pave
e ments can he compelled and to tn
extent the conditions which exist
those localities where the buildir
booms have been going on TO the ms
terial comfort and financial benefit
the city, alleviated.
The city can we'll afford and shoul
spend such sums as may be necessaI
TO adequately light the business SCI
tions of the city. The outlying dii
tricts should also be given more an
better lights than they now have Tn
would go a great way toward supple
menting the efforts of our presen
rather small police force.
] endorse most fully the recent az
tion of Council looking to the con
bination of the city with the Lev
Court in the construction Of a count
and municipal building Il is hard
conceive that at any time in the nef
future Wilmington will be made
separate county. and so the relation
between the county and city will COZ
tinue TO be most intimate. II wi
make both for convenience and eco
omy for the public Offices Of the coui
ty and the public offices Of the eli
to be found under one roof. | lmo
that this idea is not a new one, but
believe the present time, when q
public appears TO realize that a propl
expenditure Of money frequent
brings in return more than q
amount expended in service or civ
good, is ripe for the construction
new City Hail. AS the county
al this time contemplating the e
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