The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-09
REDDIkG TO FIGHT OUT
QUESTION Of EIGHT MILL
TAX AT MEETING SATURDAY

Redding, March 9-Whether to make
the tax rate ten mills or eight, mills
will probably be the issue principally
contested at Saturdays town meeting.
The eight mill advocates are mostly
those whose valuations have been
raised more than SO per cent and
whose tax bills at the ten mill rate
would therefore show an Increase
over what they were called upon to
pay last year under a fifteen mill
rate. An eight mill tax this year
would raise about $4,000. Last year
the ordinary expenditures of the town
footed up $13 254 and disbursements
for special causes were about $1,000
more In addition 1880 was paid to-
debt making a total of over $4,000
which is about what would be yielded
this year by a ten mill tax. Conse
quently if the town adheres to the
plan, which it was supposed to have
adopted as a permanent policy of pro-
viding enough income to meet its reg
ular expenditures and also to apply
something yearly towards debt reduc-
ton a ten mill rate will be necessary.
The State tax, if one is laid, will call
this year for $500. an increase from
last year of about $500. Then there is
Accountant Soule's bill of several hum
dred dollars and State roads will call
for about $1,000 in case all the appro-
priation remaining from two years
ago is expended. Other matters which
will call for special OUTLAWS if under
taken are the enlargement of the town
hall and provision for school build
ing Or at least the purchase of a site
at the Center. The town hall project
is among the subjects to be considered
Saturday while the school question is
reserved for another special town
meeting. Some think that action on
the former project should be deferred
until both can be acted upon together
while others believe that the town
should not balk at the idea of financ-
ing both projects together as both are
urgently called for. Another subject
named in the call for Saturdays meet
ing is that Of action on the Soule re-
port, the partial report Mr.. Soule SUBJ
mitted at the annual meeting last
fall not having been acted upon. The
inclusion in the call of a proposition
to vote on an appropriation for State
roads would seem to be premature as
no appropriation has yet been voted
by the Legislature.
One thousand brooder chicks have
been ordered by Attorney Herbert
Barnes from New Jersey mandatory.
Mr.. Barnes already has a chicken
house 80 feet long and will enlarge it
or build another. Last year he en-
parked quite extensively in the chick
en- business, but many of his young
chickens died, the mortality being at
tributed to cold feet from the con-
crete flooring of their quarters. To
the same cause was ascribed the scant
egg production of the surviving fowls
They did so poorly in this respect
that their owner bought eggs for his
own table from a neighbor whose
mongrel hens although handled with
an utter lack of scientific method were
delightfully."- fecund Mr. Barnes has
only seven acres of land and con-
sidering this fact his activities in the
farming line are certainly notable He
has two good sized barns built with
in the last year or two and this spring
will erect another 80 by 40 feet in size
He will also set out this spring about
100 young apple trees and enclose the
orchard with a wire fence as a run
for his poultry. He has also ordered
a gasoline engine.
A search of the old land records by
Town Clerk Sanford has failed to re-
veal any entry showing conveyance to
the town of the site of the Umpawaug
school house. The building stands be-
tween the highway fences and conse-
uuently has all along been the prop
erty of the town and not of the school
district. The situation seems to be
the same in regard to the hometown
school house although the ground ORR
ginaliy occupied by that building was
a private gift. Two years ago when
the provisions of the school CONSOLE
dation act were being carried into eff
feet here all the districts except Um-
pawaug voted to transfer their school
property to the town regardless of
whether such property was of greater
or less value than assessment valua-
lions would call for. There was a
balance in favor of the Umpawaug
district, Or would have been had they
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