Middletown transcript., 1912-03-02
Communicated
FIX OUR STREETS

OON OAAAAAAS
Middletown, DEL, Feb. 9th, 1912.
EDITOR OF THE TRANSCRIPT notice
that the Commissioners of the town have
called a "Town Meeting to approve OF
the borrowing of a sum not exceeding
twenty thousand dollars, to be applied to
street improvement in this town. No one
ia more in favor of such improvement
than am. 1t does seem to me, that III
proportion to our size, We should Lave a.
good streets as do Smyrna and Dover, 20
zane only two of cur neighbors, and Gel
tainiy no town on the peninsula needs
tben more than we do. As result OF the
patchwork and careless system of liking"
streets that has prevailed for many years,
more than forty to my personal know
ledge. oHr streets are disgrace. 1t wac
because of this fact that earnestly favor
ed the passage of the law by which the
amount Of road taxes paid BY citizens aud
taxabfes in the town 6fi tern property
reverts to the town. thought that with
the addition Of pFacticaily $1,000 to our
revenues under an implied trust to be ex-
pended on the streets, there wonld be
be some definite action taken to secure
better driveways, and when the commits
sioners had the law prepared to permit
the bonding Of the town, l felt sure We
we're about to get what We need. Had the
law been properly drawn and had ma
jority of the taxpayers voted in favor OF
the bonds. the sum so received from the
Road Taxes woulI have provided the
means of taking care of the bonds without
an increase in taxation. / am told that
tie Commissioners have had tentative
bid or offer that Main and Broad Streets
could have been macadam;sed from curb
TO curb within the built up poriiol OF tie
town, say from the railroad to Catherine
street OIL Main, and from South OF CHcb-
ran to North OF Lock wood on Broad, and
with a sixteen feet road to the town limits
in each OF the four directions, for so %le-
thing like Sll 1000 Before it wonId bt
necessary to pay out any considerable
part OF this money. at least 81 GOO CT the
road tax money would be available, and
Ivy The first OF October, probably another
81 600, would be in hand from the SAINT
source. Then it would be entirely prac
tcable to pay the interest on the IS. 600,
necessary to be borrowed, and pay al
least 81, 600 per a7num on the bonds, still
leaving a sum gradually increasing iron
5000 to $3.50 fer 6 years for the care Of the
other streets. At the expiration of the
eighth year, the whole sum Of $1,000
would be annually in hand for the care Ol
the improved streets and for the improve
ment Of other streets. To attempt to in
prove any or all Of the streets in qnestior
piece meal, by the expenditure Of the
50, 600 each year would undoubtIy result
in an expenditure Of twice the estimated
cost above referred to, in addition to
WHICH we would wait at least ten ears to
see the end OF the job. Certainly, every
taxpayer that considers the question seri-
ously and who is conversant with the facts
would vote in favor OF the bonds.
The first "if', however, is very serious
and to my mind impossible to overcome
In crder to explain it, and to inform the
citizens OF the town, just what they. are
required to do, copy the second section
of the Act, being Chapter 220, volume 26,
Laws of Delaware, approved April l3.
1911, The first section authorizes the
Commissioners to borrow not exceeding
10000 on faith aud credit of the town.
and the second section is in the nature of
\ qualifying clause. 1t resds:-
Section 2 Before the provisions OF
Section !, of this Act shall go into effect,
the borrowing Of tue said sum of twenty
! thousand dollars, or any part thereof,
shall first be approved by a majority of
the tax payers of the Town Of Middle
town, at a Town meeting to be called by
'The Commissioners OF tine Town of Mid
dletowntown, "by public notice signed by
their President aud Secretary, and posted
| in six Of the most public places in Middl, :
town aforesaid, and inserted in the news
papers printed and published in said
Town, at least Two weeks next preceding
the day of said Getting, setting forth the
time, place aud purpose of holding the
same; at which said meeting every resi-
deut of MiddietoWn aforesaid, II sle and
female, who shall have paid town tax for
the year in which such meeting is held,
or for the preceding year, 81 have the
right to cast one vote for every dollar
or every fractional part of dollar of to VII
tax aforesaid. by him or her paid"
| do not know who drew the law, but
the commissioners are responsible, for
they authorized it. In the first place this
law requires a majority of the taxpayers
! Of the town to vote in favor OF it. Then il
goes on and limits the actual voting to the
resident Taxpayers OF tine town. Il does
not mean that M ilrity of all the votes
cast but a majority of all the taxpayers.
1t further provides that each resident tax
payer, male and female, shall vote one
+ vote for each dollar and fractional part OF
dollar oftax paid, thus eliminating the
corporation taxpayers from voting, yet
requiring that they bs counted as tax