Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-02-13
LETTER FROM HON. JOHN RINGLE


of Wausau paid in this year of high
taxes. And aside from this it must
be stated, that this tax levy in Eau
Claire does not contain the cost of
street repair or any part OF street
paving. This business system retains
the clI ward method of street re-
pair aaa special assessments, which
was discarded by Wausau many
years ago as an extravagant waste
of money, and all paving is charged
to the adjacent property, not sin
gle bridge was built, and | can find
no record of the water main extern
sion in the report It seems to be
the policy of every commission to
increase the assessment of property
to its Utmost limit so as to be able
to ie4uce the tax rate and make
misleading statements of what has
been done. The tax rate of Wau-
sau. with property assessed on the
basis of Eau Claire, is less than two
per cent. this year.
The committee representing the
German societies of this city have
published a statement, which gives
some of the reasons, WI Il was nee
essary to levy larger sum upon the
tax payers of Wausau, this year,
than in years previous. And yet,
the people Of Eau Claire are paying
higher taxes, under the commits
sion than the people of Wausau.
Eau Claire collects higher water
rate, collects a much higher saloon
license, makes a levy on the wards
for street work and special assess
ments on adjacent property FOR sew
ers, and all paving, cutters, etc. Ac-
cording to the reports of the res
pective comptrollers for April, 1911,
the last records obtainable, Eau
Claire expended $119. 900, and Wau-
sau $95, 900, for general city purpos-
es. And this includes street work,
paving, ETC., for Wausau and not
for Eau Claire, and Eau Claire pays
$40, 900 more than Wausau for salary
of officers including commission.
On the whole the figures indicate
that the expenses of city govern
ment under the commission az Eau
Claire is 500, 900 per year more than
that of Wausau. Eau Claire also
pays more taxes per capita or per
head of population than Wausau.
And it was not necessary to import
the mayor of Eau Claire to tell the
people of Wausau of what he was
pleased to term their deplorable
condition, when nearly every other
citizen of his own town would gladly
change his place of residence, if he
could dispose of his property.
For the benefit of Mr.. Manson,
who seems to have discovered that
our water works pay more than
the cost of maintenance, | will say,
that owing to the necessity for a
better and larger water supply,
which at one time threatened to in
volve the city in a filtering plant
costing hundreds of thousands of
dollars, and of an increase in the
population of Wausau of 1000 in
ten years, the city has been obliged
to expend nearly $3.50, 00Gin improve
ments and the extension of water
mains in the last three years. If
the average net earning is $l4, 900
per year, there still remained at least
800, 900, to provide for of which
only $25, 600 remains unpaid.
1t was under Mayor Zimmerman
that this troublesome question was
solved, and the people of Wausau
have reason to be thankful that it
has been SO cheaply done.
| believe the affairs of our city
have been faithfully and honestly
conducted and if mistakes have been
made it was only human. AS between
the two systems, Wausau now has
the best, the most economical, the
most business like, and it is as it
should be, a government of the
the people.
To the young men of our city, |
wish to say: We spend over 500, 900
per year for purposes of education;
do not vote to restrict the opportu-
mites of manhood, there are none
too many now, and do not vote to
create bureaucracy of Office hold
ers for your government.
JOHN RINGLE.