The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-26
THE FARMER: JANUARY 26, 1912

you will find that practically half of all the first district is required to pay for is used in the second district alone
 will follow these items down aI- alphabetically. as they are published today:
 Ambulance and emergency. $s.-
 There have not been five ambulance cases outside of the second district for
 Assessors salaries. $12,S5O.12"
 They serve both districts, and s6,- 900 should be charged to each.
 Assessors block maps, $1,5O0."
 These are confined absolutely to the second district, and should be paid for by it.
 Bridges. superintendent, $51O."
 This is one-half of the bridge super intendent's salary. Every bridge is in the second district, except one-half of that over Ash creek, and five less than eight feet wide in the north part of the town.
 Building commissioners, S6,OOO.
 Practically all of this work is in the second district.
 "Election expenses. $1O.0Oo."
 Prior to consolidation the city, now the second district. paid it's own. There is no reason why it should not pay half of the total bill now.
 Health, $10,000."
 This is independent of the garbage collection and possibly might by vfr- tue of the language of the consolida- : tion act be charged to the first dis trict.
 Lights. s67.5OO."
 These are the lights for the entire city; perhaps $S,0OO cf them are out side of the second district. The home of the rabbit and woodchuck in North | Bridgeport is required to pay for the | lighting of Water and Main street l This is one of the main illustrations of | how the first district Is getting more | than it is paying for. If the brush in | the north end of the town should get | the share of lighting for which it pays, | every rabbit up there would have an arc light before his burrow. bridges, $62, ,500.''
 This means all of the rnacadann and all of the bridges in the second dis trict-another illustration of the urac- tical charity which the first district is receiving.
 Police and Charities building. s6,-
 One-half of this building Is used to house the police court and police force. Before the consolidation the this shelter. Now they not only pay nothing for rent, but ask the first dis trict to sweep their floors
 .Boston avenue wall. $6,oOO.'
 Entirely in the second district and l the same is true of the Moody's NH bridge, $3,500.
 I am not at this time criticizing the lack of wisdom upon the part of those !
 
 to manage its own affairs, and fur nished this opportunity to the gradu- ally increasing raids upon the first district. The arguments of the Dro l moters of the scheme were specious enough. The town was assured that 1 1t would be saved the expense of it's government and pay nothing addi- 1onal for new burdens but I do most emphatically say that the first district i Is not only not getting what it does pay for, but is paying for very much and which it paid for alone before consolidation. There are but two things of which I am aware where any portion of the first district has obtained that for which it has not spe- paid; those are few sewers 1t Black Rock and North Main street and an occasional run of the fire appa-1 ratus. These have been repaid dozen -lmes over Icy lighting and repairing he streets and bridges Of the second by collecting its garbage by housing its police force. by conducting ts elections by collecting It's taxes bv it's library, and taking care of its am bulance.
 Of course, the situation is all wrong. It can be remedied in part now by the i board of apportfonment. If those gen iemen will take a little care and ex- ! im1ne the matter, the more gIaring instances of injustice can be remedIed. 'f 1888 will assist immensely in reach ng a proper conclusion but the real |, 'emedy lies deeper In my judgment a bill ehould ba presented to The next legislature dfvid- f ng the two districts absolutely: talk f ng into the second district ali that | portion of the first district which re- i luires city government. cave the arming land in a district by itself | Let this pay ns just proportion of tha xpense which belongs to a town. such s the poor and the schools as wen s the old town indebtedness: then +av for hatever is spent upon its roads nd lights, if it gets any. In no other Vay can absolute justice be done to rGPerty owners in the first district nly. J. C. CHAMBERLAIX