The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-08-10
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
PROTESTS AUTO PURCHASE.
"Citizen" Calls 1t Wicked Extravaganza
and Scores City Council.

Citizen" Calls 1t Wicked Extravaganza
and Scores City Council.
Editor, Daily Times:
The city council did it, and has done
it again. A two-dollar thirty -five-cent
: tax rate, and now snapshot purchase
of an auto fire truck. In levying the
tax, OF course, the snapshot was "up the
sleeye'-a reason for the high rate.
The snapshot came like a fash--the
next day after the autos showed up.
Not moments waiting to see whether
our citizens were pleased with the trial.
Evidently, from first TO last, studied
refusal to refer the purchase to city
vote. The excuse for not thus referring
II by the council, that the project had
been before the city for a year, was Of
course the merest spbterfuge and mock
cry 1t had not been before the voters
| with chance to vote for one second
But the project had been before the
fire committee year. They used this
time to push the purchase of the auto
soliciting petitions to purchase, making
useless excursions over the country to
consult truck companies, planning trial
! IL Barre--all at the expense OF the city,
/ all with zeal'to purchase equalled only
by their zeal to keep the taxpayers from
having any voice in the matter, and all
show on the boards as the advanced
circus.
And the circus itself proved the merest
farce. II came in midsummer, when the |
streets are at their best dry and hard. |
Why was the trial not planned to take
place in midwinter when the streets are
at their worst2 That is the season OF
greatest fire danger. If ever something
better than horse power is needed, it
is then.
But everybody knows that trial of
the trucks in winter would have been
fiat failure. At that time, to expect
machine weighing. when loaded with the
firemen and the fire apparatus, six tons
or more, to climb Hooker hill. Beckley /
hill, Trow hill or any of the high grade
streets in Barre, Is simply absurd The
companies knew it, The fire committee
knew it. The city council knew it.
Hence the farce was planned to take
place at the only time when there was
shadow of chance for success.
What good, then, to the city is the
fire truck? II horse power must guard
the city in seasons of greatest danger,
EdHuob the same power gudIu the CITY III
seasons of least dangeri
The truth is, the truck is absolutely Il
useless. 1t is worse than useless. 1t is i
a positive damage. 1t will cost more to
keep the six-ton machine in order than
to keep the horses in order, more than
doubling the expense. That's the known
damage. The unknown damage lies hid.
den in the greater liability to accident.
Therefore, the six thousand dollars, in
Guiding the expenses Of the fire com
mttee, paid for the eneumbrance better \
have been thrown to the bottom of the
dollar a curse, six thousand
curses TO the city!
Such action OF the city council this /
year is all the more unfortunate because
this year is Board of Trade year. Early i
in the season, prior to fixing the tax
rate, the Board awoke TO new life. En- \
ran high--four hundred MEM II
bers ready TO vie with one another In
booming the city But how quickly came
the wet blankets BY wicked extrava-
gsnce and high tax rate to meet it, the
city council set itself squarely in oppo-
sition to the good efforts of the Board,
forming almost a complete blockade.
The good fire was soon squelched. At
tempts to build ffty-thousand dollar
hotel soldiers monument, a tuberculo.
sis hospital are simply splitting against
the wind. That wind comes from the
city council. After paying their high
taxes and being imposed upon by six
purchase, our taxpayers,
naturally enough, like sucked orange
feel as though they have been squeezed
enough.
But amid all the dense folly shines one
bright light; the alderman from ward
four, although a minority of one, has
vet stood up like man and bravely
fought this insane business. inch by inch,
from beginning to end. As last resort.
he tried to persuade. the council to do
ust what it ought to have done at the
,utset. to refer the purchase of the auto
10 vote OF the taxpayers, which, he
thought, might save the city from the
disaster.
(Signedl Citizen.