Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-12-16

is not to be considered a fad, but an
accepted. funct on OF government, and
one of the few added functions the
admin strative cost of which was
prov for by additional source of
municipal income.
"In the olden days there were no
free public Libraries, but the people
decided by their votes to have one,
and that it should have Il certain
percentage Of the taxes for It's sup
port, thus adding to the cost of ad
ministration without providing any
additional source of income TO meet
the fixed charge for maintei ance.
There were no municipal play
grounds for the healthful entertain
ment and the development of our
youth, and public baths were not
deemed necessary, but they are now
municipal functions which must be
administered, although no additional
source of income was provided for
the additional expense incurred. The
people voted to have a county park
system, which Is not administer ed
by the city, but the city's share Of
the cost and maintenance are ad
ditional financial burdens without ad-
ditional municipal income.
The increased population of the
city and its environs made necessary
the construction of the Passaic Valley
sewer system, which has imposed on
the city the financial obligation of
carrying and eventually meeting a
debt of $S000,000 for It's share In
the Improvement with no additional
municipal revenue provided,
1.-The new Court House is another
Inc no nj mi N n
ance of which the city is taxed, and
for which there was no additional
source of income provided,
1.-THE cost of elevating the tracks or
the Lackawanna and the Pennsyl-
vania railroads was an unusual NUM-
cipal debt incurred by former adj
ministration, for the liquidation OF
which no new source of income was
provided.
II might cite other cases of added
financial burdens and new duties i'm
posed on the Administered on, burdens
of (which most critics are either
ignorant or. having knowledge there
Of choose to ignore.
The people demand extensions of
the police and fire service; they de-
mand better lighting of the streets,
and, in fact. INSIST on extensions of
service OF every character for civic
Improvement, and such extensions of
service cost more money than was
needed for the old order of things.
The City's Income.
There Is unit or additional adj
ministrative cost for each unit of
increase in population, and for each
added unit of area in territory. as
we'll as an increase for every added
mile of streets, for new private or
public buildings erected. for every
added street lamp. And thus it is,
with the natural development of the
city plus the added municipal func-
tions, the budget OF expense keeps
growing, and as yet none of the
critics has disclosed any adequate or
equitable new source of income to
meet the increased expense for the
extended public service required.
Probably every public official has
attempted to devise new sources of
municipal income. and the more ex-
perienced know that the sources for
municipal purposes are limited and
that every proposition increas ng the
income will be met with objections.
lit is unfortunately true that most
communities have their quota OF
misanthropes who find a convenient
medium of similar tendencies through
which to impugn the mot We of the
administ ration having the temerity to
propose the establishment and opera
ton of a public utility that a munich
pal income might be created with a
view to dim nish or at least to limit
the tax assessment. To increase the
taxes Is called confiscation, and q
proposition to tax directly anyone
supposed to be direct beneficiary OF
some municipal activity, such, for
instance, as imposing a wheel tax
upon the owners of vehicles who are
supposed to be specially benefited by
street pavements, is objected to as
discriminative and negotiable. and
the administrative problem how to
meet the demand for q higher stand
ard of municipal living without higher
cost remains unsolved.
I'VE are frequently reminded of the
possible sources of income that might
have been conserved In relief of ad-
ministrative cost, excepting for what
the critic calls the profiigacy of cur
forefathers' in granting special priv
ileges without adequate compensation
In giving consideration to this mat
ter, one must bear in mind that most
humans are endowed with better mind
sight than foresight, that we judge
today from experiences that our
predecessors could not have had and
II is debatable question whether the
utilities of today would have reached
their present state of efficiency OF
that they would have been establish
ed at all on any other terms than
those under which they we're origin
ally granted. 'Tempora mutantur. et
nos mutamur in Ills
Conditions of Today.
However, the question might be de.
cided, it Is Improbable to lament
the spilled milk; the past being ir-
retrievable. we must operate under
the conditions of today. A few COM
parative figures showing the develop
ment of the city and it's activities will
hope. prove interesting and serve to
convince those who are in recep-
tive state of mind that the citv's rep
resentativ having made the best
use of the tools at hand, merit the
approval of the public.
Data Relating to Newark.