The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-02-04
cRITIc1zEs CITY POLICIES.
"voter" Thinks Affairs Are Not Conduct
ed as They Should Be.
Editor. Daily Times.

Editor, Daily Times:
A glance at the reports oil street and
| finance committees and the mayors mes
sage is enough to impress every taxpay-
er with the great Importance OF the APP
preaching city election. Notwithstand-
+ ing the high tax rate, 1925, the city
council has managed during the year 10
spend all the income from that and 9th
er sources and to put the city into a
$685. hole, that being the increase OF
the city debt.
The finance committee announce this
fact one day, and the next day-appar-
emily fearing the fact might not set we'll
on the taxpayers come out with an
apology, claiming that the increase in
the value of city property during the
year is about a square offset against
the increase of the city debt. This as
a soothing plaster!
But the ruse is no excuse. The price
Of city property is fixed by the scratch
of pen by the finance committee; the
CITY debt is paid only in hard cash. The
soothing plaster don't soothe!
Yet the report made bold to recon-
mend a continuance OF the same policy,
even on larger sealel Larger expendi
ture and, to pay for it, either higher
tax rate or plunging the city deeper into
debt.
The street committee recommend three
big jobs to be ''done as soon as possible"
First, extending the granite paving now
partially surrounding city park so as 10
surround it completely presumably ex-
tending it to Academy street.
1 n
Main street to the covered bridge, knock
ing away that structure and putting in
its place more costly structure.
Third, eoncreting the sidewalks-not
already concreted-of "all the streets,
business and residential, in the city,
This means about 30 miles of sidewalks,
making go miles of sidewalks, several
miles of which span only vacant lots,
to be concreted all the same.
All this triple job to be done "as soon
as possible" The mayors message APP
parently backs up the whole job, espe
cially the sidewalk part, in these words:
This, in my Judgment, is one of the
crying needs Of our city to-day; and
our street commissioners should devote
their energies to induce the citizens
throughout the city to cooperate with
them in carrying out this work.
The finance committee also commend
the job by advising a 1928 tax rate,
and, ii need be, "by increasing the tax
rate or going into debt for the improve
ment.'
OF course, to carry out this policy it
would be necessary both to raise much
higher the tax rate and to plunge the
city deeper and deeper into debt:
Whatever view the taxpayers may
take Of this policy, one thing seems Ger
tain: II any man in the state of YER
mont should adopt such policy in the
management of his private business, his
near relatives would be more than iusti-
fed in applying for guardian, or in
causing him to be placed securely in
Waterbury under observation of alien
lists.
The only fortunate thing about ii is
the fact that city election is so near at
hand, and that the offices of four of the
present city council men then become
vacant. Hope there is that the four va
cancies may be filed with sane minded
men-men who will use as much COM
mon sense in managing city affairs rs
they use in managing their own affairs.
always working for the interests of tie
city as truly as they would for their own
interests.
Voter.