The Cordova daily times., 1914-12-23
HOW WSQUANDERED FUNDS OF
 CITY

One of the most striking pieces of information contained in last nights Daily Alaskan was the statement that the Big Four" in the city council |choose to serve the public rather than private interests" when one of it's members insisted on expending about $3.000 of the peoples money in building a bulkhead next to the prop erty he is the agent for and adjoining which is the place of business of the mayor. an improvement which was not only unnecessary but completed in such maaner that the work will have to be replaced more substantially and not in way that interferes with the rights of other property owners and subjects the city to suit for damages. This job was done under the super vision of Councilman Goodan who drew BIO a day for the performance of his duties as Chairman of the Street Committee. The real boss of
 he job also drew $7.5O per day.
 But this important fact is over. looked by our contemporary in it's zeal to render service to those whose questionable public acts it has at all all times attempted to uphold As the "city official organ" that paper may consider it duty to put on the back those who put them regularity on the municipal pay roll. but the public will hardly agree with them in selling their independence for a mess of pottage. Great stress is laid upon the record of having reduced the tax rate this year to six mills against ten mills last year. An investigation of the facts, however, show that if the affairs of the city had been economically al- ministered there would have been no occasion for any tax this year.
 Let's go into the revenues of the present council and then see what was done with this money When this body went into office there was $S,S9O.2S in the treasury: $1O,OO4 re. ceiyed from the district court as fed. eral licenses, besides other minor revenues. Aside from the routine ex. penditures the city built a bulkhead on Front street. costing approximateN $3,OOO, which stands as a monument n, rccklessness and extravagance; open. ed B street from First avenue to Front street, a thorougfare that is little used and spent about $2OO in building a Hrain on c street. Then, again, the salaries of city officials were increased S6oO per annum and Councilman Good all drew a salary of BIO Der day for some little time. These were of the scores" the Daily Alaskan overlooked in claiming credit for the present council. But it reduced the tax rate from ten to six mills. when no assessment whatever was neces. sary.
 Contrast this great stroke of econo- my with some previous administra. tions. In 1913 there was s617 s7 in the treasury when the council was sworn in, which was sS,1s1.66 less than the present council started with; the federal licenses last year were $9.s6S.71, a slight decrease from those of 1914 and tue usual minor rev enues. For this money a good ac- counting was made in the way of public improvements. A sidewalk was built to the ocean dock. costing S2.770.s5; sidewalk constructed to the railway station, entailing an ex- penditure of s1.17o75; a city lighting system installed that is a credit to Cordova, which cost s1.71217; school house and city hall painted, $e52. 20: paid for planking of B avenue on Front street, dedicated to the city by the Townsite Company. 5000: kept the streets in better repair than during the past year; left s3.7s9.6s in the treasury when they went out of office. This is recod of accomplishment and speaks for itself.
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 Mrs. E, w. Elliott and son Gay re. turned on the Alameda this morning