The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-27
STRONG INCENTIVE ! TO HUNT FlREBUGS
 1 IN BEDDING TOWN
The Same Being a Reward of
 $500 for Doers of Arson.
Reward Also of $50 Per For HousebPeakers-T0W Meet ina Votes Tax Rate of 13 Mills.

afternoon voted 8 reward of $500 for Information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person setting lire to buildings in this town. The re- ward applies to arson acts of the past as we'll as the future B. A. Pinkney brought up the matter after the meet ing had completed the particular business nan1ed in stheS warningA the fixing, Of the tax rate, and his re- marks e1icfted from Selectnan Barnes the statement that the selectnen had already decided to offer such a reward under authority conferred by a. sta- tutes which, however, limited the amount to $20o. E.. P. Sanford thought $500 none too much and sug-a gested that it might be well to make it even larger by private subserfp ton. This view found general acceptance. On the suggestion of Francis Malone the ee1ectnen were directed to offer a further reward of $50 for the ap- prehension of any person guilty of housebreakiug,s the melting cause of this action being the recent Teets burglary. These rewards are expect ed to result in a great amount of anna teur detective work and perhaps some of the professional kind also. Mo- tices had been sent out by the Pro tective League for a public meeting at 3.36 to take action for the sup pression of further crimes of arson and burglary and for the detection and conviction of the criminals by the providing of better police pro- tection- As Secretary Plump was. prevented by circanstances from re-s spending to his own call this propos- ed second meeting failed to material ize and what plan he had in view, if any, remains unknovvnA About the only practicable scheme for country town is a. mounted police. This would reauires to be in any way adequate. half a dozen men and horses at a cost making it virtually prohibi- tive
 4 The tax levy busin ess of the town
 meeting was speedily, conducted Se- lectnant Barnes presented s financial statement as a basis for action, ex- p1aining that the expenditures were voted last October and the rest of es-N l inmates.
 Schools and roads called for $6,-l 0o0s each, state road repairs S1.e0O. interest $500 and paupers $I. 800 The total was $1s.4T5. A 12 mill tax on the grand list of something over $1 . 100000 would just about raise this sum, but there had accunulated a floating indebtedness of about $s, 500 and 1t would be well to provide a sur plus towards its reduction. The se- lectmen therefore advised a tax of Is mills This was voted with slight opposition MT. Barnes failed to 1 include in his estimates either the state tax or the county tax and these will require more than the sum which he figured as a margin over necessary expenditures.
 In connection with a resolution of fered by ex-seIectnan Charles Sam ford providing that the se4ectnnen
 close their accounts on Sept 10 n- stead of Sept. 1 5 as heretofore, he de- clared that the attempt to make the
 fiscal year coincident with the admin istrafive year had failed because the l tax collector. disregarding a town ] meeting votes persisted in starting collections in August instead Of vat l ing until Oct. l. The result was an
 eneroachment by the closing part of the fiscal year on the revenue prop erIy belonging to the succeeding year 1 MT Sanford's assumed facts on which l he based this criticism were entirely wrong The Oct. 1 collection rule has been in force two years The
 first year collections were begun Sep- l tembep Is, but this made no practical difference as the money collected did l not reach the treasury until after the
 first of the next month and there lforea were not at the disposal of gthe outgoing board Of seIectmen Last l year collections did not begin until l October l. The present floating debt l really represents. appr oxfnately, the I former anticipation of revenue which ! has been done away with as the col
 lections in August, which were turn I ed over to the treasurer September I,
 ran from $4,00O to $7,0oO The achange from September 5 to Septem- lsbeF 10 as the time for closing the
 books was voted.
 On Thursday morning last Judge J. R eta ff, ,11
 located under one of the barns burn
 ed two nights before. Descending in
 to the well he dipped up the water in
 pails which he handed to two boys 2 at the top to be empt1ed. The joh | was about half done when his son Bartlett appeared and offered to re- 1ieve him. Motion granted, = said
 Judge Sanford and climbed out. Just Fl then Con Sullivan, the hired man ap- T peaTed and insisted on finishing the ,st job. He had just braced himself al the surface of the water when the
 two Sanfords noticed that the stone.
 at the water line were screepinE' Instantly they grabbed Sullivan b5
 either shoulder and yanked him tG
 the kulface. As the three steppet
 back one side of the well caved in
 the displacement extending back fou1 or five feet and carrying into the en < iarged cayitySa stone slab six feet lon, . l
 other dimensions. The we'll is ter feet deep and to have been caugh
 under the slide meant almost certai1
 death to the victim Judge Sanfor, would have been the victim, but fo
 the chance arrival of his son and Su1
 livan and as it was the latter had :
 exceedingly close call f9
 4 fire engine drill is now held dail,
 by the pupils of the SafordW School
 being substituted for one of the for 5 ner afh1etfc exercises. At Il o'clocl ! an alarm sounds for an imaginary fir ] at some specified point in the local
 ity alla the chemical engine kept ol
 the premises is manned by the youth
 full volunteer company and hurrfe,
 10 the scene. Mir Sanford has equip ped the machine with hauling an :. hraIst zrones and is ha1zina Q made ct on1