The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-09-03
ISSUE OF BONDS
 OR HIGHER TAXES
 BEDDING PROBLEM
A Little Adventure By One of Our Folks in Perturbed
 Mexico.


 form of increase of the permanent
 indebtedness or, as the sole a1terna-
 tive, raise the tax rate? It doesn't
 like to do either, but the steadily
 rising scale in the cost of road main
 tenance would seem to make inevi-
 table one of these two courses. While
 the town has been substantially fol- lowing the pay as you go policy, the latest levy of thirteen mills is prob ably about as far as the citizens are inclined to go in that direction. At the same time the prevailing senti- Inent is in favor of better roads rather than for methods tending towards Iretrogression and much better roads cannot reasonably be expected except through larger expenditures. The
 road appropriation voted by Q town
 meeting has only an advisory effect as is shown by the fact that it will have
 to De exceeded this fall by from $2,000 to $3,000 provided there is done the, work really needed. This excess out lay which the law permits the se- lectmen to make and indeed virtually requires them to make represents an increase above the current tax rate | of approximately two mills and With this circumstance in view the neces- sity of higher taxes or borrowing un- der the plan of long. deferred pay rnent becomes apparent The prob lem is about the most important like ly. to come before the town meeting about a month hence and in it's con- sideration there may be renewed the old discussion regarding the best method of working the highways by contract, through the -sclectmen as at present, or by the supervisor system.
 The latter method. which was tried only one year, certainly loses nothing in comparison with the results ac- com mp1ished during the present year. by the selectmen.
 In letter to Bedding relatives,
 Robert B. Brinsmade, a prominent
 mining engineer formerly of Bridge
 port, describes an adventure which
 befell him in Mexico. During the three years period of turmoil in that country he has been living with his
 family on Pueb1a and was never be- fore directly affectd by the prevailing
 turbulence. In this Instance he
 journeyed about one hundred miles by train to visit a mining property, of which he is the owner. At the sta ton which was his railway objective, point he left his handbag containing some. clothing and $135 in real mon ey, that is American money and not the debased-, paper currency of the country which now commands less | than 20 per cent of par As the sta l ton was guarded by force of about 200 Cara anzaistas he supposed his property would be safe there. On re- turning two days later from his trip to ezle interior he found only a heap of snnou1dering ruins where the sta ton and adjacent buildings had been and not a soldier in sight During
 his absence a hand of zepataas follow ; CTS had driven off the Carranza guard and footed and burned the little set
 clement. MT. Brinsmafd's .jaunt had still another chapter of adventure, 4 <.1, la his train was shot up by a band of marauderss particular brand un-
 known to him. In common with the other passengers he sought safety by
 diving under the car seats.
 The train kept on going and
 arrived safely, although much scared
 by bullets. Some weeks ago mention
 was made in this correspondence of the fact that MT. Brinsmade had
 written a book in which was set forth an adaptation of the single tax sys-
 tenn as a means for the solution of
 the Mexican land problem, The book was being put in type in Mexico City printing office when Zapata's s
 men evieted the Villa men from the
 city. The. newcomers wrecked the printing plant among the other de predations committed during their. brief stay and the Brinsn1ade book
 became lost in the shuffle. As the author has the manuscript the WOrk will yet be published.
 Plans are under way for the start ing of. a village improvement society on the Ridge. J. w Teets being one of the active spirits in the movement. The first meeting will be held about lOct. 1 and the interest already shown in the project gives every promise of success. The objects are the de- velopment of the community spirit and it's concrete. expression along the public betterment lines usually striv- en for by such organizations A start in the same direction was made with
 the organization of the Protective League, bus that body tried to cover so much ground that it's performances
 fell pathetically short of it's aims. A bill of particulars in the claim of the town against the American Surety Co, for the shortage in the accounts of former Tax Collector Duncan was forwarded to the company this week.
 The total is a little under $2, 400, of
 which less than $2e represents per sonal taxes. Late reports from MT.
 Duncan, who has been for several months a patient in the State hospi- tai at Middletown, indicate an inn
 provement in his general physical condition Last week he was we'll enough to walk about the hospital grounds unattended.
 A cellar for. the new site to which,
 Charles Perry will move the former tJ. NJ. Sullivan house is being exca- vated near the center of the half acre plot. In connection with the change the building will undergo a, number of Improvements including the addition
 of a wide piazza and interior altera- tions.
 The petition for the teaching of vo-
 cal music in the public schools was
 discussed by the town school commit tee at their meeting last Friday and
 a committee consisting of D. S. San ford,e Dr. Smith and B. A. Pinkney, appointed to present the matter to the annual town meeting in October.
 If the new branch is introduced it
 must be provided for lin the new ap-
 propriation for the coming year and