Norwich bulletin., 1915-06-16

IL
been recommended by the finance COM
mittee of the common council and add
ed thereto three items from the So
called extras that were included in the
call for the meeting.
These three items, $500 each for band
concerts and the Fairgrounds associa-
ton and $4,000 for a combination
pumping and chemical engine for the
fire department, were the only ones of
the $4,000 of extras that were voted.
All the rest were indefinitely post
poned
The total estimated amounts voted
were $52S,O03.39, making a city tax of
II ga mills on the grand list of $13,-
329, 2S4 necessary, as there are estimat-
ed receipts of 1911, 3S1.27, leaving $780,
622.12 to be raised by tax.
Mayor Gives Financial Status.
Mayor T. C. Murphy called the meet
ing to order at o'clock with City
Clerk Arthur G. Croweu keeping the
minutes and City Sheriff Charles w.
Burton on hand in charge of the ballot
box.
Mayor Murphy said that before TAX
ing up the business he wanted to give
a financial statement Of the city. He
spoke as follows:
Gentlemen: Before acting on the es-
Inmates that are before you tonight, 1
deem it my duty as mayor to present
to you the financial condition of the
city. The finance committee in making
UP the estimates have carefully con-
sidered each item you are to approve
or disapprove tonight, ard they could
not recommend for your approval a 10
mill tax which was and has been
recommended for several years past.
1 want it distinctly understood that
in making these remarks before your
action on the est mates that I per-
sonaIly have no intention of interior
ing in any way on any of the estimates
presented to you to act upon. This
matter rests with you, and you alone.
In looking over past records, [ find
that in seven years from May 16, 1907,
to May Is, 1914, the city made and
failed to pay temporary loans author
lied at city meetings amounting to
SOS, 900, thereby increasing the floating
debt of the city that amount.
A desire to avoid increasing the
floating debt by another $4,000 is the
sole reason for asking that the $40, 900
of last years unpaid loans be paid this
year, as recommended in the estimates.
The mayors explanation of Temporal
ry loans, current and arrears, and the
proposed payment of them was as fol-
lows:
During last year, ending
May 10, 1915, temporary
loans authorized for that
year and unpaid at the end
of that year amounted to-. $20,O00.O0
During the same year loans
for the present year ending
May 10, 1916, made and I'M
paid amounted to ...... 14,5OO.0O
Total temporary loans
made in 1914-1915 and I'M
paid at the end of that year $84. 10000
On account of the shortage
last year in the gas and
electrical department re-
ceiptS, there was not enough
money in the city treasury
to pay the $4,000 temporary
loans. Furthermore, to carry
on the city business it was
necessary to borrow last year
$14,50O on account of this
years temporary loans.
1t is proposed to pay the
$4,000 of unpaid loans made
on account of last year
through the specific finance
department expense item for
this purpose, amounting to-. $50, 10000
Another specific finance
department expense item
calls for $4,000 to be used
for the payment of Temporal
ry loans made only for this
current year.
The $4,000 just referred to
will pay the following loans:
Loans made last year for
this years account -. 14,5OO.OO
Loans still to be made this
year ...,...--'... i5,ouO.OO
Total .... ............. $50, 900. 90
Skirmish Over Garbage and Ashes.
After Clerk Croweu had read the
warning for the meeting, the items
were taken up.
In the department of public works
the amount was $4,000 for ordinary re-
pairs. Frank T. Comstock asked why
$4,000 could not be saved this year on
the side streets. Alderman Henry
in this item for the widening of Sa-
chem street. The GOO was voted;
and $4,000 for outside work
When the item of $1,000 for garbage
and ashes came up, w. W. Beckwith
asked if this included the cost of teams
and if the cost of garbage and ashes
collection were not really $1,000.
He read from the printed copy of the
journal and asked Alderman Gebrath,
who had made an answer to his other
question, to explain how it was that
10 men working 80 days in June were
paid $500 and the same number of men
working the same number of days were
paid $4S4 in August, according to the
street commissioners report. He said
that the same discrepancies occur in
other places in 1913-1914, and he moved
that the appropriation be made So, 900.
Alderman Gebrath stated that you
couldn't take care of the garbage for
that amount because of long hauls
through the abolishing Of dumping
grounds.
Mr.. Beckwith's next statement was
applauded when he said that the teams
return to the barn at II o'clock and
stay until 1 o'clock and team after
team comes back at 4 o'clock. What
we need in this city is an economist.
He had been informed. he said, by a
man who was familiar with the situa-
ton that the work could be done for
$500, if the men went to their work
on time and were kept at their work.
Felix Callahan was also loudly ap-
plauded when he said he challenged the
truth Of any statement about the work
of the men on the ash carts and said
that if we wanted economy let's get
after the high salaried officials and not
the hardest working gang in Norwich,
and Alderman Gebrath also defended
the department.
Walter F. Lester said he believed the
work could not be done for $1,000, and
it would be poor policy to economic
at the risk of health of the city. AL
derman Casper K. Bailey spoke of men
getting out ashes at $50 in the morn
ing, and former Councilman John Bar
ry said he had seen ashmen dumping
ashes at $50 in the evening. Timothy
GaIlivan said st was 4.30 when they got
out his ashes, and another man said 1t
was < O'clock af his house.