Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-21

A movement TO increase municipal rev.
enues to offset in part anticipated salary
increases and proposed new places viii be
inaugurated by Councils today, but even
the most optimistic Of the members are not
hopeful Of avoiding material and pro-
nounced increase in taxes IL the city in the
future is to live up TO the pay-as-you-go
act and abandon the plan of paying running
expenses from borrowed money.
The most important piece of legislation,
dealing with the subject of revenues, was
the bill for the revision upward of all the
water charges, both meter and fixture.
MAYOR SMITHS PLANS
The water rate bill is but the first of
series planned with a view to increasing
revenues, and it is not unlikely that Mayor
Smith, in message will outline TO the
Councimen his plans so as to keep the
tax rate as low possible IL the
planned increased expenditures are finally
authorized.
Mayor Smiths administration is pledged
TO provide sufficient revenues 10 meet au-
thorzed expenses for next year, and the
final problems involved will occupy the at
tention of Councils during most of the fall
and winter sessions
lt has been estimated that at least
S6,OOO,OOO in new revenues will have to be
provided from one source or another. All
OF the budgets of the various departments
win be in the hands of Councils in the next
few weeks, and after Mayor Smith has
made known his schemes for increasing rev.
enues 1t will be a matter of mathematical
calculation to decide upon the tax rate that
the realty owners of the city will be called
upon to pay for 1917.
Many new obligations are threatened in
addition TO the fixed charges Of years past
nj hn I'inut
mttee, will introduce a bill at today's ses-
sion providing for increased pay for
policemen. The bill is based upon an APP
proXimate Increase in pay of fifty cents a
day for each officer The administration is
also pledged to increase the police force by
500 men. These two actions would result
In the drain of an additional $1,000, 900 a
year from the city treasury.
In the Department of Public Works there
are number of bureau chiefs who say that
they are losing their best men because of
the low scale of wages paid. This is par.
ticularly true of the Water Bureau and
of the Highway Bureau. No estimate of the
increases needed along this line can be made
before the first meeting i'm October, when
Councils will receive the budgets from the
more important departments,
The one important financial measure 10
be hurried through Councils at this time
makes an appropriation of funds to nav
interest and Sinking Fund charges on the
$1O,OOO.OOO portion of the recently au-
thorized loans for S114525, 900 which IL is
proposed to sell this fall.
Mayor Smith has signed most of the hills
left with him by Councils at the close of
the summer recess. but today he will ask
the Councils to recall the ordinance author
izing the condemnation of properties in tbe
Seventh Ward bounded by Naudain and
Rodman and Tenth and Eleventh streets
for playground purposes so that another
block can be included and the boundaries
extended from Naudain to Lombard street
He will also ask the recall of the bill TO
enlarge Reyburn Park. already containing
ten and one-half acres, to which a strip of
200 feet in width is to be added