Norwich bulletin., 1916-06-17
New London Regulating the Jitneys
Made Necessary By Abuse of Privileges Stand Desis mated Near Parkles- Alderman Bond Enforcing the Reg uIations- Nothing Done About the City Pier MOney in Sight For it DssindIes.

wich and with his bride and daughter took very extended wedding trip l and he is the same Harry R. Bond | who was a marked degree instrumen7 | tai in the location of the New Lon don Ship and Engine company. and Is l difference, in so far as duty is con cerned, between Mr. Bond and the or dirsary supernumerary policeman traf- fic officer, is that Mir. Bond is more efficient, and serves without pay.
 Some time ago at one of those lively city meetings For which New London is noted an .appropriation of $32,ooO was made for the construction of city pier at the foot of State street approach accommodations This ap- propriation was made after 1t was ex- plained by Mayor Rogers, Former Mayor Mahan, Alderman Miner of the finance committee, and others familiar with municipal matters, that the ap- propriation could be made without any increase in taxation, and that. as a mater of fact, the money to pay for the water front improvements was then in sight. That was some time ago and the work has not been com nenced, although the plans and spicf- flcations were prepared long before the appropriation was voted. Per- haps a reason why the work has not been commenced, or even invitations to contractors to bid for the contract, Is that the money is really not in sight and that even the gentleman who engineered the vote favorable to the appropriation in city meeting com mence to realize that they have been mistaken in the city's income from taxation.
 These gentlemen who advocated the
 proposition so strongly undoubtedly
 based their financial statement on the i assessed valuation of property as re- turned by the board of assessors, and ! if this planned out as they supposed 1t
 would, the money to meet the appro- f priation would be in sight. The as- sessors assessed the two new big stes-uers Manhattan and Narragansett, owned by the Grand Trunk Railroad
 company, now lying at the eompany's wharf in New London, their haling l port being Portland, Maine. These | steamers were built under the Hayes
 regime and were intended to ply be-
 tween Providence and New York, had
 the Grand Trunk extended it's line | posed. At the time the assessment i was laid on these steamers they had 1 not been in New London seven months i and therefore were not taxable here | So that big tax item must be stricken I from alle list. For many years the
 east side of the Long wharf, so-called, was leased by the Central Vermont railroad to the F. H. and A. H. Chap pell company, for commercial purposes and at. a regular rental, and therefore
 it was taxable city property, and the assessors assessed as usual. It was
 subsequently, learned that the lease no longer existed and that all of the wharf was used for railroad purposes
 and not subject to city tax. These items alone have reduced the amount of tax supposed to be coilecti,bIe some
 10000, which Is clipped off the amount
 that was in sight for the proposed i'm
 provement. The grand list will be de-
 creased for like causes in smaller
 amounts, but it is believed that they
 will amount to at least $5,000 more.
 dwindled from $32,0o0 to 5000, and
 perhaps less.
 But some wise guy of the long ago created the everlasting saying of
 "Where There is Will There is a l Way" and surely the gentlemen who have been named in this connection
 have tIne will to give to New London
 that much needed public wharf, in l creased ferry accommodations and more safety in the vicinity of the railroad station. 1t is Hughes to Will
 son that they vii find the way, even | If the dear public have to pay by in-
 creased taxation. Just as a matter of form, but which is required by law, I that same city meeting voted to levy
 a tax to meet the appropriation. It
 was explained, however, that the tax would not be collected, that it would 1 not be necessary as the money was in sight, and that there would be noth- | ing doing in the line of an increase
 in taxation. But public matters are
 not always what they seem. Wait and
 see.