The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-01-10
In Event of Defeat Of Bonds
BY Popular Vote, Board
of Apportionment Will
Levy Tremendous Rate to
Get Extra Cash For Huge
Expenditures.

Details of the administra-
TONS plans to plunge the city
into debt that will be visited
upon the grandchildren of the
present generation became
known today.
The board of apportionment
and taxation has its orders to
levy rate Of taxes of not more
than 18 mills, if that be possi-
Bile, and -not more than 10 un-
less the situation is most des-
perate.
The advisory committee Of
, seven members, named by
Mayor Wilson TO arrange a
bonding program, has instruc-
tons to include as projects for
bonds, everything that by any
stretch of the Imagination may
be considered as permanent inn
provements. s
Dissension has arisen between the
aQN1SOIY
apportionment and taxation. III feel
ing. too,s has grown up in these two
bodies. There are two factions In
the tax board, those who are inclined
to bow to the supposedly superior
wisdom of the bonding committee, and
those who are inclined to act upon
their own initiative. And in the
bonding conmittee itself there is dis
sensiOn. with affairs In this unset
tied state the administration great
debt program may be sadly upset.
but not without grave danger of the
city's being plunged into a financial
rnudd1e of proportions beyond all for
z1aer speculation.
Here is what the taxpayersl must
do. if the Administrations plans are
carried through:
They must vote favorabIy upon
the bonding projects.
They must pay a tax rate Iaig1l- -
er than ever before In the cfty's
history.
IN the alternative Of the defeat Of
the bondinG projects, at a special
election to be held in the early spring
this situation will arise:
The board of apportionment
and taxation VIII be reconvened
and asked TO provide, by levyfT1g
new tax rate, the funds for i1n-
proyementS that are essential,
such as schoOIhouses and theI Ike.
The first rate, based upon the as
sumption that bonds shall be is
sued. will be abrogated in favor
of the. increased rate, and the
taxpayers will then be forced to
meet an emergency of tremendous
proportions
If tits necessary to call in the board
of apportionment to lay special tax
for all improvements which the ad-
ministration plans, a tax rate of Is
mills and possibly more, is what large
realty holders and business men look
The plans of the admins stration to
increase the taxes of business men,
manufacturers and the taxes on CEN
3 traIIy located properties which have
not changed hands in the past decade,
are we'll known But even this big
boost in revenue. 1t is said, will not
bring the income desired
There are members of the board of
apportionment who resent the action
of the administration in appointing
the advisory bonding issue. There are
also several members of the advisory
tax board who are not in sympathy
with creating a, big bond issue. Most
of the special committee eswere named,
however, because they would be in
terested in such large expenditures.
Some Of the members Of the board
OF appoFtf onment who are conserva-
tive business men declare that the
juggling of the finances which will be
absolutely dangerous to the property
holders There is already nearly
huge blanket mortgage on the city of
nearly a million dollars for Warren
tie, bridges, pavementsJ etc. The pro-
posaI to increase this by $1,500,00O
means an enormous increase in the
tax rate within another year no mat
ter what juggIery is resorted to to
keep the rate down this year Under
the proposed bond issue every prop
erty holder is made liable and the
home of the humblest may be taken
to pay principal and interest for the
bonded Indebtedness.
The Remington Arms f& Arnn51ni-
ton co. has spent or will spend ap-
proximateIy $150,0oo in constructing
sewers from its new plant above Bos-
ton avenue and from the new prop
erty it is developing east of Hospital
hill The administration proposes as
part of the bond issue that this money
be paid back to the company AS1is
year. Members of the board of ap-
portionment point out that Individual
property owners all over the city
build private sewers and it is often 10
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