The weekly soliphone., 1917-08-02
CITY'S FINANCES
 ARE NOT LAGGING
tContinued From First Page,


 bridge the administration over until the first of January-at which time privilege taxes, etc., begin to flow into the treasury-will not exceed seven or eight thousand dollars. From January until July, he thinks. enough incidental revenue will be obtainable to circumvent the ne-. cessity of borrowing expense mon- ey, and when the annual tax bud get is paid over in July all out standing obligations can be met and balance shown.
 It costs the city today about one thousand dollars monthly to carry on operations. In October, 1911. total indebtedness amounted to $6,342.35. In October, 1917-a period corresponding to the 1911 estimate of indebtedness obliga- tions for current expenses will amount to approximately $4.000. When the fact is considered, how ever, that $2,20O has been taken from the water fund, it may be seen that from October, 1911. to October, 1917. the city has just about kept even with the slate, while at the same time making nec- essary Improvements. During that period some salaries have been in- creased. Such increases have been necessary and the public has no reason for just complaint In fact. salaries in all the departments are even ridiculously low. During the past twelve months the White Way lights have been in operation. giv- ing an added charge to administra- tive items. This improvement is an investment well worth while. Charges for current however, will amount to almost $150 per month, and in showing why municipal ex- pepaes have increased, the item should be mentioned. It is easy therefore. to understand why it has been impossible to run ahead with
 
 that the public will be satisfied if Improvements can be taken care of and a clean slate shown. The" amount paid in from the collector S9,336.00 This item has been prac- tically a fixture for the past few years, varying but slightly, and is due primarily to the fact that the county assessor, in large meas ure, merely duplicated or reduced assessment sheets and made no eff fort whatever to arrive at correct values. The next payment period will cover an assessment made un- der the new tax-assessing law, with district boards of supervision. Ma rion Sims, Greene county assessor, has apparently made conscientious effort in all respects to carry into effect the spirit of the new statute and hopes to show full fifty per cent assessment. If this has been done, Paragould next July will re- ceive an increase of at least twenty per cent, or sufficient additional revenue to meet running expenses for two or three months. From fines collected during the past fiscal year, $1217.90 went into the city treasury. Dog taxes collected ran to $322; licenses and feeding stock amounted to $3,06373, while other incidental items netted about forty dollars additional Total collections were 15,945.75, and expenditures 5,766.6S. Collections include $2,200 borrowed from the water fund, while expenditures do not in clude payments made on crematory. This item, however, was taken care of at a later period and still left the city with small balance.
 There should be no reason why revenues in sight for the next twelve months should not full GOV CT all expenditures. This should be true even though the tax budget is not boosted by reason of the new assessment law. Granting that 20 per cent increase is shown from this source, July, 1918. should find the municipality entirely out of debt, the waterworks fund restored. and a. slight balance in the treas ury.
 It is to be hoped that citizens generally will cooperate with the mayor in his efforts to have the trustees indemnified, to the end that the cash system may be con tinued. It would be financial sui eide to revert to the scrip method. Each individual is or should be in terested in the matter to the extent of his civic and financial interest in the city. Without the co-opera- tion of public-spirited citizens the administration can do little toward maintaining an even keel.
 nTICCIA,O nA HIT TO