Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-07
CDNVENTION HALL
PROJECT HALTED
Limited Borrowing Capacity
of City Kills Plan
Temporarily
NO LOAN UNTIL 1918
Mayor Promises to Ask for Bids
on Parkway Library
Soon

Grnith this afternoon following conference
with his cabinet that the Convention Hall
plan was dead, for the time at least The
Mayor said that the city's borrowing capac-
ity, aside from unfunded debt items, is linz
fted to si,OOO,OOO
II was also announced that there would
be no municipal loan this spring nor any
placed before the people before l9lS. be-
cause Of the limited borrowing capacity for
general purposes
Concerning the convention hall the Mayor
said the city would continue to use the hall
of the Commercial Museum as public
aud torium. He said the heating plant was
In good condition and that the acoustics
were excellent.
Regarding the proposed Free Library on
the Parkway the Mayor said that adver-
tisng for proposals for the work would be
undertaken In a few days, as there is money
available for the project.
The inadequate provision for ordinary
and necessary improvements in the loans
authorized last summer that totaled STA
b250 900 is forcibly illustrated by the de-
mand of Director Datesman for Sl3,OOO,OOO
TO cover all projects his department has un-
der way. Fortunately. his demands for the
next twelve months have been pared many
millions; but after the reduction there
seems little likelihood of his receiving any
financial aid during 1911
"The Department of Public Works might
as we'll go out of business IL we can't get
money for streets, sewers, highway inn
provements and bridges" Director George
+. Datesman said
Estimates submitted by Controller wal
ton as to the extent of the city's borrowing
capacity aside from the sS,0OO.00O allowed
for transit and port projects, are so low
that the Mayor and Chairman Gaffney of
Councils Finance Committee. are in doubt
rs to the advisability of spending 100000
on a special election TO have the people
vote on a loan which cannot provide for
much asi - from unfunded debt items, The
unfunded debt that would have to be cared
for out of any loan Is placed by city So
licitor Connolly at S2.461,6s4, but Con-
troler Walton and other municipal finan-
ciers believe that the unfunded debt, If all
counted would eat up S4O00,OOO of any
loan authorized,
Recently. upon his return from a vaca-
tion at Camden, :. G.. the Mayor declared
himself in favor of general loan and even
decided tentatively on April 10 as the day
TO hold special election to place the prof.
ect before the voters.
CONVENTION HALL PROJECT
At this time he declared himself in favor
of a SO, 00O, 900 loan item for the completion
of a convention hall and 100000 for
greatly needed extensions to the Bureau OF
Water. These two sums alone Il allowed
to stand would, in the event of a loan, eat
up all the money made available, should
the voters approve the measure.
~ With 100000. 900 Of loan moneys avail
able Mayor Smith finds himself in a posi-
tion of having no money for any but spec-
fed projects, and these do not include pro-
vision for sewers that are demanded for
many growing sections, nor highway inn
provements that are equally needed. This
fact results in the virtual tying up of the
Department of Public Works and the de-
mand of Director Datesman for help.
The Mayor and his advisers are facing
an almost hopeless situation as regards any
surplus that it was Hoped to have on hand
10 meet salary increase demands and from
which IL was planned TO take the 100000
necessary to hold a loan election. Bills in
Cured by the departments since the people
last summer voted loan Of nearly Sl,97i,-
600 to put them on their feet by paying
old bills now have grown T. half a million
dollars and these will have to be met out
of constantly decreasing surplus If money
is not provided by transfer from items that
may not be spent during the present year
Should n part of the surplus he saved
for salary-ad jus ment work it would be
quickly eaten up IL the recommendations
made today by the members Of the Civil
Service Commission should be carried out
The commissioners reported to the Mayor
that to equtably adjus: the pay of the
lowest paid of city employees the rolls will
have to be increased by more than $3.50, 900
What the increase will be If the higher
salaried places are considered will not be
known for months, as the commission eX-
poets to spend many months at its task of
standardizing salaries
PESSIMISTIC VIEWS
In the face of "A condition that will not
permit of the borrowing of any appreciabl
sums for the work most needed nor enough
to result in any vast Improvement in the
water service Of the ty. municipal fnan-
ciers who conferred with the Mayor freely
predicted that the skeleton loan bill now in
Councils Finance Committee would never
see the light of day. and that when Mayor
Smith left for his next vacation he would
do so with the knowledge that PHILADELPHIA
would have no convention hall or art palace
for years.
The needs of the Water Bureau are para
mount In the minds OF many of the CITY
officials. and the SO. 900 600 planned for
use in extensions and new mains was
counted upon to make n loan this spring
popular with the voting public. II a
loan Is proposed and this item is cut to
$iO00,OO0 or $i,250,OO0 the probable eff
feet on the outcome of the election is
feared.
Chief Carleton f. Davis, of the Water
Bureau. when asked today II he could
make good use Of 81 900, 600. declared that
he would be glad to get IT, but that fully
S1,O0O,000 would be needed in the next few
years il Philadelphia was 10 be assured an
adequate supply of water az all tinea