Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-12-31
F0RSMITH'S'
ECOND YEAR
MOST COSTLY.
adge Tax Increase, but
ingular Lack of Munich
pal improvements
PLEDGEs UNFULFILLED

~. Municipal accomplishments in 1917
*Iorm continuation of the remarkable
1tancial history started In 1916 by loan
Authorizations OF sii4.525,OOo and a
twenty-fve-cent increase In the tax rate
on realty. This year the city tax rate
was boosted fifty cents, a new permanent
oan was authorized. temporary loan of
ti,2oo.ooo was negotiated and the pay
as-you-go act was forgotten for the
\ easier method Of creating deficiency bills
and getting supplies on donations"
Although the progress of the Smith
& Administration II most noteworthy when
! 5rferred to In millions of dollars, there
~ singular lack of anything like real
z progress along lines of either permanent
or temporary improvements. The out
standing pieces of work are the Park
way and progress on the Frankford
Creek intercepting sewer.
Midway in the Smith official term,
Observers say. It is entirely safe to
predict that this administration will cost
Philadelphia many millions more than
any administration that& has ever gone
before. In this one pasticular Mayor
Smith and his financial adviors stand
j supreme. Another claim to distinction
won In the closing months OF the pres
ent year was the almost unheard of in
crease In taxes. Two increases such
as the ones that jumped the old
dollar rate to old-time low-assessment
figures create n record that in fifty
+ years stands as unique.
Financial conditions resulting in part
from wartime prices and IN part from
( 4 desire 10 keep the municipal payroll
q loaded down with political workers. have
interfered in many Instances with mu-
nicipa1 improvements Salary items
have always been cared for. but repair
Items and supplies have not been given
the same attention.
PIedrine himse'f - municipal i'm
4 provement projects calculated to cost
the city more than one hundred mil
Z lions of dollars. Mayor smith finds him
: self half way through his adm,nistra-
tion. with only the Parkway far enough
under way to predict completion during
the third or last year Of his office
holding. This SEQ. 900 900 dream of the
last thirty years is fast nearing t%m-
\ pletien.
In November Councils Finance Com
mittee held eighteen meetings at which
approximately si6,000.000 in salaries
and maintenance items were approved.
WnllG supplies carried tnt Ipltl lar III
H excess of any provision ever made for
single year in The city's history. This
!, Action was taken In the face of repeated
demands that useless positions be abol-
4 ished and that salary items he cut
efwhere II was virtually certain that the
hardest task for the beneflciaries would
be the drawing Of their pay warrants.
y At one of the meetings Joseph y.
I Carney. chairman of the all-powerful
Z Finance Committee, the man more than
( my one else in the confidence of the
Mayor on financial questions. forecast
the need for floating a new long term
I Joan In May, 1918, IL the Department OF
Public Works is TO be Supplied with
funds needed TO make repairs to streets,
Dave streets and roads and otherwise
perform its usual functions. No mem
Y ton was made at this time Of including
! IN q loan provision for badly needed inn
provements and extensions 20 the city's
E 36s, 900. 900 water system.
PLEDGE AND PERFORMANCES
3f The big projects to which Mayor
Smith was pledged included rapid transit
= for all sections. the erection of many
new piers and wharves along the Della
ware River water front, a new Block
z ley, a sewage-disposal plant. the com
pletion of League Island Park. many inn
n ppa..1a.,n'. ,ha parl,wav the erection
.'.,,,on,,on hau an ART museum
49,. 1.,r,,,,,,rss along tho Park
.. an scononic government. the con-
struction of many new bridges, the paw
ing and improving of many highways
and many other ordinary projects, such
* ~ street clearing and garbage disposal.
x rasing these subjects up in their
4 veiative Importance leaves his economic
-nvernment" pledge standing uppermost
4 ~ ths minds OF taxpayers. How we'll or
& hox an he has carried out this pre-
.Iection nromise is'best understood by
comma rison of municipal finances now
-,th those OF a few years ago under
r.r,,.r Navor Blankenburg. In making
-,,cn a comparison, It Is OF course nec-
-ssary m make a liberal allowance Tor
g :. ,t,me urices and salaries.
I'll r,-,-...u r,,,,,i,v of the Department
rco.o . ~. a,,ccsed.d in getting ur-
v q irans, "as ,han All 0oO OJO worth
Y Ger con,rao, ss an these contracts,
v ~ Noin -, a., b.Id nv ~. Kew
the h"os' =. .,s caunany necessarily
Ftone eVns. a,,sa ~ RECOMMENDATION
VIII pe s'om 20. ,ha covernn,eut ar d
iuies aio s,,, rasrs for steel Most
& tne $40" ninns VI ~, ,o,.',rork n, the
OF tne con.i .'' .rha ctty nan SEQ.
Broad street suoSa. ,a,,ra,sad d,,r-
lions OF TINS worh mas 500 .,o,n.
ins the year. pu' ,I,,.-a sIa-
pietea. oeouon' .. ,n,oa h,,t as yet
Sateo hne a'e eip ,. -, ass a
MISSING hhhs p'sNe", -, ,rI,,t ~
workMs par ., ene - ~ ,,,u,in,naI IN.