The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-19
Especial to The Farmer.)

\
 Newtown. Feb. 19-The chief items in the grand list of the town as it left the hands of the assessors show dwellings and outbuildings with value of $892,985; land. $747,945 stores and mercantile establishments including stock in trade, $1O6,O0O; horses and neat cattle, $109,006; au- tomobiles, $2,925, and employed, in manufactures and plants, $95,25O. The total is $2,116,831.
 ?The board saw no way to increase these figures to approximate to the value of the taxable property of the town held by the state board of equalization, and think this work if done should have been ordered by the town at the last annual town meeting. There is a difference of something more than a quarter of a million of dollars between the total of the gland levy and the estimates of Tax Commissioner Corbin's office. It is pointed out that Newtown's grand levy for the year 1877. forty wears ago. was in round numbers $1, STE, 900, and the increase In values in Newtown is scarcely 12 per cent. for the four decades, while many other towns with the same industrial characteristics increased on the av- craze 65 per cent, while many towns doubled valuation in the interim.
 To this the assessors reply that the population of Newtown has decreased 25 per cent. during that time, while the decrease of values of manufactur- ing plants fell off from a half million dollars to only $1O0,000. This, the assessors claim, is a sufficient expla- nation of the low assessment or the town, but they do not deny that the grand levy should be boosted. How to do it is the problem. The state has not hesitated to point out to- the town authorities that the state mas built or taken over nine miles or tr11nk line roads. estimated to have added a quarter of a million dollars to the value of the town, and that all nronertv here is under-assessed. The selectmen say that the town debt mas been increased some $25,0OO by the snms borrowed b the town to pay for its share of state road work, and that navment of interest on that debt IS hafnc burdensome to the taxpayers. HOW inc differences will be adjusted is a question. .
 The board of relief now in session ,aintains it is not in its province u llincrease the figures of the assessors hut only to equalize assessment. oo far few property holders nave n!eo onneals for reduction, except Aoi minor errors on the .llsts.
 The Girls Friendly society render- l ed 2. pleasing cantata at the gullo room Friday afternoon. All the meni- hers attended and enjoyed the can +a+a thoroughly. It exempllfled the airoso of the G. F. $. and was en- tiled "eBar Ye One Anothers Bur dens.' Miss Dorothy James lmper- sonated "Friendlipess." Others who
 +ooL mart were the Misses Millicent
 Cavanaugh, Margaret White, Alice Ho,,lihan. Mabel Anderson, May
 E,airchild and Marguerite Boadley. The associate members unoer wnose l. .sunervision the play was given deserve much credit.
 The choir of Trinity church enjoyed a theatre party at Danbury saturoay night.
 Mrs. w. Murphy and daughter
 Mary, of Berkshil e, spent the week end in Derby.
 Misses May Eagan of Bridgeport
 snent Sunday in Sandy Hook, the guest of her mother
 Attorney Robert Beecher of Bridge nort was a visitor in NeWtoWn over the weekend
 Miss Marguerite Bradley of New - is inc guest of friends in Dan bury.
 M. F. Blake of Walnut Tree Hill is confined to his home With a severe attack of bronchitis.
 Mrs S. R/ Skidmore was a visitor in New Haven Saturday. Her niece, Miss Edith Northrop, returned with her to spend Sunday.
 The Girls basketball team of N. IT. S. played the Ansonia girls Fri day. The game was an exciting one and a victory for the Ansonlans, the score being 15 to 2.
 Saturday afternoon the N. H. s. basketball team played. the Westport boys at the town hall. The score was 2S to IA :n favor of Westport. Miss Maud Northrop of Bridgeport visited her mother, Mrs. Alice North TOD. of Sugar street Sunday. The regular bi-monthly meeting of the Equal Franchise league will be held at the home of Mrs. Ada Blake man, Newtown street, Thursday, at
 2:30 D. m. It is a meeting of great importance and a large attendance is requested. The league is rapidly growing and it's members and friends