New Britain herald., 1918-03-02

date the poor people who could buy one or three bags as they wanted. ConlnS down to the present coal crlsIs, MT. Jester says: 'When tho government coal prices were fixed I accepted them immediately, while some of the other coal dealers held pack two or three days and even a month. I have sold coal to all, re- gardless of whether they were my 1 customers or not, and as I went into the open market and bought even at nigh prices l was able to supply coal almost all of the time"
 NIT. Jester resides at 527 Stanley street, IS married and has three chill dreh' two sons and a daughter.
 Barnes in Race to Win.
 In bringing thecandidacy before the public. Luther M. Barnes cmphatical- ly states that he is not in any sense or the word a politician, in fact he says he knows nothing about the political game" He has lived in New Britain for 35 years. is a native of Burlington, but came here from Hartford. In the business world he was connected with the Fl. N Clark Co of Boston for 25 years sls their representative, formerly conducted a
 
 ganized and incorporated the White Oak Crushed Stone company and has been one of the biggest builders of property on Main street that the city has had. MT. Barnes states that he has probably built more buildings at one end of Main street than any other man. Among the other build lngs he has put up are the garage in the rear of Barnes Block and this big block itself. At the present time he pays taxes on between $70,OO0 and $S0,000 worth of property, he states, and as a taxpayer is vitally in terested in the welfare of the city as are all other taxpayers and voters.
 While he has considered entering the race for mayor before today. MT. Barnes states that the past three or four days have been devoted to in tervicwing the prominent business men of the city and he finds that he will have ample backing and has been encouraged to enter the race Go ahead Barnes I'd like to sec you in,'' is the way he says his candidacy has been treated by those with whom he has discussed the matter.
 Attacks City Highways.
 MT. Barnes says that early next HCoh nS Will DeSIn nlS CaInIGaiBD III earnest will appoint his committees and name his manager and then work hard for the rest of the month. One thing in particular in reference to the city administration that MT. Barnes mentions is the method of re- pairing the macadamizcd roads here. He says he has always reconlm fed, and still does, repairing the maca dam roads by the same method used by the state highway department and he contends, that by adopting such a meth cd as he will advocate, the city can save at least 25 per cent on it's repairing.
 MT. Barnes also states that he is opposed to diScharging city officials who are in office Instead, he in ! tends to recommend a system of edu- cation For instance, he says, if a 1 certain city official is not as efficient as he should be he does not favor discharging him from office as the present incumbent has done. In stead, he advocates a plan to educate the old and experienced incumbent to a higher state of efficiency.
 The present indebtedness of the city is also mentioned by Mir Barnes. The city must not be burdened by any ex- tTG expense uuTl1g tue ncAL two StsLlS, he states, and because of the large indebtedness of the city today Inc says the office of mayor will be a most trying position for any new man. ''It is a bad office to put any man where he faces a large indebtedness of $140,O0O which has been piled up during the past four years," he says. l The board of assessors and the meth l nd of citI 1 a into consideration by this candidate, He ayers that every piece of prop 1 crty fuctuates in value from year i to year according to the march of progress in that locality and rather 1 than assessing the property on a 1 basis of general increase he favors l a general rcassessm The prop l erty must be reassessed if the city is l to be properly taxed, he adds.
 Speaking of one or two things of i'm portanco with which he has been connected, MT. Barnes declares that 1 the present plan of an itemized tax ! bill was first recommended by him. self at the time Howard M. Steele l was tax collector MT. Steele object l ed to this plan and declared it would l be too much work for one department 1 and would necessitate the hiring of l four or five new clerks, but the pres 1 ent collector has seen fit to adopt ! thi sschene and does it with out any l new clerks. MT. Barnes explained.
 No Strings on Barnes.
 That there are no strings on him l and he has no pledges to be re- 1 deemed in case success crowns his ef- 1 forts is another statement of MT. l Barnes, who says: CT know abso- ] lute1y nothing about politics. If I ] go in I go in without my hands being 1 tied and without any obligations to 1