The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-12-19
Treasurer Lauer Has a Real
Thrill on the First Day of
Collecting Tax for
New Year.
WOULD STOP INTEREST NOW
While City Appears to Have a Dehcii
in Its Finances One Big Taxpayer
Gould Pay the Entire Deficit by
an Early Settlement with city.

Kenosha wants to pay its taxes and
get it over with. Scores of property
owners stood in line at the Office of
the city treasurer Tuesday afternoon
with money and checks in hand ready
to get tax receipt and clear mum.
Icipal conscience, but the treasurer,
taken entirely by surprise by this grand
rush to pay, was unable to handle the
crowds and while he took in as much
money as he physically could, a lot OF
the people went away disappointed and
they came Jack today and had better
luck. The treasurer had rung up
thirteen hundred dollars In taxes on
the city register when he closed the
busy days work and it is declared that
If it had been possible to take care
Iof all the payments offered the first
days payments would have exceeded
twenty-five thousand dollars.
eve did the best we could ON the
first day." said 9reasp sr Lauer this
g; e-.iug, t.baS not a. ieipf
that SO many 2s2osha peopa. woul1
want to be members of the first tax
payers club. Our organization is
getting into full swing and we are
going to be able to take care of the
rushes in the future.''
The officials of the city are anxious
to have the taxes paid at the earliest
possible minute. A hundred and
twenty-five thousand dollars is needed
to put the city on the right side of the
ledger and to get this amount the taxes
must come in mighty fast between now
and the first of January. The officials
would like to have the various funds
in the city start the year with a clean
sheet. This will mean paying off debts
of some sixty Of seventy thousand dol
lars contracted by the city and debts
more than half this amount which the
Board of Education has contracted.
The Board of Education is finding a
way to pay it's teachers salary, but a
few of the bills against the board are
being held up until the tax money
comes in with a view Of stopping the
payment Of interest. People in the
city are not worrying about the pay
ment of these bills and most of them
are perfectly willing f. wait until the
taxes collected make possible the pay
ments of their claims against the city.
While the city and the Board Of
Education has borrowed in the neigh
bcrhood of one hundred and twenty
FIVE thousand dollars this does not
mean that the city finances are this
far on the cred ledger" as stored
away in the vaults of the city are
Liberty bonds to the value Of one
hundred thousand dollars, so that the
total Of the deficit at this time is not
any larger than it has been in good
many other years.
The total deficit could be wiped out
in half an hour by one Of the larger
tax payers settling with the city for
the 1913 taxes.
| While the big manufacturing con-
Germs are having lot of calls made
upon them for money to pay taxes Of
various kinds, it is understood that
these manufacturers viii find it pos
sible to make early payments Of their
city taxes with view Of reducing in
terest charges to be met by the city.
The treasurer's Office was as busy a
place as could be found in the city to-
day and all during the day there was
crowd waiting at the window to set
tie for taxes. AS final settlements are
not to be made with the county
treasurer until late IN January or
early in February, there viii be money
enough to meet the emergency demands
of the city and the Board of Education.
An advance to the Boora 81 Educa-
ton win be one of the first payments
made by Treasurer Lauer.