The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-10-28
CITY'S DEFICIT FOR FISCAL YEAR
 TO BE $5OO,OOO
(Continued from Page One)


 ing the. tax rate.
 Juggling appropriations began, opening Questionable avenues" as for instance the S1O0,OO0 charged to Grand street bridge, which was mys- teriously taken from nobody except the insiders knows where.
 MT. Manwaring is the candidate for ! treasurer on the Democratic, Fusion and Labor tickets; he is doing all he can to heal the financial sore which is eating the life out of Bridgeport. 1 His statement follows:
 To Whom It May Concern:- In view of certain criticism having ! been offered regarding the appear
 ance of my name as the candidate l for city treasurer upon the Fusion i Labor and Democratic tickets, re- | spectively, though having occupied the
 position for the past six years under 1 the auspices of the self-styled Re 1 publican ticket" and inquiry for req 1 sons for the change, leads me in jus | tlce to myself, to present some of the reasons for that change, so that my 1 friends in particular, and the com
 munity of which I have been a mem- l Der for a little over half a century, 1 may rightly judge the situation. i Two years ago I desired to with | draw from the position for the req
 son that the pace was getting so rap | i'd, the work and responsibility so ex-
 acting, did not feel physically able 1 to continue under the then conditions. l Against my Judgment I was persuad- | ed to continue with the distinct prom | ise of suitable help, and suitable was
 clearly outlined at the time and in
 later appeals. History tells how well ] the promises were fulfilled, how poli- i ties was at once injected into an of fee where the head was already car rying full enough responsi bility un- 1 der the most favorable conditions ob- ] tainab1e.
 But the personal side of the matter was not alone the reason for dis | quietude in the situation. I felt that as 8, part of the administration, there was some measure of responsibility for it's acts for which I was liable 1 am not in accord with much of 1 the policy of the present city govern { ment-and have not hesitated to let 1 that fact be known. That, I presume i is the reason for the appearance of interviews which appeared in the | newspapers a few weeks since; the purport of which was the probability | of renomination for this falls eIec- 1 ton of the ola ticket with the excep- ton of the treasurer.
 l Had the reasons been frankly stat ! ed it would have been entirely satis- factory to me. There were many di- vergencies during my six years ser vice, and some of them may interest those who care to follow me in this 1 statement.
 i believe that the prodigality of the present city government, leads, If i continued, to a diminishing credit for this city, to hardships, for es- 4T1,A 1.r711 i through the unnecessary debt it has fastened upon the city, in carrying 1 out the various schemes, some with l little apparent forethought. | These departures have eliminated some necessities, as for instance school | accommodations, with the resultant ! harm to our children.
 That the situation has at last dawn 1 ed upon it's agents, is shown in their l failure to raise the rate of the tax to | meet current expenses, and that, too,
 in a case vital to Bridgeports credit, i so they resort again to bond issues'' | for a remedy. Somewhere, either by 1 special tax or bonds, there must be | provided between now and April 1, l next, over half a, million of dollars to piece out the years income. | The system of bookkeeping which 1 appears to cover a multitude of sins l in the way of new positions, per l quisites, salaries and other rivulets i from the treasury, chargeable to the various legitimate ends, allows the l statement to be fear1essly made that every dollar is accounted for on the. | books" but no account with the head | ing of machine is heard of.
 The juggling with appropriations opens questionable avenues. On the book of the treasurer there appears charges to Grand street bridge bof approximately one hundred thous- and dollars more than the total credit 1 of both bonds and notes issued for | the purpose; no doubt this is covered | by some appropriation, but from where?
 This case is not alone.
 I do not believe it was good judg- ment to issue so many bonds for all sorts of innovations, at a time when
 the individual was striving to reduce expenditures, and actually held in leash by the government-the pro-
 ceeds were in dollars of depreciated value, expended for material and la bor at it's zenith height, and must be redeemed and paid in the years to
 come, when we may expect the nor nal dollar.
 Again the abnormal valuation of taxable property, apparently for
 questionable end, puts an extra bur
 den upon the taxpayer, hiding the de-
 cepton by a lower rate.
 This is only a starting point upon
 my differences with the administra-
 ton. It is time we should either
 curb or change methods.
 As a community, we enjoy or suffer
 the kind of government we desire for we make it. Let every one think out and settle the matter on his own convictions, forgetting the name that heads the ticket of his choice, for surely in the present government the
 name means little. This is time for
 home protection.
 In conclusion, may I add this nom ination was unsought by me, the manner of it's coming makes the honor all the more dignified, and
 offer my sincere tha.nks to all who were instrumental in this expression
 of confidence. while my personal in terests would probably be best served
 by another course, I shall cheerfully accept and abide by the verdict of November 4, fully believing in the honesty and purpose of our candi- date for mayor. It is my desire to win or lose with him.
 | Sincerely yours,
 M. w. MAINTAINING. E