The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-10-24

improvements 1t may make, but whether such improvements are made with the least possible cost to the city and whether, after the making of them, the city is in a healthful finan- ciaI condition.
 Tt must be admitted that the finan- cia1 policy which has been in vogue in this city is a ruinous and costly one.
 We find that Mayor Clifford B. Wilson's several administrations have been costly not only to the city, con- sidered as a corporation, but extreme ly burdensome to the individual tax and rent payer.
 There are two ways of increasing taxes, one is by increasing the tax rate, and the other is by increasing the assessed valuation of properties taxed. The fact of the matter is Mayor Wilson has resorted to both of these means.
 When he took office the Grand List of the City of Bridgeport was S97, ,6S3,47
 In 1912 it was $1O7, 7,O64,Os4
 In 191s-$112,1
 In 191FS115, ,714,279.
 In 1915-$139,1 JOS, ,396.
 In 1916-S16S, ,354,76O.
 In 1917-$19S,467, ,635.
 In 191s-S225, ,2O3,1O1.
 "On the other hand the tax rate before Mayor Wilson took office was 15.4 mills, but in 1912 he had increas- ed it to 16.5 mills.
 In 1913 it was raised to 19.2 mills.
 In 1914-1S mills.
 In 1915-19.9 mills.
 In 1916-20.7 mills.
 In 1917-20.9 mills.
 In 191S-20.9 Mills
 During the past eight years of MT. Wilson administration the grand list has been increased something ex- ceed1ng 133 per cent and the tax rate has increased 6.5 mills or in other words an increase in the tax rate alone of 42.2 per cent. and figured in this way 1t will be found that we are in fact paying about 37 mills as a tax rate.
 Sratford Avenue Bridge.
 ''The fact that our debt has in- creased and with 1t our taxes is ex- plained by the fact that the whole sale bonding in which the city has engaged, has resulted in enormous outlays of interest and instaIlments each year, and has also increased by heavy percentages the actual cost
  time the bonds are paid for on the Stratford avenue bridge, it will have cost, adding the interest which will 1 have to be paid for the use of the money, S360,160 more than its or fginal actual cost of erection; S348,- | 900 in bonds have been issued to pay | for this bridge, but the interest which 1 will have to be paid on these bonds will be about $360,160 and when we get through paying the interest it will i have cost us instead of S348,O00, just 1 $744,160. No Competive Bids. "1n his first annual message to the l Common Council on Dec. 4, 1911, 1 Mayor Wilson said: 1 "I am opposed to the practice | hitherto indulged in by members of i the various boards and departments ! of our city of purchasing supplies for 1 the city from themselves while serv- | ing as members of the various boards l and departments to which they have l been named, and I shall check this ! practice in every possible way. The | board of contract and supply, as soon ! as created will obviate this evil en- i tirely.'
 '+The fact of the matter is a traffic in hundreds of thousands of dollars mas been earned on DeLWeen the i Board of Contract and Supply and a 1 certain garage in this city, of which one member of the Board of Contract 1 and Supply was also member of said garage. This traffic has been utterly without any competition by reason of which thousands of dollars 1 have been nis-spent.
 '+This in face, also. of the mayors statement in his frs message as fol- l lows:
 1 ''I believe that all work, except l such as is extremely urgent, should | be advertised for as required by or | dinance, and awarded to the lowest | responsible bidder, and that a waiver of the mayor should not be requested 1 Piles Cured in to 14 Days l Druggists refund money if PAZO 1 OINTM ENT fails to cure Itching, l T3Jjnd R1ae6in0 ar PrOtrudinP Piles