The Pascagoula chronicle., 1919-01-11
A LETTER TO THE MAYOR.

| have read WIN great ueal "
interest your proposed policy as out
lined in last weeks Chronicle, and
feel that voice the sentiment of the
community, when / assure you tha
your frank statement will rally al
good citizens to your support for {
greater and better Pascagoula.
Your able presentation of your aims
as the first mayor of Pascagoula un
der the commission form of govern
ment, gives good deal of food fol
thought, and you have touched upoI
some knotty problems, which | pro
pose to deal with under separate
heads in order to start a discussion
OF ways and means to better them
if possible.
The one problem lying nearest the
heart of a real business manager" Of
a city is how to procure the neces
sary money to operate and make i'm
provements with, without placing un
bearable burdens upon the shoulders
OF the taxpayers, and this brings us
to the question of
Taxation
Under this head you state rightly
that, not alone became it necessary
to violently increase the valuation OF
property, but also to increase the levy
from Is to 20 mills, and that this
caused some unfavorable comment.
In answer to that, ! believe that | am
right in saying that the objections
raised were not so much due to the
increase in valuation and levy, as they
were to unequal appraisal of proper
ties, but | feel sure that no man, or
set of men, could do exact justice to
each individual under our present
system of valuing the improvements
separately from the land.
[ have always believed that i'm
provements should never be taxed,
but that the land should bear the en-
tire burden, and the tax should be
based on the area in square feet con
tanned in each lot, and not on frontage
only, with fixed value per square
foot of the street, upon which the
lot fronted, as means of calculation
In this way you would do each owner
exact justice, and it would eliminate
many misunderstanding with the city
fathers in doing away with the eqaul-
ization of taxes. And besides, who
will contend that after man buys a
lot and improves the former waste
ground, he should be taxed for adj
ding to the material prosperity of the
town and for the benefit of the slack |
err. who hopes to increase the value
of his em~tv lot by the exertion of |
his nAi& uuearned mere !
ment is what ali progressive countries /
are trying TO get at with heavy taxes /
No real argument can be brought .
against this mode of taxation except .
that of the real estate Spectator, and .
more could be cited in favor
thereof had l the space and time.
The burdens would be more equal
Iy distributed and the taxes could be
lowered, as more and better build
ings arose. Spectators could not af-
ford to hold their lots idle on their
hands, as now, waiting for the other
fellow to boom their investments, but
would be compelled to sell or build,
and as there would be no taxes on the
the frame shack would
pass out OF existence and the brick
era arise here as elsewhere.
City Map
To proceed intelligently to assess a
city it is imperative to have true
map on sufficiently large scale to
show the dimensions and location Of
each piece of property with the i'm
thereon and the owners
name. This last might seem super
Huous, but good reasons could be ad-
yanced for having the name there, at
east under the present system of tax
alton. This investment, if done ac-
would repay the city thous-
and fold in more ways than one.
Public Schools
There is only one thing that we can
cave our children, which nothing but
leath can rob them of, and that is as
good an education as our means will
allow. And to get good results you
must have competent teachers, sys-
training, modern, up to date
md cleanly kept school buildings and
7ards. To get that you must have
money. and look at the taxes assess
ID against you for this purpose as the
per cent investment on
which you cannot lose, for after all
'ou are only working to give the best
here is in you for the elevation and
Welfare of these children, who are
o perpetuate the glory and greatness
II the country that you love best in
his world
The school age is the impression
BILE age of a child, and if we allow
lovenly kept school houses and yards
re invite our children to become slo-
emily also. So teach them not to be-
liter the school yard with lunch pa
ers or other unsightly refuse. but
AIRY their papers TO the proper recep-
iCie. and instill civic pride from the
hart grade up and respect for their
sachers and elders. Teach them
ever to be outdone in courtesy and
lnsiaeratiou for one another and it
N pay big returns all through life