Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-04-23
go
WHY?

WHY
Considering the great difference of opinion in the Board OF Alder
men over the purchase of various kinds of auto apparatus and especi
ally considering the tax rate of the city for the present year with no
signs Of it being any lower next year, it would seem to be the wlSes'
thing to abandon the idea of buying any auto apparatus whatever
It is time to give the taxpayers some consideration
7. :. oil wdu enough TO start construction and do a reasonable
amount of paving and make other improvements of a similar eharac-
ter in order to keep labor employed Ovefthis period of reimbursement
but we can see no legitimate reason for spending n people > "O"''
for auto apparatus at this time.
Realizing the excellent work done by the auto street sweeper
already in service, with the aid of the street cleaning gang tnere Is
reason to believe that the city can get along with the present me'hoa
Of s~prinkling until the burden of taxation becomes a little lighter.
AS for the motor for the Protection Hook and Ladder truck, that
company has three fine horses about which no complaint Is 10 D e u
The fremen themselves are not asking for a change and W e ar ure
the people are not clamoring for the expenditure of any more money
than is really necessary.
In these days Of soaring taxes the people are watching closer
than ever before the way the public funds are handled. 1t is III omV
Of the aldermen to keep down expenses in every way possible.
Where there is so much discussion among the aldermen themselves
over a matter it leads to the suspicion that all is not what it should be-
In that case it would seem to be to the interest OF the taxpayers to drop
the whole matter and wait until taxes are not as high as they are at
present
The trouble with the city purchasing something is that it usually
wants something that is different from the regular standard product
This gives an opportunity for "extras'' and special bidding which
opens the way for ver-charging should anyone be disposed to do such
a thing.
If the city wants a sprinkler, why not go into the market and buy
a regular standard street sprinkler at the regular market price?
Ii the city wants a dump wagon, why not buy a dump wagong
But, no, as soon a S the city announces its intention of buying al
sprinkler, along comes some one to suggest that, instead of buying a
sprinkler outright as any private contractor would do, a combination
afair be fixed up so that the machine can be used as a sprinkler part
-uf the time and Something else the rest of the time.
Of course, there is no such combination vehicle ON the market, but
the city by specifying the different things can get such an apparatus
This necessitates bidding so much for the engine; so much for the
tank; SO much for the body; so much for the cab, and so on. There is
no market price for such a combination and when tt all put together
the city may have something worth while or it may not.
Why must the city always do something different opening the way
for a LOT of specials and 'extrasf'
Why cannot the city buy a regular standard auto sprinkler,
if t has to have such an apparatus9 Then if the city needs an auto
dump cart too, and must have it, why not go into the market and buy
o regular standard auto dump cart at the regular market price, the
same a a private contractor would doG |
Why mix it upH
Why insist upon having something different merely because some
body suggests that some combination might be fixed up to serve a
double purposeG
There is such a great difference of opinion over the merits of
the different bids submitted to the aldermen and the aldermen are
SO split up themselves over the matter that it might be the best after
all, to give the taxpayers the benefit and throw it all out.
We hardly see how any of these auto apparatus r essential at
tis time-and the city tax rate is 1886 on 500 this year.