Republican farmer., 1919-04-18
BEDDING

last Saturday and to the many who
 ing fixed the tax rate at 15 mills
 comes as an unwelcome surprise. be- cause this rate is the towns high
 water mark and there are this year
 no projects in hand calling for un-
 usual outlay. However, the method
 by which the meeting disposed of the
 problem before it was a simple and
 familiar one. The total of the appro- priations voted by the annual town
 meeting in October was about S26,OOO.
 A 15 mill rate on the present grand
 list would yield about S27, 900 an.dl as it
 was thought better to have a surplus
 rather than a deficiency the 15 mill rate was decided upon. It evidently occurred to none of those present
 that the road repair contracts entered
 into call for only S5,500 instead of the S7,500 appropriated and therefore
 that a 14 mill rate would have ef- fected the object sought Last year
 the ordinary expenditures were ade-
 quatly met by a 12 year rate, the ad-
 ditional special tax of 3 mills being
 for the xtinguishment of a floating
 debt. Some years ago when the grand
 list was about S1,000,0O0 and prop
 erty was listed on a basis e tyo-
 thirds it's value a } mill rate became necessary for a year or two The
 grand list is now nearly $2.OOO,OOO
 and property Is nominauy assessed at full value and yet a Is mill tax is
 again imposed. Those inclined to
 complain. however, may take such
 consolation as they can from the fact
 that the rate is no higher than that of the towns in Fairfield county. In
 fact some of these towns have a higher rate.
 Quite fittingly Putnam Park, which
 possesses high patriotic associations
 on account of its precincts having
 been for one winter during the Revo-
 Iutionary War the quarters of Gen. Israel Putnam and his brigade of Continentals, is to be the scene of the
 welcome given by Bedding to it's re-
 turned soldiers. The arrangements
 for the event are in the hands of a
 committee consisting of Lieut. Charles H. Ward, chairman; D. S. Sanford, J.
 B. Sanford. Sergeant P. B. Nash.
 Michael Connefy and F. A. Pinkney.
 A ladies committee. whose special
 function will be the matter of re-
 treatments, is composed of Mrs. D. $.
 Sanford. Mrs. A. c. Barnett, Mrs.
 Randolph Bradley, Miss Marion Day
 and Mrs. E. P. Sanford In general
 the occasion will take the form of an
 all day picnic and the date chosen is
 June II, Flag Day. The program. as
 far as settled upon, comprises athletic com petitions in the forenoon and in
 the afternoon a drill by the Bethel
 Home Guard and the presentation of
 medals to the military service men
 !,
 medals, of appropriate design and in scrfption, will be provided by the
 town. Singing and one or more ad-
 dresses are also features of the pro-
 gram.
 Cyrus Brewster is chairman of the committee which will handle the local campaign for the new Liberty Loan
 to start next Monday. He has named as his associates J. B. Sanford, E. P. Sanford, F. A. Judd. Charles French, Marcus H. Burr, H. C. McCollan,
 John Muennich, W. H. Hill, H. g. Barnes, Charles o. Perry and James Reynolds. In all the former Loan
 drives this town heavily over-sub- scribed it's quota, even quadrupling the amount of the allotment in the case of the last loan, and it would be very regrettable if this fine record | SpOnse to the present appeal.
 , In the medical examination attend l ing the mastering out of Private John l keefe it was discovered that one of i his lungs had become affected in con- 1 sequence of his being gassed in Elan | derS soon atfer his command went to i the front. By advice he put in a claim to the War Department for a compensation allowance by reason of health injury suffered in the service.
 A subsequent request from Washing ton for documents pertaining to his | record indicates that the claim is be- ing favorably considered. If granted
 the amount allowed will be about $8 per week. MT. Keefe served in the 106th infantry, a unit of the glorious Eth diviison, and was poisoned by eating food ttat had become contam- i mated by enemy gas fumes. He spent a long period in hospital, not being able to return to active service
 until shortly before the Armistice. i After being muster ed out he was at
 his home in Bedding Ridge for about | a week antl is now in New York
 1 The plan to invoke the aid of the ] County Commissioners in an effort to have the Jump Hill road made fit for | travel is at present in abeyance be- 1 cause of hoped for relief through ] other measures. These hopes are 1 based on a report that the water com | pany is trying to bring the Easton of i ffcials to a sense of their duty in the l matter. such duty being made plain to i them by formal notice from High 1 way Commissioner Bennett that the responsibility for the roads proper care rests with the town and not the state. By reason of the latter view Easton has done no repair work on 1 the road since the season of 1917. The towns first selectmen is also the road contractor so that the do noth ing policy is in accord with his per sonal interests. While an appeal to the County Commissioners is a some what costly and elaborate process it vii! doubtless be rasorted to in a pc tition signed by Bedding and Easton citizens in case the roads shameful condition is not soon remedied
 Services will be held a t the Center Congregational church next Sunday for the first time since the retirement Of Rev. MT. Woolworth from the pas torate last fall They will be con- ducted by a candidate for the vacant