The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-07-14
Useless Offices All Filled.

No excuse Is offered in the OFFICIAL
statement for the failure to publish
the annual financial statement unti,
elapsed, although the law requires thai
such statements be published early In
the year. Nor Is any adequate ex-
PLANTATION made OF the carrying in the
budget ordinance OF $3.50, 900 OF "reVe-
nue. notes" which represent merely
money borrowed In anticipation OF
that particular item swells the pro-
posed budget expenditures by Just that
Nor do Messrs. M~onteverde, Mason
and Quinn give or attempt to give any
reason for keeping Ernest Miller In
office as claim agent at the same
salary as n city commissioner, while
the city attorney has three assistants,
The committee expressed belief that
the city attorney and two assistants
easily could do the work now done by
him, three assistants and the high
priced claim agent.
Nor do Messrs. Monteverde, Mason
and Quinn give or attempt to give any
reason for having both a police court
and juvenile court judge when the com
mittee expressed the belief hat one
Judge easily could perform both duties
without doing nearly a full days work.
The Juvenile court was organized on
that basis.
Dean Replies.
Members of the tax rate committee
met Monday morning to consider the
mayors statement. No reply will be
made by the committee as the mem
bers feel that the tax rate matter has
been fully covered In their two re-
| ports.
John NJ. Dean, chairman Of the gen.
eral committee and Of the subcommittee
which made the investigation, however
In commenting upon the attitude of the
mayor and the two other commission
ers said:
The commissioners state that at th'
meeting, to which We were invited by
them, we sat dumb and uncommunica
tive Surely they do not mean to b,
taken seriously In this statement. II
Is quite true, hcwever, that being a
the city hall at Il ir invitation, we as
sumed largely the attitude OF listener!
and made no special attempt to debat,
the questions at issue.
AT this meeting the advertised bud
gets of the various departments weri
produced and used to sustain their %
tention for an exorbitant raise in taxes
This. we submit, means nothing, TO
like arbitrary figures could have bee
submitted to ~substantiate the allege'
necessity for any raise In the tax rat
that the city officials might want.
Not Correctly Quoted.
THE commissioners say in thei
statement you state II the budget wa
published early in the ear II woul
be unnecessary to include any such al
legged items az revenue notes Nov
waht we said was that an early publ
cation of the budget would 'obviate an
alleged necessity for putting into tn
budget any such items as revenue note
which are to be issued during the frs
SIX months OF the year In anttcipatio
of tax collections In July and August
The subsequent comment of tn
commissioners constitutes the onl
rare bit Of logic In that connection. ]
IL evident that the making up Of tn
budget in the early part of Ianuar
would in no manner take way tn
commissioners right to raise money
needed for current operations thruug
the Issuance OF revenue or other notei
said notes to be taken up from futui
tax collections.
I'VE did not intend to, nor did "
make, an exhaustive report as to a
possible savings to be effected, on
pointing out a few items which WEI
apparent on the surface Of things, W
, respectfully submit that II a consiC
cradle sum could be saved by the exc
else OF obvious economies, vastly larg,
! sums could be saved by the applicable
I OF the same principle to expenditur,
I not OF the surface,
4; Report Not Political.
We well realize the position In viii,
the commissioners werd placed by o.
= report They had solemnly declar,
there was no possible way to redu
= their proposed tax rate, and eVeryho,
e knows that It takes big men to rever
I themselves In a matter of this kin
The commissioners In the beginnil
e OF their report expressed the belief tn
n the committee has been innocently IL
posed upon, or that we were playi
into the hands OF some influence tn
was trying to embarrnss the city 60
Q ernment, As to that We reiterate VIII
VI was said In our first report, viz: tn
the committee entered upon this |
n v~cstigation In order to he of constru
vs. tive helpfulness and with the desire
Al avoid II possible faint Of political biz
We believe the interests we are re
r~esenting, namely, the people of Me,
N phis, Will accredit our efforts aceor
rs ingly,
81 Tax Rate High Enough.
TO our minds II lis useless to &C
tinue the use OF figures; however,
stu contend that the real and exi
needs OF Memphis can be establish
by a survey such a. we recomme
and which the commissioners seem
oppose. Such q survey will, In {
Judgment, Internationally show In
tail that through The practice of 81
scientific management as will result
increasing revenues from sources OF
than those which will affect the
rate, while at the same time adher1