Norwich bulletin., 1919-09-27

IL, 1 enced and thoroughly competent clerk
 tof the board of assessors made a sur vey of the earning capacity of the
 building on that business street. He I ascertained that many of the build
 ings are not earning more than six per cent. on the assessed valuations. i especially under long lease. As a matter of fact many properties far I were earning ten per cent. and more above the valuation. Some of$ the i prices paid for business buildings has i; been ridiculously high. because they were wanted by the purchasers, and i can be no guide to valuation of other { properties, but fixes beyond question [ the purchasers values of these prop :. critics ss-- ! against the assessors in the valuation ] of State sreet property Remem Der l the case of the Mohican building. i This property was assessed at S290, ,000 l and the court cut the assessment +st O s132. .00o., That was five years ago. Since then the annex has been built i and the valuation is now $200,000. To meet the new budget at rate of i twenty-two mills would mean an in 1 crease of s9,000, 900 in the grand list
 and that is beyond all reason, and.
 who knows, might result in q strike by {. the taxpayers.
 equalization in valuations and the i assessors are fully competent to do that little thing when forced upon tthem. There must also be material 1 increase in the tax rate to meet the enormous budget. According to the estimate of the building inspector the new buildings and Improvements will not add more than $1,000,000 to the grand list and that would produce only $22000 at the present tax rates. The revenue of the city is lessened the amount received from liquor li- censes which was more than double what will be received in taxation from new buildings. The exemption list has been increased by the addi tion of the Learned property. the site for the Methodist church. the J.. N.
 Harris property that is to be utilized
 for school purposes and the Knights
 of Columbus property and that in
 Blinman street that is to be the site
 for the Jewish synagogue.
 The taxpayers owe 1t to themselves
 to call a halt on what seems to be
 either municipal extravaganza or an
 indifference to the interest of the
 people who must bear the burden
 and it is some burden to the men who
 chance to have heavily mortgaged
 homes, and the chaps who are called
 upon to pay high rent. Every item
 in the budget ought to be carefully.
 scrutinized when it comes up for ac
 tion, and no concerted action of the
 you t exc me anu-I il-ticKie-you plan
 ought to be permitted. Every item
 that is not absolutely necessary
 should be voted down, regardless Of
 the interests concerned. Taxpayers
 will bear in mind that this budget is
 merely to meet the estimated ex-
 penses of the coming year, and no
 guarantee is givcn that there will not
 be more call for the taxpayers money
 before the fiscal year ends, notwith-
 standing the enormous size of the
 miscellaneous funG. Except in the
 matter of interest account the budget
 has nothing to do with the general in-
 debtedne>s Of the city: big bond issues
 and little matters of that sort.
 Few # any taxpayers will make
 grunt against expenditures for edu-
 cationa1 purposes, but the great ma ority are opposed to appropriating
 S40,000 or more to gain the political
 tions of the ire department. New London as has been said on a former occasion is the smallest area in the state, yet it supports eight fire or ganiza tions and all save one are equipped with motor apparatus. Like the eight little boys that were play 1 ing at ball. one was struck out and then there were seven, and the game 1 went on. just the same.
 There are democrats in New Lon don who in the coming election don't l care rap for the election of any !, candidate for office the city and ] town ticket, if they can only defeat P. i Leroy Harwood, president and Carlos | Barry, treasurer of the board of school | wis anDrs, the regular republican notn- I inees for reelection These gentle { men have served the city long and l on the school board and are ! of education in the city. While ig noring the party rights of the other candidates for office on their ticket, the democrats, or rather a conspicuous few, are centering all their efforts 1 to elect the democratic nominees 10 | the school board even at the sacrifice Of others who are entitled to party support These democratic schemers minds of school teachers against Messrs. Harwood and Barry and | some have registered for the sole pur pose of helping out. tne democratic plan.
 Back of it all is politics, pure and simple, and the schemers who have E abandoned the candidates other than | for the school board have revealed their hand through the mirror of pub lie opinion A former president of the T. United States, long since departed, | said something about fooling the peo- pie once in while but not all the time. Democrats of themselves. or aided by the school teaching allies, cannot de- feat Messrs- Harwood and Barry. That trick cannot be turned except Il by. the vote of republicans.
 1t will be an irr,trievabIy lost op- portunity, missing link in the early II history of New London, if the city fails to get possession and preserve for tIA future the large oil painting of the Old Town Mill and surroundings which is ! only real representa- Il ton of the subject but is also gen. uine work of art. Professor Loweth while a resident of New London more than twenty years ago, estab- l1shed quite a reputation as an artist II and was selected to paint several of the portraits of mayors that. now adorn the court of common council chamber of the municipal building.
 Prominent citizens of that time urged him to paint this picture withs the assurance that the city proper would be glad to be the possessor as it would perpetuate in local history II one of the most interesting points of New London. But that representa-