Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-09-03
WRANGLE SEEN
TONIGHT WHEN
BUDGET is UP
Indicated Discussion Will
Not Be Cut and
Dried.
FULL HOUSE EXPECTED

| II 14OOOG GxAI ~ \ LIZ
Unless all signs fail the public hear
ing on the Indianapolis annual budget
before the city council tonight will be
no cut and dried affair, despite the fact
that the summary of the budget pub
lished by City Controller Robert H. Bry-
son and other department heads, is far
from giving the public any real basis on
which to make inquiries.
Robert Fl. Tracy director of the bureau
Of municipal research of the Chamber of
Commerce, has invited all business men S
| organizations to send delegations, and
he himself is expected to have some
thing to say, having been able TO obtain
possession of one OF the three complete
copies of the budget.
Mr.. Tracy said he would like to see the
budget taken up item by item.
Leaders Of the council, realizing that
they are to sit In more of a judicial
| than an inquisitorial capacity, have re-
.quested Mayor Charles w. Jewett to see
that either the heads Of every city de-
! partment or men who may represent
them responsibly are present at the
hearing.
COUNCIL TAKING
NO CHANCES.
The council does not intend to answer
the questions which should be asked
Of the men who prepared the various
estimates on which funds for the main
tenance Of the city next year must be
| appropriated.
Let the department heads answer TO
the citizens directly, the councilmen say.
81 hope we have a very representative
body of citizens at the hearing" said
| Russell Wilson, republican member OF
f, the council, and in most matters sup
| porters Of the Jewett administration.
II have advocated that citizens come to
the meeting in large numbers, prepared
| 20 ask intelligent, searching questions.
II feel there are many things IN the
4 budget about which citizens might very
| properly inquire, for there are some
things that l wish to know before ! pass
on It,"
Members Of the council expressed rean-
! cation Of the fact that the public has been
aided poorly in preparing itself to in
quire into the way In which the Jewett
administration intends to spend the peo-
/ pies money next year through the in
1 adequate publication Of estimates TO
which the officials resorted.
Z MANY ITEMS
| ARE WITHHELD.
/ 1t Is pointed out that the so-called
budget" which was published legally
I contained an approximate total Of not
more than 200 to $50 items, while the
real budget, Of which only three copies
are thought TO be in existence, contains
! several thousand.
/ Department heads defended their pub
] iieation of totals instead Of detailed items
/ by saying that publication OF the COM
! plete estimates would be too much trou-
bic and entail too much expense for ad-
vertising.
1 Persons who like to see public affairs
I conducted across the top instead OF un-
der the table, had little patience with
this explanation. seeing IN the limited
publication only the intent 10 get by''
! under the law, and not 10 give TO the
( people any real information as to the
/ administration plans.
/ Mr.. Wilson is one OF those who would
/ like 10 see the complete facts adYer-
tised.
THE budget itself and not just =
summary OF Il. ought to be published,
Z because no one can get real idea Of
| the estimates from the limited FORM"
I he said
I COUNCIL ALSO
is PATIENCE SHY.
The council also Is known to be more
or less out of patience with the delay
I In getting the budget into its hands
/ during the three years OF the Jewett
/ administration.
Last year the council had time to do
little more than give the estimates one
/ heeting glimpse before It was necessary
to pass it.
This year II has been In the hands Of
the council little more than two weeks
and this, the councilmen said. was far
/ too short a time to give II any real item
/ by item study as slould be done II their
full responsibility % protecting the pub
/ lie interest is to be lived mp to-
1--WE are going to notify the mayor and
all the department heads the first Of next
year that we wish the budget to be in
our hands on OF before July 49, said
Mr. Wilson.
There is no excuse for holding 1t up
until the tax valuation Is received from
the auditor late In August.
! "If we can get It by July Is we viii
have time to give 1t real study"
/ This is also the idea Of the other eoun-
cilmen. Mr.. Wilson said.
The committees appointed by some OF
| the organizations, which Intend to have
representatives at the hearing are as
! follows:
| AMONG THOSE
To BE PRESENT.
I optimists Club-FraRk A. Todd. Scott
Brewer, II. L. Davidson II. II. Ostrom
| and G. X. Raub.
| Hoosier Motor Club--Roy u. Adams.
Edward w. Harris, Orlando d. Haskett,
| Dick Miller and c. W. Wells.
ls Board of Trade--Fred Hoke.
American Club-Members Davis, Bolte,
Brooks, Reinhart Pollock and Durham.
| The Service Club-Sidney S. Miller,
John l. Kautz, Myron N. Hughel, Paul
Wechtman and John F. Ragsdale.
Municipal Research Committee of the
/ Chamber of Commerce-John r. Welch,
| chairman, Franklin Vonnegut, j.. III.
Lederer, Ernest Bross, Hilton y. Brown,
James NJ. Ogden, Alfred Potts, Frank J.
Noll, Charles 2. Rush, Brandt c. Downey,
Donald Graham, T. ]. King, James II.
Lowry, f. J. Horur, e. l.. Cothrell,
Frank C. Jordan, Herbert NJ. Woollen,
william Fortune. Earl Conder, Dwight
| S. Ritter, Merritt Harrison and Henry
| Ostrom.
It is expected that some of the women's
organizations will be represented.
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