Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-01-09
Member of The Associated press
-4Ea
INCREAsING COUNTY DEBT.

political boss seems to nave turned
his head. Having lead the county
fathers on a holiday junket to Wash
ington with the taxpayers footing the
bill, he is now trying to foster on the
county an increased bonded debt so
that he can engineer the spending
more of the peoples money.
At a meeting Of the Freeholders'
Association, held IN Trenton Monday,
The Middlesex county solicitor pre-
scented the draft OF a bill which he
opo to have the legislature pass
whereby the county debt limit can be
Jumped to 8 per cent. of the tax valu-
alton. The present limit is 8 per cent,
n the county has now reached that
point.
It seems that Burlington Is the only
county besides Middlesex that is
anxious for this legislation and in this
county the desire seems to be mainly
on the part of the county solicitor.
AS far as Burlington is concerned,
that county is notorious for its scam
dalous methods and it has been on the
verge Of bankruptcy for some time.
1t is a sorry day when Middlesex must
be classod with Burlington In the
matter of financial juggling.
We do not believe the taxpayers of
Middlesex county want the debt limit
Increased, especially at this time.
County expenses are already high
enough. Credit is entirely too greatly
inflated. The need at the present time
is to go slow on the borrowing and
give the country a chance to catch up,
The erection OF a tuberculosis hos
pital has long been used as an argu-
ment to get more and more money
from the taxpayers. The need Of
such an Institution is pretty generally
recognized and 1t was, strongly urged
on the county before the present debt
limit was reached. knowing that it
was q good argument, however, the
building of the sanitarium was put off
until no more money could be spent
and then those who favor the erection
of the institution are supposed to help
pass the bill permitting the increasing
of the debt limit so as to open the
doors for spending still more money
for all purposes.
The Pierson act fixing debt limits
for counties and municipalities was
passed after a great deal of study, for
the sole purpose of safeguarding tho
taxpayers from all kinds of eXtrava-
gances. But what Is the use of fixing
a debt limit if, as soon as the limit
so fixed is reached, new legislation is
enacted to raise the limit? 1t is to
be supposed that should the proposed
legislation be passed, when the 8 per
cent, limit is reached another appeal
will be made to the legislature to ex-
tend the limit still further.
Having just been relieved Of the
awful burden of maintaining the
Amboy bridge, 1t was to be supposed
the strain on the taxpayers
would be considerably lessened.
With the bridge taken over
by the state the county
from fifty to eighty thousand dollars
a year. In addition to this, the county
budget was increased $13S,000 this
year. making something like 100000
more money that the freeholders have
at their disposal this year than last.
1t was hoped that would be sufficient
to see the county board through, Now
20 find them ~agitating for an increase
in the bonded debt limit so as to
spend still more money and plunge
the county in debt deeper than ever is
rather disheartening.
But the whole thing looks like the
work Of the county solicitor, who II
the freeholders do not watch out, vii
get them into some embarrassing sit
uation. We don't like this scheme to
raise the county debt limit as the
county solicitor proposes and we do
not DeleFe II VIII pe PoPui@i W."
the taxpayers. Let the Board OF
Freeholders be on their guard as te
the kin of advice they are receiving
A Japanese scientist is working on
a serum to abolish yellow fever,
Somebody may yet invent something
to abolish yellow streaks.
The British war Office says Ger
many has q million armed men. She
will need them unless Noske finds q
way to provide Jobs this winter.
Now that the President has signed
the bill. government could contro,
sugar If the profteers didn't have a
a~trangle hold on IL.