The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1920-01-06
MAYOR MAKES
ANNUAL REPORT
TO COUNCIL.
Shows By Figures That City
Has Grown Pefcepfi'iiy
During Year
ACHIEVEMENTS DURING
YEAR PAST REMARKABLE
City's Finances Have Been Care
fully Safeguarded. Eut Finan
ces Are Such That High Cost
OF Commodities In improve
menia Mean An Expenditure
OF More Than IS Per Cent

't'St'LS sTodfl An Expenditure
OF More Than IS Per Cent.
In his very able and carefully con
"ider"t' address 10 Inc City Corncil
yesterday, which made Is impress Oh
upon out going" as well as "incom-
ing members of IN city rathpfs.
Mayor }. Hunter Hopkins embodied
the following salien facts
Brunsw Elk. dnrie,r the year. 1918
and 1919 has passed. throunI = period
Of great prosperity. AID while this
prosperity has benefited our citizens
generally ii has to It large extent had
the opposite effect ON the city'a IL
, nanres, Tie average ci; zen viii take,
issue as to this. Tor II has been 50
absorbed win his personal success
that it is Impossible for him to co;a-
prrhcnd how the city.s finances G. q
rot materially improve.
This can be shown by the fact that
Fin 1917 AID 1918 numbers OF tax rx.
tmptuaS We're granted in order to i'll
duce large enterprises 10 lccat,, here,
which resulted in Il mater al reduction
in the city'S tax income together with
this in 1917. 1918. 1919 price. adj
vanced on all commodities used by
city >Rniil now we are pay
ing 100 per cent more than We did
in 1916 In 1918 otr floating t.ebt was
increased to such IN extant that. while
the council realized the appropriately
! OF such move. knowing there was
to be no relief from h gh prices. and
expecting farther demands for incrcas
ed wages. which were juStifiab!e, and
realizing that property values had
increased materially. not only felt jus
tirablc. but that t would be an in
justice to the city 10 increase tax
valuation in order to secure addition
al resources with which to meet add,
tional demands on HE treasurer.
Tho city secured a5 It's proportion
about $4,000 additional in 1919 from
the Increased assessments. the bal
ancc going 10 the schools and the
hiking fund. In t-1e fac, Of the fact
that rents in, general were raised
from % 10 500 per cent and property
sold al profits OF 100 percent or moe
our citizens are losing sight Of the
fact of the increased cost oi operating
the city and making serious cCmpa ATS
p
on paying more taxes. ATtey will pay
100 per cent more Tor necessities Of
/ Lille ana, say nothing. bat don't expect
TO pay any advance for fire, police.
health or any thing connected W IA
! the city's affairs. | am afraid our
good citizens have not given much
real thought to the situation but have
/ been too prone to listen To the chronic
knocker
Due TO the numerous demands such
as purchase Of Il fire truck al a cost
! of $40 900, o Distribution, Read roller,
payment o-s municipal docks. Pur..
chase Of new trucks FOR sanitary de-
partment. purchase Of large quantity
! of coal. additional appropriation to
/ health department demanded OF us
( by the government and other things
this $4,000 was soon used up and
with a large amount of money spent
! for increased salaries and street i'm
provements and increased cost .of ma
terlal we have again increased the
floating debt. So it appears that the