The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-02-13
MUNICIPAL ECONOMY.
Some Observations Made BY Rev. L. F.
Fortney,

Editor, Barre Daily Times; While
the writer is taxpayer on real estate
in your city as well as in two small
towns, and while being nonresident
Of Barre he does not complain that he
has no legal voice at your city meeting
Yet his interest, both financially and
generally, in the welfare Of your city
and in smaller towns as well, prompts
him to offer lat their face value) few
suggestions in behalf of municipal
economy.
Believing as he does that there has
been no time since our Civil war when
living within our means has been more
urgently enioined upon both individuals
and municipalities than now, he would
have it written as a motto over the
door of city hall and engraven upon
the heart of every voter, that he may
refrain from voting more indebtedness
upon the city.
While the writer did not vote for our
present governor, on the ground that he
did not believe in local option for even
a greater evil than South Carolina tried
to perpetuate by four years war, yet
he recognizes him as business man of
exceptional merit, and cannot too
strongly commend his timely warning
to the smaller towns against the dan
ger of bankruptcy And his warning
applies with equal force to Barre City.
Without criticizing the good motive
of any citizen in voting to place an
other heavy bond upon the city for the
building of new granite bridge, he
believes it was a very unwise thing to
do in the face of Barres already heavy
indebtedness, and the further evidence
that the present bridge could have been
made safe for period Of five or ten
years longer by small outlay in re-
pairs. Besides, it has been demonstrat-
ed time and again that cement bridges
are stronger and cost less than bridges
made of granite, owing to the liability
of the latters pulling apart and the
high cost of expert labor in fitting the
blocks. That vote might be wisely re-
scinded at call meeting for that pur-
pose, if properly discussed
A word with reference to Barre's
great mistake in bonding the city for
many years to come for that 100000
temporary monument as a well-intend-
ed but iniudicious tribute to patriot
ism! Daniel Webster was once called
upon to respond to toast, the subject
given him being Massachusetts,
whereupon he arose in his stately ma
iesty and said: Massachusetts needeth
not, that speak for her! There is old
Plymouth Rock! There is Concord and
Lexington! And there is old Bunker
Hill! Massachusetts, needeth not that
speak for herl She speaketh for hers
self" And so it is with our young
men. who, in obedience to their coun
try's mandates, offered their lives as
costly libaton upon the sacred altar of
liberty! Their sacrifices have been Sc
curey chronicled in the sacred annals
of time and written across eternity's
sky in letters of fadeless glory. No
tribute that we can offer in sculptured
granite and precious stone can add to
that glory.
Again, the writer does not doubt that
there should have been granted some
rise in the wages of the school teach
ness of such large increase as was
voted at the city meeting and to have
that increase date back to September,
whereas they only asked that the in
crease date from Jan. l. Perhaps no.
body has been so hard hit by such I'M
bridled bonding OF the city as are the
owners of tenement houses, whose
rents are as low and In many cases !
lower than when the costs of repairs |
we're less than half present prices.
In needing the governors advice to
cut expenses against the danger of |
the writer believes that at |
lea st four weeks should be dropped out |
of each school year until times are |
better and that too with as good re-
suits to the pupils as their progress is |
very small at the last part of long |
terms. 1t is also the conviction of |
many that the advantages gained by |
the expensive experiences of agricultur- |
al and domestic science instruction in 1
our Junior high schools are not worth |
the costs of maintaining them. For in |
these days of frequent farmers meet |
ings and agricultural journals in nearly |
every farmers home the average farm
ers boy knows nearly as much about |
farming as do the young teachers who |
teach that branch in our rural schools /
For such the school hours are of much /
more value for the study of books.
And such is also true of the study of /
domestic science during school hours
Many of our girls have mothers who /
are finer cooks than are the most of /