Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1920-03-26
CITY Commissioners i'm Weekly
Meeting Transact Business

Joseph SERVANT to the commissioners
chamber, during the meeting on
March 18Th, to enter complaint about
the n-removal of garbage from her
premises on Pine venue 1t has since
been learned that Mrs. Servants call
on the commissioners was prom pied
by their refusal to pay a bill Of $50 for
private removal Of garbage, which she
had mailed to them several weeks be-
fore. The bill represented services her
husband is said to have rendered in
carting away waste matter during the
past year. The payment OF the bill
was refused, che says and returned to
her on the ground that the city had
not entered into any contract with her
or Mr.. Servant regarding the work
said to have been performed.
1t was not much after the regular
hour of two O'Clock yesterday after
noon when the Mayor called this
weeks meeting of the commissioners
10 order. The attendance was'decidedly
better than was that of last week and
some spirited c%olloquies occurred be-
tween the Mayor and Commissioners
RYAN and the JOURNAL reporter. The
conflict of opinions became so strong
at one point in the argument, that
Frank Wrisley, an interested spectator,
was inspired to interpose by saying:
''Stop your fighting" His gentle eau
ton had some effect in quoting down
the combstants. The Mayor and
Finance Commissioner both seemed to
be in a particularly angry mood yes
terday, and the presence Of the JOUR-
NAILS representative apparently acted
on their excited condition, much as
does a red flag when waved in front OF
a certain kind of animal. AT any rate
they both pitched into the JOURNAL
and the JOURNAL reporter ''good and
hard"
Has the bottom dropped out of the
city treasury? For the second time,
two weeks in succession, no financial
report was furnished. The commits
sioner of this department again apollo
gized for not doing so by stating that
there had been such few transactions in
both the water and the tax divisions,
that he deemed it not worth while to
make a report until next week, April
LIST, when a statement will be given of
all water and tax receipts for the three
weeks preceding. 1t shall be awaited
with curiosity.
The Finance Commissioner fairly
gloated as he read III the tax rates
fixed for different municipalities in
South Jersey for 1920, and said that
while the Wildwood commissioners
"did not feel exactly like patting
themselves on the back, as it were"
yet he thought they deserved some
credit for holding the rate down to
$4.183. He exultingly cOntrasted
Wild woods tax rate with that of our
rear neighbor, Ocean City, at 1850,
practically $3.50, he said, and then
went on to tell that these figures do
not include an extra charge for the use
of sewers and for the removal of gar
bage and other waste matter. He also
referred to Stone Harbor's rate of
81. 1895.
How careful Mr.. Ryan was, how
ever, not to call attention to sweet
Avalon's 3d. Is rate, or fair Cape Mays
layout of only $8.576. Breezy little
Wildwood Crest's $8.2O1 was also
sighted by this shrewd %financler. in
his efforts to let the taxpayers of Wild
wood down easy by practically telling
them that they are getting off easy at
$4.188. Had the 500, 900 boardwalk
scheme not been blocked, as planned
by Ryan and the Mayor, together with
the vast bill of ex penses in addition that
would have been entailed, who
knows how much higher u taxable
rate may have scared? We fail to see
that Ryan has anything 10 brag about
because the burden of taxation did
not exceed 81. 1873 per hundred! Last
year the Wildwood rate was 1892.
Consumers having water turned on
the past week q, off for leaks two,
bursted meter bottoms repaired three,
inspections made for readings and
leaks five, and n new connection
made to water main at 439 west 10Th
street, North Wildwood, for August
Sottock. On 21st and 22d streets in
North Wildwood II lengths of cast
iron water pipe were laid the past week
and II joints calked.
The reading Of communications was
next in order. The city clerk an
nounced that she had two: One from
Henry H. Ottens and the other from
Harry f. Weir, who was formerly our
city engineer. Mr.. Ottens' letter was
GOD Grzt Il oo.xoI