The Connecticut labor news., 1921-09-23

PEELED the finance board to report on the
tax rate by last Monday night. the city's
! taxpayers will probably have to pay an
extra mill tax this year. The finance
board was already at work when news of
| the new law was received. 1t had then
| succeeded in cutting the appropriations
to limit that would keep the tax rate at
Is mills where it is now and was pre-
pairing to give them another shaving that
| was hoped to bring the rate down one
| mill if not more. Then the republicans,
through their town chairman, Charles w
| Birely, sprung the new law and it was
found tackled onto an education BILL no
copy of which had been received by the
city. The result was that the board of
finance had to close it's work and re-
port in the appropriations and the tax
rate as at present. Had it been allowed
| to go on another week the tax rate would
have been reduced and New Haven, now
the lowest taxed city in the state, has
been saved considerable money. Yet
Ford still stands on his record in the
legislature.
In his speech of acceptance Ford de-
clared for economy in administration of
the affairs of the city and is said to have
stated privately that he could run the
public works cheaper than at present by
employing cheaper help on the streets.
The maximum pay now is $3.25 day,
having been raised by Director Lane
through the aldermen from $3.50. If
Ford is going to do it cheaper he is evil
IDENTIFY getting in line with the park de-
partment which recently declared $40
day for nine hours and is still sticking
to it despite the protests of Mayor Fitz-
Gerald and other city officials that that
is now not enough to support man and
| family as the bond issues authorized were
intended to provide for.
While Ford may have ideas of econ
| omy in these lines, he hasn't when it
comes down to himself for short while
before he retired" as city engineer he
| went to Philadelphia unauthorized, to
attend an engineers convention and on
his return put in bill for $3.50 for three
| days trip. The bill he charged up against
the permanent paving commission but the
commission, including Director Lane, de-
clined to approve it first because it was
an unauthorized trip and secondly because
the members couldn't see where Ford
| could have spent more than $84 a day
while on it.
j Another instance of his economy is
given in the new Tomlinson bridge plans
| When he took hold he found plans
drawn in the city engineers office under
the late Cassius w. Kelly, which rail-
road and bridge engineers declared were
not only works of art but even brilliant.
Ford. however, didn't think so but went
outside, hired a corps of outside engineers
and had new plans drawn which cost the
city between. $4,000 and $4,000 and
these plans are now lying side by side
with the ones drawn by the city force on
city time and are declared by engineers
of the New Haven road which will also
use the bridge, to be nowhere as good as
those drawn by the city. The bridge has
never been built either under Rice's time
or the present administration because of
lack of funds. When it is it will be
built along the city's own plans. and
Ford's $4,000 mass of blue prints will
| go into the archives because they are not
| as good.
The campaign will warm up tomorrow
| night when the republicans hold their
ratification meeting. AS there is free
| dinner goes with the meeting it will no
doubt be packed session and duly sing
hail to the chief when Colonel Ullrnan
arrives-late as usual, so the boys will
all see him. The democrats are prepar-
ing number of rallies to offset anything
Ford may say and while it will be short
campaign, it promises to be merry one.
The two tickets as nominated are as fol-
lows:
DEMOCRATIC Mayor, David E.
FITZGERALD; Controller, Arthur D. Null
len; Treasurer, Henry Fresenius; City
Clerk, Frank C. Miles; Tax Collector,
William H. Hackett; City Sheriff, Frank
A. Palmieri; Town Clerk, John E.
Doughan; Registrar of Vital Statistics.
Andrew P. Allen; Registrar of Voters,
Thomas E. Cahill.
REPUBLICAN-M Frederick L.
Ford; Controller, Anthony J. Verdi;
Treasurer, William G. Redheld; City
Clerk, Charles c. Merriam; Tax Col
lector Augustus L. Williams; City
Sheriff, Samuel Eskin; Town Clerk, Lu-
zerne Ludington; Registrar of Vital
Statistics, Mrs. Charlotte w. Rice; Reg
istrar of Voters, Louis Knollmeyer.