Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1921-03-16

not handicapped by any pre- election
promises. This very unusual condition
has allowed us, in making our appoint
ments, to consider first the Qualifica-
lions of the candidate, at the same
time having in mind that the more
equally we We're able to divide the
patronage, the less we would lay our
selves liable to criticism. Naturally,
through the year, we will make some
mistakes, and / want to say that this
board is open at all times to sug
gestons and criticism. but the critic
without a suggestive remedy will re-
ceive but very little consideration.
Personally, l do not believe that it
is the purpose of this board to make a
record for a highly economical or re-
form administration. Our first thought
will be to get value for the money en-
trusted to our care and, if, at the end
of the year, we can show some perma-
nent improvement with the small
amount of money we have to work
with, 1 believe it will be more salts
factory to the taxpayers than to try
to reduce the city debt, at the expense
of neglected streets and sidewalks.
I believe there are very few people,
with the exception of the merchants on
the street, who realize the amount of
money left in town by summer trav-
elers. We are the natural trade center
for this part of the county. This is
evident by looking on our main street
any afternoon from June to October.
and seeing the number of out -of-town
cars moving. We certainly should en-
courage this traffic, and in my opinion
one of the best means of establishing
this is to keep the approaches to our
town in good condition. person do
ing any amount Of travelling can usu-
ally tell where the State roads end and
the city roads begin. There are
great many ways in which we can
make our town attractive by a small
expenditure. Give them good i'm
preston, and they will want to come
often.
Attracting new business should be
one of the first thoughts the coming
year AS member of the board of
trade, 1 was asked to interview
prospect in New York. Almost the
first question asked was regarding the
power light and water I'VE have to Of
fer and from my years experience at
the shoe factory, 1 find these items
enter very materially into the over
head.
A very uncomfortable condition has
existed between the power company
and the city and, personally, l believe
we should use our best efforts to elimi-
nate this feeling. When we stop to
consider that the power company is
paying nearly one-quarter of the tax
commitment, it looks to me as if it had
some grounds for complaint. Right
here, l would like to have you COM
pare the taxes of $4,000 assessed on
it's property in Milo, which represents
about SO per cent. higher investment
than the property here. while we are
taxing it $4,000. l have been assured
by the president of the company that
it is anxious to cooperate with us, and
l believe it is up to us to make it
some proposition that is mutually
agreeable.
There is one other department that
seems to be more or less neglect ed
our schools. Compared with a great
many of the smaller districts, we have
an extremely low rating, caused princi-
pally from our inability to attract the
better grade of teachers at the small
salary we have been able to offer Out
of fourteen teachers, we have only two
normal graduates, while our neighbor
the Mt. Desert district, has 'ourteen
graduates out of sixteen One of our
best native teachers is now principal
at Southwest Harbor grammar grade,
at a salary of $3.50 per week, COM
pared with our grammar school princi-
pal at SIS per week. We can't afford
to neglect our youngsters.
The high school proposition is one de-
serving of concrete thought We have
outgrown the old building, and it is
only matter of a very short time be-
fore we will be obliged to abandon the
old building or build one suitable for
our needs. Personally I am not in
favor of using city appropriations for
this purpose. Other cities have ac-
complished this by good, hard indi-
vidual work, with the aid of liberal
from former natives
Through the influence of two of our
Ellsworth boys, Mr. Bellatty and Mr..
LORD, we have the summer school of
700 boys coming again this year. There
10 possibility OF making this a
permanent school 1t has been inti-
mated that the trustees of Boston Uni
versity are ready to subscribe 20 per
cent OF the cost of new building
providing we can arrange for land
suitable for dormitories. If this is a
TACT, we ought not to let them get
away.
do not think it at all necessary to
go INTO an exhaustive analysis of the
lSzo report. In my opinion, that board
las MADE an excellent showing. Very
.e" OF the appropriations are over
irawn' practically all of the bills are
PAID and we inherit, according to the
,reasurers report, something over
Po'oo0, which will allow us to make a
ihs!e ana start the new year in fairly
good condition.
Now gent1emap Wa 49, $3.50.