The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-08-11
The MeddIeY
''If the coat fits you, put 1t on"

The action of counsel for the Brattle
boro Water Works Co. in taking an APP
peal from every increase in real estate
valuation made by the listers in their
quadrennial appraisal will have the effect
Of bringing the whole question before
the local board of civil authority where
possibly it can be handled to better adj
vantage to all concerned than it was by
the listers themselves. In making an
appeal to cover every piece of property
affected by this years appraisal the
water company's counsel allege that their
clients valuation is too high and all
others are too low, but as The Meddler
understands the situation. the purpose
of this more or less sweeping statement
is not to get valuations in general in
creased but to get THAT of the water
company reduced to a figure which its
officers and attorneys consider fair.
Whether the board of civil authority
, can be made TO see the situation in the
same light remains to be determined,
but accepting as true the statement made
before the listers that the average net
revenue of the water company for the
past FIVE years as shown by government
returns was but $4,000 year. it is not
difficult to understand a protest against
valuation that would mean an annual
increase of slightly over $1,000 in taxes.
What The Meddler hopes the board of
civil authority will do now it has the
opportunity is to go thoroughly into the
question of local property valuation, tax
ing time enough to make a careful study
of the whole situation with view to
determining as definitely as possible how
local valua tons compare with those of
other towns and taking action in the
light of these facts. 1t would be some
job; there is no question about that.
But it would be a job decidedly worth
while and one which group of men
| like the board of civil authority could
handle in a way that would come as
near meeting general satisfaction as any
action of the sort ever would.
/ The situation of the water company is
peculiar In general its rates are high
SO high, in fact, that any proposed
increase would probably be fought bit
terly before the public service commits
sion, vet on the face of the figures above
quoted its net income is equivalent to
less than six per cent interest on $780,
600 In other words. the owners Of the
company would be better off apparently
if they could sell the system for $4,000
| in addition to the amount needed to re
tire it's bonds, which total about 1925
000 or a total price of 1896, 900. In
1909, after a protracted fight, the village
| turned down proposition to buy the
| system for 1926, 900, and scores of per-
sons who were against the proposition
then have been heard to say since that
| they wished they had voted the other
way. Is it possible that the present
turn of affairs will serve to start an
other agitation for municipal ownership
of this particular public utility? In
this connection it is interesting to note
that only this week the public service
commission turned down the request of
a small privately owned water company
in Lyndonville for permission to increase
its rates.
/
| No one can possibly doubt the impor