The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-06-06

| Council, Mayor Atwater told OF the
| reason for levying a special tax rate
of six mills; of what he proposed to
| offer as an accounting system for the
city; commended the Police and Fire
| departments for their excellent work;
referred to the beautiful parks of the
| city; told Of what the city would gain
under the present plan of operation
| in the department of the Director OF
| Public Works; spoke Of the excellent
} Health department; touched on the
| acute condition existing IN the school
facilities of the city, and upheld the
| five cent fare as an economic neces-
sity to the city
In ending his address the mayor
very modestly desired that all the
! credit which might be forthc oming
| has adopted, be given TO the Board
| of Aldermen for their hearty CO.
! operation in making possible his pro-
jects by their support.
School Bonds Issued.
The long controversy between the
| Board of Aldermen and the Board OF
| Education terminated last night with
| the unanimous vote of the m en1bers
of the Board of Aldermen in favor OF
issuing $4,000 bonds for school
| purposes. This amount includes the
| s44O, 900 called for in the last propo-
sition submitted to the Finance Com
| mite and drawn up by Acting Supt
of Schools E. Everett Cortright, and
an S1UU,UUU lot the
expenditure in starting a high school
in East Bridgeport.
The willingness shown by the
Board of Education to abandon the
Star Shirt factory and the Remington
dormitory proposition made possible
the unanimous vote of the council
last night The bonds to be issued
are in denomination of $1,000, car
rying Az per cent. interest payable
semi-annually and redeemaIble each
year for 30 years.
The electrical inspector appoint
ment was killed by a vote of 13 to 8.
Alderman Brown voting with the
Democrats in favor of the creation OF
the office. Aldermen Hartnett and
Rtchter were the two Democrats alb
sent from last nights meeting. Ed
ward L. Gallagher was the man said
to have been slated for the position
as electrical inspector.
A report recommending the abolish
ing of the Sewer and Paving Com
mission was referred to the City At
torney on a point brought forth by
Alderman Beers who declared that a
Special provision of the Legislature
made it impossible for the Aldermen
to abolish the Commission.
Alderman Hogan presented his
proposition of the purchase of a tract
of land on Salem ST. Get, 900 feet long
by ESQ feet wide, to be used as a
playground at the present tip1e with
the ultimate end in view of using the
ground for a school building. At
torney Thomas Cu1linan representing
two property owners in the section Of
the proposed playground, spoke
against the purchase, declaring that
the city would be amply taken care
of on the score of a playground in
the North End when the Beechwood
park property was ready. No action
was taken on the proposition last
night.
New Gas Station.
The Consumers Service Station was
granted permission to erect two 1000
gallon gasoline tanks at the corner of
Hough and Stratford avenues. Mrs.
Isaac B. Williams, wife of the late
former Lieutenant Isaac Williams OF
the police department, was granted a
pension of $3.50 a year, payable pro
September. 1921. This pension will
be paid Mrs. Williams as long as she
is alive and unmarried. Mrs Edith
Y. Dfetz, wife of former Policeman
Ellsworth Grant Deitz, killed while on
duty, was granted a pension of $500,
payable pro rate weekly for the re-
mainder of her life.
White Way Hearing.
A nearing on the proposed White
Way for Stratford avenue from Sea-
view avenue to the city line was set
for the next meeting June 10, No
action concerning the proposed in
vesssSatfop of the city's business dur
ing the last administration was taken
last night, nor was any mention of
the discovery of the shortage of the
former tax collector, Howard F.
Smith made.
The annual message of the Nravor
IN full is as follows:
The message is as follows:
Ii acordance with the provisions
OF our charter. I have to submit
herewith. a report of the condition
gether with some observations and
relative therto.
Finances.
Tne available cash balance IN both
ending March 81, 1922. was s6e.s44.
90 the actual available cash balance
az the close Of the fiscal year ending
March 81. 1922 was s11s,s06.33 The
1921 was 1850. 1885 The net debt
or the city on March 81. 1922, was
II 1898, 627.46, a reduction of Sass
SsO.aO. The debt limit in excess of
outstanding indebtedness within the
; per cent. restriction placed by
statue, was. as of March 81, 1929
IS IL. 922.s9 a gain in this direction
Of S24S.oS1-1o. This however, does
100000. for bonds for sewer con-
struction. which was authorized last
month, but not yet issued. It ia also
proper to remark that it will be nee
essary to issue bonds for school CON
strucuon the actual amount of which
has not yet been determined. our
present grand list is S24O.14e.2oe- 90.
q shrinkase of S4.776.5S5 from the
list Of 1920; notwithstanding which IT
will be noted that a considerable gain
has been made with respect to the
debt limit. and it is hoped that this
gain may be made greater as the
policies now in effect more fully
work out.
Special Tax and Tax Rate.
Immediately upon assuming office
found a cr1eis existed, in that def
cts to the extent of s12S2516O
were required to be taken care of.
and no money was available to pro-
vide funds for this or for the care of
the unemployed during the period be-
tween the date of my assumption of
office, and at the end of the fiscal
year terminating March 81
Explicit charter provisions govern
Ing this situation made it mandatory
on me to resort to a special tax. This
was done at once, and a special tax
levy of mills, made payable Jan.
1, 1922.
1t is only fair to emphasize the fact
that this special tax was designed to
take care of obligations which should
have been included in the tax rate
for the fiscal year of 1921-1922, and
had this been done. 1t would not have
been necessary for this administra-
ton to have rrsorted to the special