Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-01-13
STATEMENT BY THE COLLECTOR
OF NORTH WILDWOOD

l believe the investigators OF
North wildwood %endeavored to be abb
solutely fair, and l have no desire to
criticize their report, this, however,
was in condensed form and I feel that
a few words of explanation would not
be amiss.
Sinking Fund
Being unable to collect the full
amount of the duplicate, in order to
meet the sinking fund requirements 1t
became necessary either to borrow
from the bank the amount so due,
turn the cash over to the Commits
sioners who would then, as usual, i'm
mediately invest the funds onhand in
North Wildwood 6 per cent securities,
or issue a 6 per cent tax revenue note,
payable to the order of the sinking
fund commissioners, and the latter
course was adopted upon the advice
of Mr.. Walter R. Darby, Commissioner
of Municipal Accounts.
Sad to relate, it is true that no
part of the sinking fund moneys are
invested in the home 1 am building.
Taxes and Assessments
To the statement that the City of
North Wildwood has been extravagant
with city improvements in the past
twenty years should be added the fact
that Improvements have only been
made upon petition to Council by a
majority of the property owners af-
fected thereby, and the fact that some
of them have little remaining equity
is easily explainable. You who have
~unimproved property, get out your tax
receipts covering the past 10 or Is
years, count up the amount you have
paid during that time, include the cost
of improvements, add interest and
costs, compare this amount with the
present value of your property and
see what your remaining equity would
be.
While the Collector should not be
held responsible for the lack of ade-
quate laws governing the collection of
taxes, l have been severely criticized
for this fact.
The former tax laws gave the holder
of a tax sale certificate covering UNI
improved property, the privilege of
paying taxes thereon for twenty years,
the property so held being subject to
redemption during that period, no i'm
provement could be made without risk
of loss, consequently, ane persons re-
fused to invest, lunatics did not seem
to be interested, even the critics pass
ing the opportunity by. To me it is
not quite clear whether I am being
censured for the lack of adequate laws
or the scarcity of lunatics; however,
the laws of 1918 have remedied the
evils of the past and tax titles held by
the City of North Wildwood are being
foreclosed by Robert Bright, City So
%licitor, as speedily as the law will
permit.
Tax Collectors Office
1t is true that as Collector and
Treasurer am now receiving the
munificent sum of $3.50 per month,
and that for 1921 the salary of the
Deputy Collector, Mrs. Peterson, was
p iO.UO pei DlOIIuy III uClIlOA UCllS
made of the fact that for three months
service in 1913 she received nothing,
or that her salary for 1914 and 1915
was 1888 per month, 1916-1917-191S-
1919, $4,000 per month, while for 1920
she received $4,000 per month.
That the expense of this Office could
be cut is admitted. This could be done
on the same principal that a 200-acre
farm could be titled and cultivated by
one man. At the close of the year the
farm would still be there, so would
the mortgage.
Appropriations
Regarding overdrafts of %appropria-
lions, l might say that each monthly
statement as submitted to Council
shows the unexpended balances in
each appropriation. If Council sees
fit to authorize expenditures in excess
of these amounts, 1 freely admit l
know of no method of bookkeeping
that will show a balance instead of
an ~overdraft.
The issuing of emergency notes has
been in accordance with the laws
made. and provided for such cases, and
have been included in full in the bud
gets of the succeeding years.
This statement is made for the pur-
pose of giving those who are fair
minded an opportunity to judge i'm
partially.
The wing-singed angels of perfec-
ton, h%ypnotized and led by a pair of
half-witts, apparently care nothing
for truth or justice.
P. l.. PETERSON.