Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-04-07

doing work that formerly furnished
a fair income to number of truck
men. especially when every dollar Is
needed to meet our barest necessi-
ties.
During tie past month there has
been much comment on the subject of
licenses to public carriages. 1t being
moot question whether we have
gone too far in granting too many
licenses. just what occasion should
warrant so many carriages being run
at night, and whether anyone except
the owners may be employed to
drive public carriages thus licensed.
The order to be read at this meeting
is intended to ask for the facts and
for recommendation respecting the
policy to be followed in the future.
The matter is of very great i'm
portance and should he carefully
considered
7 recommended on March 8. that
If anything could be done in the way
of permanent construction of streets,
IN addition to the work to be COM
pleted on the trunk line, that this
additional work be done on Water
street. l drove the length of Water
street only the other day. There is
not worse piece of roadway in the
city, and yet a good part of Water
street is business street, as much
as is Main street, and the business
residents there are certainly entitled
to something vastly better. than what
they are receiving. / believe that
nothing could be done that would
mean better business blocks, better
houses generally, and hence more
taxable property, or in the way of
doing the square thing to large
part of our population. than the
building of a permanent street in the
lower section of the city. I am
forced to urge this as a matter Of
immediate importance inasmuch as
the street railway intend to improve
their roadway within the next few
months, and the street improvement,
If 1t is to be made at all, shocld be
made at the same time. If few
thousand dollars can be saved here
and there-if private citizens who
are able to buy coal and run fur
naces can clean out their own cell
lars for year and SO save the city
six or seven thousand do1lars-then
these people on Water street, who
are as much entitled to good streets
as are those who live on College
~ NHhN' tdll at last CTOSS lIlS DuSI-
ness street without wearing rubber
boots. SThe order ealing for esti-
mate of costs and a future report on
such permanent street should have
your hearty endorsement.
Several other matters might ap-
propriately be brought to your at
tention but I can mention but one.
namely, the order that will be pre-
serited calling for the employment of
accountants to assist in the work of
determining what our tax rate should
be for the present fiscal year. I have
given good deal of time to a study
of the finances of the city, and
think 1 have a fairly accurate idea
of just how We stand. The request
for accountants is not ade with the
intention of overhauling the books of
the city, for there is no heed of that.
There has been no misappropriation
no wrong bookkeeping. Our system
on the whole is right. Our citizens
have been led to think that our mill
rate was coming down after the Jun
Tor High School was paid for, many
citizens little realizing that nothing
has vet been paid toward liquidat-
ing this Indebtedness. / have re-
Gently signed notes totaling 100000,
100000 coming due in June 1926,
and 100000 more coming due in Oct.
'26, and these are the same notes
that were taken out four years ago.
also know that we are paying in
interest money alone more than 500
a day. at the rate of 81 an hour.
I know that we can't possibly pay
our bills on the 33 mills, plus the
three extra mills. I want the assist
ance of some of the local account
ants that clear statement may be
presented to the taxpayers showing
on one side approximately what our
outgo is to be this year and next
year. ano on the other side approx
mately what a So mill tax will bring
in, a 81 mill tax, a SO mill tax. and
so on up to 40 mills. BY conference
and study and discussion all hands
of US will finally determine just what
rate should be established, and we
shall all know just where we are go
ing. When that is once established.
l want to see published month by
month an iItelligently gotten up au-
ditors report. The taxpayers are en-
titled to this. Then if we cut out
every fool outlay. do business and
not play politics, we shall have done
our best.
The salary list for the coming year
was passed as follows:
Mayor. $500 per yr.: city clerk
(including primaries and elections),
$500 per W.; treasurer (not includ-
ing premium on surety bond), sou
per VI; collector of taxes, on amount
collected .0O725 pct. city auditor,
$500 per VI: city solicitor, $500 per
VI; street commissioner, including
team and supervision of sidewalks,
sewers. sprinkling and brown tail
moth work, S1SS per W.; health Of
ficer, S1125 per yr.; city marshal, all
fees to be turned into city treasury,
$1,000 per yr.; deputy marshal, all
fees to be turned into city treasury,
$J.2o per day; day deputy, all fees
to be turned into city treasury, $3.50
per day; patrolmen, all fees to be
turned into city treasury, $3.50 per
day; special police. $3.50 per day:
board of assessors, $500 per W.;
clerk to board of assessors, $500 per
yr.: assistant assessors. 50 per day;
clerk to the overseers of poor, $500
per yr.: superintendent of aims
house. 5000 per W.: clerk to COM