New Britain herald., 1926-03-04
ClIY's "fIGnTWAD"
POLICY

l tohlu ACdlNtlS expect lllt b'lll'- men Of tho public works board to feel loo per cent enthusiastic about ! it. The board Of public works had splendid and enlarged program oi street improvements in view, ouo of tho best ever conceived in bis ety. To hayo gone through Ni,h tt In its entirety would have meant d great advance in street ! b.'ermruts, Nobody doubted of l the alyisahility Of some Of tho plans. Thr only trouble about them WAS they cost moro money than l inc finance board thought ad'Isa- hlc 10 spend upon such matters,
 Concocuug ways 10 spend civic money Is one oe tho easiest of oc. equations Al! it requires is lead 1 pencil paper maps and b'ucprints. The real tcs, comes when il is ncc- lssary to "sel' the proposed i'm proyom,n's 10 Inc city, when such sterling arguments for them must b. advanced that refusal is thwwtrl.
 The beard of public works had ! jIg chance To tell all about the os- eutial qualities of it's improve monl plans, how necessary they were and how satisfied citizens in general would be were they carried out en bloc. But the board spokes- men lacked the ability of salcsmen to sell bulls to china shop owners and failed to put over their ideas. Of course, such ability is not for everyone, and no special fault is found. The pruning committee was like the man who when approached by d seller Of goods resolutely re- fused 10 look at the samples, got firm grip upon the floor with his No. lis and said decidedly there is "nothing doing" and that it was no use wasting further time.
 In other words. the public works spokesmen were simply minus good fortune and lacked the talking points when the other fellows re- fused to listen.
 But for Chairman Frank L. Con- lon and Commissioner John Ohlson of the public works board to call the city's policy relative to i'm provemcnts as an example of tight wad business Is hitting the wrong bull 's-cye. In a sense the claim is true. but only so far as conditions | create the necessity. Messrs. Conlon | and Ohlson know as well as any body that q stationary tax rate was 1 the main consideration this year; l or that q lower tax rate would have been better: but a higher tax rate never While the public works spOkcsmen were thinking Of innu- mcrable splendid improvements they had evolved, the finance board was thinking of the tax rate. It is probable that the public works board, in figuring with its collective lead pencil, never once bothered to consider that point.
 It was President Coolidge him self the other day who let his spokesman say for him that while the federal government vas reduc- ing taxation the local governments anu states were increasing taxation New Britain is one of the cities where this rule is not being fol- . lowed. And it is exactly what the people want at this time, and most ! certainly what the city admlnistra, ton most ardcnuy desires. Just now New Britain is standing pat upon it's tax rate; that is the mu- uicinal policy and if it looks a lit, rlo like righjwadishucss, there i: nothing 10 do hut reflect that tho public as whole is dcstrons ot seeing q little of this in municipa Eovcrnmcnt--at least this year
 The public works board has op portunily for fair building pro. gram this year, one nearly if no quite as good as last year. There may b. some discussion as tC whether West Main or South Mar Is to be improved; but there seem to be no douht that one of the two can he hrttcrcd. A little advance i possible upon tho South Main con lui1s, and there will be opportuni ties for minor improvements ,lsc where.
 The public works board Is cn
 titled to credit or trying 70 do a
 much work for 'hc city as it can There was a tim" when such am
 htiou did not exist in the city, Tn
 finance board likewise is entitled [, credit for Keeping the tax rate sta
 tonary. I's 5o-ao. Let there b
 paa"r and good will
 Thr l. C. C. tried 10 rub the nirkc
 of th" Nickel plato.
 
 Not safe 10 quot" George Wash nrl0n any nor The WaShingto oi 4-.t 7,,.,r.,J I.s l,.,- r.rri,,t m,