Evening star., 1926-09-12
POLITICAL FEUD
STIRS MONTGOMERY SENSATION
Senatorial Candidate Assails County Ad-
ministration and Democratic Leader
Defends Outgo of County Funds.

Does Mr.. Hewitt challenge the wis
dom or necessity for these increases!
The total county expenditures or
operating costs not included in the
above listed items were. in 1916, $115,-
0l0.94. and are in the 1925 levy $751;
1929. Thus it appears that there
has been a Ia per cent increase In
total county operating expenses, ex-
cepting schools and roads, in the last
10 years. This II per cent increase In
the general operating cost of the
county government over a 1O-year
period includes all salaries of all en-
ployes paid from county taxes, all
court expenses. and costs of elections.
assessing, care of INDECENT sick and
insane, pauper pensions, and road
taxes returned to incorporated towns
and taxing areas. all of which items
have been necessarily increased dur
ing the last 10 years, and include also
the following new items: A part of
the increasing cost of the police force
and police court, appropriations to
volunteer fire departments, juvenile
court expenses, State board of health
expenses, appropriation to farm bu-
reau, expenses Of county boys and
girls In Maryland industrial schools,
home demonstration appropriation
and cattle tuberculin testing appro-
priatiOn.
Bonding Recognized Plan.
Mr.. Hewitt states that county
schools and roads have not been built
out of direct levy funds, but out of
bond issue funds. This is the recog-
nized plan and program of the Mont
gomery County government. This is
the method almost universally fol-
lowed by counties. cities and states of
financing permanent improvements.
The total amount CT Montgomery
County school bonds now outstanding
is $719, 900; total amount of general
county road bonds is $267,325.
The amount of Montgomery Coun-
tvs bonded Indebtedness compares
most favorably with that of other
counties and cities.
Mr.. Hewitt states that there is no
competent audit of our county affairs
or county money at this time. The
facts are that annual audits are made
of the clerk of the Circuit Courts Of
flee, clerk to Police Courts office, by
the State auditor: and in addition the
county treasurer's office and school
board are audited quarterly by the
local auditors as required by law
the county treasurer's office by Cliff
ford II. Robertson, who is the auditor
for the Circuit Court of Montgomery
County, and the school board by j.
Hampton Jones.
Mr. Hewitts statement that the
water and sewer benefit rate is 26
cents a front foot as compared to the
statement of the Democratic county
organization that this rate is 13 cents
jG CiYN a n
multiply 13 cents by g. The 13 cents
to which the Democratic county or
ganization refers covers either water
or sewer service, while the tax bill
that carries a 26-cent rate includes
a charge for both water and sewer
service
Nor do I agree with Mr.. Hewitt's
statement that the money received
from the sale of Washington Subur-
ban Sanitary Commission bonds has
all been spent in an incompetent and
wasteful way
Sanitary Commission Rates.
THE Washington Suburban SAM
.ary Commissions maximum rate for
water and sewer service benefit tax is
26 cents a front foot; the District Of
Columbia, ESQ cents a front foot, and
the suburban Baltimore County rate,
80 cents front foot. The Washing
ton Suburban Sanitary Commissions
average rate in comparison to the
above rate is "a cents for both water
and sewer service. as compared to the
above average District of Columbia
and suburban Baltimore County rates.
The charge prevailing in each area is
figured on the 50-year payment plan
in the Washington Suburban
district for the purpose of
this comparison.
"Of municipal rates throughout the
country. the majority are higher than
the rates charged by the sanitary
Mr.. William w. Handy
of Baltimore City, a consulting engi-
neer, specializing in public utilities
and induStrialS, who was employed by
a great trust company of Baltimore,
an institution with approximately
$1S,000,0OO in total resources, to make
an examination of the water and
sewer systems of the Washington
Sanitary district for the
purpose Of ascortaining the fair phys
ical value of the system, and whether
the physical values of the properties
were such as to have warranted the
bonds which were to be issued and
sold by the sanitary commission to
provide funds for development, said:
Compared with other similar COM
munities in the State, these charges
are low. especially when it is taken
into consideration that the sanitary
district charges provide for sewer and
fire protection, and in view of this
could be raised materially if later
found necessary without causing any
hardship to the consumer