Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-13
HEAVY DEBT CUTS
FALL RIVER BUDGET
Fairgrounds and Branch
Libraries CIosed--Teach-
ers Let Out.
Scontinued From First page)

cent should be paid on on a special 10
year bond to cover the defaulted debts.
Fail Rivers trouble is that, as her
values shrank in the deep bite Of the
textile depression, she refused to cut
she had barber and baker in high
places In the city hall, they failed to
trim according to their trades.
In i've years. valuations on which
taxes are levied shrank 40 per cent. In
1925 Fall River counted herself worth
S214,OO0, 000. The new finance board
writes its budget based on $3.50, 000, 900
Of values.
Politicians Keep on Spending.
But the politicians had kept right on
assessing taxes at fictitious valuations
and then borrowing money in antici-
patton of taxes that they never were
able to collect. They kept on spending
money as in boom times and. when
they failed to collect the taxes, chalked
on 3 deficit and began over again.
When the snowballing deficit last Fall
had got to $4,000, 900 that was the end
of their rope. Their trouble deepened
when court judgments for attachments
OF taxes that had been assessed with
out regard for shrlinken values fell on
the city to the tune of more than
100000.
Frank j. Donahue commutes daily
now between the headquarters of the
Democratic State Committee chairman
In Boston and, the Office of the chair
man Of the Finance Board in Fall
River. He sometimes goes by train
and bus, but quite as often in the
automobile of James jackson, Boston
banker, who is dividing his time be-
tween Boston and Fall Rivers City
Ymn y frI hay 1af
the Finance Board and will be again.
But for the present the seat of the
local member CT the board is vacant.
That was the seat that proved un-
tenable when the new control got
under way. Some of the Fall River
citizens who called it outrageous to
appoint two outsiders on the Finance
Board are now saying it is absurd to
expect a Fall River man to occupy
such position in his home city. where
he may have to guillotine his own
neighbor any time.
This outside board of control has just
written for Fall River her first budget
under the regime of drastic economy
That Is, they got Frank A. Osborne to
write 1t.
Budget Has No Parallel
It was q budget-making without par
allel. First the Finance Board wiped
on SIC, 000, 900 Of last years valuation
figures as non-existant That left them
Q valuation that they figured they could
find to tax.
Then they determined on the highest
tax that they could expect to collect.
They set that at $40. That would be
the highest rate in the State and about
as high as even FAN River had ever
had.
The procedure in effect was like this
FUrty-dollar tax rate will yield what
on $40. 000, 600 valuation2
Take on interest and debt, and what,
does II leave?
Then that gives how much to run the
city on?
What did it cost last year?
One million, one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars more than we've got.
Wen, what can we cut out?
Recreation Division. That's $4,000.
Out she goes.
The Library Department. WhatII It
cost just toskeep the library open with
out any branches the rest of the year?
All right. Cut Che library budget 10
per cent. Cut the staff 20 per cent. too.
What do all these kids do afternoons
IN the ibrary-pages, they call EN-. for
- week? Cut them out, too. Well,
there's $4,000 out Of the library. Now
what you got?
EosAuOns Lefk vacant.
Police Department. Not much to cut
there, but salaries. Any vacancies?
Wen, leave them vacant.
Fire department. Any vacancy7
Seventeen? Save the IT salaries then.
City collector? Can't the treasurer
do his job? All right. Out with the
city collector. There's $500.
How about the city messenger?
Need city messenger? All right. Let
the mayors secretary do the messenger
work. There's $1,000.
What does the city dispensary do?
Costs $4,000. Well, can't they take
care Of 1t through the drugstores and
save the city that overhead? Well, cut
that out, too
Assessors assistant assessors What
DO IS assistant assessors do? Compile
the poll-tax list? Let the police do It.
They do in Boston. There's So 900.
What's the 500 for taxes on compiling
the poll list?
Nothing but political purposes in
each precinct"
Cut out the s7O0 for taxis then.
Now for the schools. That's third
Of the whole budget. What can they
do without?
Kindergarten? That's $4,000. Lots
Of places better than Fall River can't
auoro PUBIC kinoergartens.
$50 Teachers Let Out.
How many teachers? Six hundred
And how many pupils? Can't We put
more pupils en- TO a teacher. There's
Is to a teacher now. How about
making 1t IS. Some places go as high
as AZ pupils to a teacher. That lets
cut $50 teachers. Say. that's the big
geGt lick in the budget.
How about janitorS? II you cut out
some Of the class rooms that lets out
IS ianitors. Eleven of them are due
10 go on pension at half-pay, anyway.
Now where are we?
Down 100000. Got almost $4,000
10 60
Nowhere else to squeeze?
Well, there's one thing left. Cut the
salaries. What have We got TO cut to
take of another 100000?
A nat 20 per cent will do 1t.
Twenty per cent does 1t then.
(ccpyTight. 1881. by North American News
paper AlIiance)