The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-06
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1881
Home Rule For Waterbury

{ Its contents (with some of them we are already acquanted) are revealed to the public just as Mayor Hayes has delivered his annual message to the board of alderment. That action took place last night. And we note that it than brief summation of the administrators accomplishments during the past year. It is clear cut answer to the Charter Commission showing that the Hayes administration has put into effect in one year , many of the reforms that the commission tells us are needed. Mind you all this without changing Waterbury's present form of govern ment. Certainly if the mayor can accomplish these reforms in one year he can do greater things in two in four.
 Need of change in the present form of government is indicated by the report of the charter commission. Retention of the pres cnt form is the only reaction to Mayor Hayes message. The mayor has put into practice his theories of good government. here IS no need for Waterbury 10 ponder notions that even years of experimentation have not proved feasible. We can all see for ourselves !, that Waterbury IS no different from any :. other city of similar size and type. We don't need to worry about the future as far as our city government is concerned. It is in good hands now. Heed Mayor Hayes warning not to sacrifice your right to home rule on the altar of new methods of fantastic government. :. Since the rank and file of our citizens vitally concerned with such things as taxation, we advise careful perusal of the mayor mes sage. Like the quarterly reports that the Hayes administration has issued in the past year, it contains no superfluous matter. It is direct and concise. It is not our intention to interpret each separate article contained in the message. But it is our hope that Waterbury will recog- r'ze the necessity of reading every portion of the message carefully so that all of us may be prepared to stand test on it should the occasion arise. There IS no question but what Waterbury has been most economical during .tl930. So much SO that seven mill tax reduction has been made possible, The same sort of government will prevail in 193l. We are assured of the fullest cooperation on the part of our city officials in securing It. The cooperation of he taxpayers will make 1t doubly certain.
 We note that there vas an 87 per cent collection of the total taxes up to December, 1920. Certainly with a lower tax rate this figure will be surpassed in l93l We doubt If there arc many cities in Connecticut with any better record than that Di2ressng for the moment from the subject of taxation may we ak if Watcrburians have beard of city in thc United States which mobilizcd its forces as quickly or as effectively 10 combat the ,insdous forces of the business depression and ,unemployment siluatiOn| The Waterbury method of curing these ills has been sought far and wide. The prompt response of our off cals to the need of applying business methods to the problem of creating jobs and feeding destitute persons has evoked the highest praise.
 A number of reforms are suggested to the board of aldermen such as the elimination of the sprinkling tax. And in the same breath Mayor Hayes suggests that the city be not SO lenient in the matter of abatng taxes on the grounds that the taxpayer is too poor to pay them. This privilege has been abused so much of recent years that the city has lost thousands of dollars and placed a heavier burden on the shoulders of those taxpayers willing 10 pay their share. The same situation probably eX ists in many American cities but that does not mean it should be continually countenanced in Waterbury. We hope that the city officials will bear down on the offenders
 There are so many points of interest in the mayors message that we cannot possibly hope to touch on one half of them even, We do recommend. lnOuSn, Tor tnOugnIul peOple that paragraph on legislation, In it Mayor Hayes states very frankly that Tt is my intention to insist. by every means at my command, upon this principle of Home Rule The peo- pie of Waterbury neither mentally nor morally defective and must have the right to speak for themselves upon any question in voving their Constitutional right of self government To bring home the point that the people should have a voice in any charter changes the mayor continues, This admin istration will introduce no measures which are not favored by your honorable board, and l call upon you to lend your assistance in maintaining the principles mentioned above.'
 To our mind the report of the Charter Commission to the governor should have been accompanied by Mayor Hayes annual message and in addition the four quarterly re- ports rendered by him during l930. Then and only then would our legislators and the state officials get a clear and comprehensive pie ture of conditions in Waterbury. This is no criticism of the work of the Charter Commission. It had thankless task al best and performed it's duties well and to the best of its ability. We merely wish it to be a cri- tieism of particular recommendations among the wholesale lot. To this opinion we are entitled as much as the next man.