The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-10-21
SLASHES
ANGER MAYOR,
SCHOOL Chief
State Tax Board Protects
Big Business, Charge of
Russell Wilson.
SULLIVAN is WRATHFUL
Men Will Lose Jobs and
Work Will Be Dropped,
He Declares.

Big business, rather than the
average taxpayer, will benefit by
the state tax boards slash of the
school city levy for 1882, Russell
Wilson, school board president, said
today.
He also accused the board of
forcing the school city to evade
state law mandating collection an
nually of per cent of its bonded
indebtedness for a sinking fund,
and said unless attorneys for the
school board find a statute invali-
dating the mandatory payment act,
suit will be filed enjoining the tax
boards edict.
Likewise Mayor Reginald H. Sui
Ivan attacked the tax boards cut
in the civil city levy, charging it
would throw many men out of work
this winter and check seriously adj
ministrative plans for development
Of municipal utilities.
Association Is Accused
Il have not seen the tax boards
order. Indeed, when I telephoned
for a copy of it this morning was
informed it has not yet been drawn
up. I understand, however, the
board saw fit to cut 6 cents from
our budget levy of $1.01," Wilson
said.
"Of that reduction cents was
to have been for the sinking fund.
Only l cent was taken from the &C
tive fund we asked.
1.-THE Indiana Taxpayers Associa-
ton, under the banners Of taxpayer
relief, sought this cut. Now, let's
see what they actually did for the
taxpayers.
1.-THE average taxpayer, let's say,
pays taxes on $4,000 assessed val
uation. The actual average, 1 think,
is about $4,000, but We'll go to $4,000.
He is saved so cents a year.
Not Their Concern
"He is the man with a child or
children in school. But the big cor
porations, who really will profit by
this slash, have no children in
schools. 1t is not their concern
whether our educational facilities
are what. they should be or if our
schools are even safe for children
who attend them.
81 understand $12,5O0 is taken
from our fund for repairs and bet
terments of schools. We could have
made that an item of 100000 easily,
but we pared it down to 100000.
That means there will be no new
schools and We must repair only the
worst of the buildings that now need
repairs.
There are schools in this town
that actually are fire hazards. But
what can we do about it? There
are boilers in schools that are dam
gerous. The tax board forces us to
choose between fixing one boiler
over which 800 pupils sit, and an
other over which there are only
500."
Wilson told of a visit of James
Showalter, tax board chairman, to
the school board. Showalter asked
that newspaper reporters not be told
of the meeting, Wilson said.
Sullivan Is Irked
Wilson said Showalter admitted
that the reduction sought would
not aid the taxpayer, but would
"have a good moral effect"
Mayor Sullivan protested cuts
totaling $4,000 from the park board
and streets commissioners appro-
priations, and a reduction of $15,-
900 from his $4,000 contingency
fund.
The park and streets cuts, he said,
will necessitate use of inferior
township labor.
The cut in his contingency fund
will hamper the working out of any
emergency, such as an epidemic, as
Indianapolis suffered from spinal
meningitis two years ago, and will
curtail his work for municipal util-
tiles, Sullivan declared.
eve shall be forced to use incom-
petent and inefficient labor. We
can't accomplish anything" he said.