Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1932-07-27
TELEPHONE NUMBER NINE
WHY CITIES ARE BROKE

Within the last five years-according to a list recent
ly issued-122 cities of the United States, along with 104
counties and Improvement districts, had defaulted on
principal or interest of their bonded debts. Since that
list was issued, Chicago has announced default on $780,
900 of bonds and interest, along with the statement that
there is a delinquency of $780, 900 in the 1890 taxes for
Chicago and Cook county.
Some of this wave of municipal trouble is due to COR
ruption and financial orgies on the part of city govern
ments. But the people have not realized that most of it
is due to the adoption of burdens which they themselves
demanded or at least encouraged.
In other words, most of the municipal innovations have
been worthy-they have been designed to raise the gen
eral standard of living. But they haze to be paid for, and
at a time like the present that is difficult.
A study Of these innovations has been made for De-
troit by William Anderson, and though the develop
ments are not identical, they are much Ike those OF Port
land and every other major city,
Detroit was chartered in 1924, and between then and
1861 it developed the following: Council, tax collections,
courts, police, fire department, schools, street grading,
city controller, prison, school census, high school, poor
relief, sewer system, lighting, paving and water system.
From 1862 to 1880: Detectives, pounds, police signals
and harbor police, public library, evening schools, sani-
tary police, business licenses, weight inspection, public
scales, parks, more public buildings, permit inspection.
From 1881 to 1900: City attorney, criminal ldentlfi-
cation bureau, mounted police, fire alarm telephones, fire
pensions, fire medical service and fire boats, teachers col
lege, periodical library, truancy police, education of IN
corrigibles, free school books, art museum, kindergarten,
education for deaf, branch libraries, reading rooms, out
door relief, health superintendent, vital statistics bureau,
hospital, milk inspection, food inspection, free medical
service, chemical and meteorological laboratories, nurs-
ing service, building inspection, plumbing and electrical
inspection, ZOO, bathing beach, band concerts, public
green house, garbage collection, snow removal. alley
cleaning, market sheds, water meters, ice service and gas
meter inspection.
From 1900 on, more than 100 functions, only some OF
which can be listed: Civil service commission, traffic
police, police training schools, motor police, automobile
theft department., high pressure water system and IRE
prevention, community centers, a city college, junior col
leges, junior high schools, technical high schools, various
social service activities, children's hospital and Clinics
ambulance service, tuberculosis hospital and maternity
hospital, elevator, smoke, boiler, wire and refrigeration
inspection, Fairgrounds, recreation camps, an aquarium
many recreation facilities, grading bureau, city planning
commission, comfort stations, street washing, motor
buses, ferries and street railways. To these might be
added, for almost every city, municipal airports, auditor
iums, radio broadcasting stations, historical museums
paviions, swimming pools, golf courses gardens and en-
ployment bureaus.
We repeat, these are worthy activities IN almost every
instance. To go back to the early American cities, hid
eous and unsanitary, is out of the question, but that does
not answer the question as to what happens when ex
~penditures become impossible for property and income
TO bear.-Portland Oregonian.