The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-05-11
The Finishing Touche.

The report of the auditors on the city's financial situation calls for deserved con- gratulations to the cIstodians of Water bury's municipal pocketbook. Not only have money affairs been handled with in- telligence and honesty but also with what is even more rare, sense of genuine humanity Efficiency experts, those mad dogs of the business and industrial world, might snarl that the city has been lax in the matter of tax collections.
 Congenital fault-finders might hold the administration wasteful because greater economy has not been practiced in certain instances. The first would sell out de- linquent taxpayers without regard for their inability to pay. The second would remain blind and deaf to suffering and privation so long as the balance was on the right side of the ledger
 It is far better that the Welfare Depart mcnt, for example, should receive an in- crease above It's allotted appropriation than that families should go unfed, un- housed, and unwarmed And 1t is much sOunder economy to give unwilling tax delinquents q chance than for the city to embark on q campaign of eviction or foreclosure and by Sd doing throw the burden on the banks or the municipality itself. ?
 Thanks to Mayor Hayes, Controller Leary, and their fellow officials Waterbury still stands out as cty which has an understanding, considerate heart as we'll as sound thinking head. It is no mere matter of good luck that the payrols have been met on the dot and that the city's standing in the financial world is unimpared. Wise planning, plain honesty, and unceasing care have been needed and given that these accom- plishments might be achieved
 It is not to be inferred, however that the city is, to use the vernacular, sitting on ton of the world. We have still q long road to travel. A beginning has been made, it is true, and an excellent begin ming, but the way ahead still holds obsta- cles. The most vexing one is the matter of tax collection. The auditors note that some provision must be made to accelerate the movement towards the Tax Collectors office in May and October
 Conditions are steadily, if slowly lm- proving and the capacity to pay IS being increased. Thie causes the comment that at such a time as this it might be well Tor our city fathers to consider most seriously an endorsement of the uniform tax collcc- tion policy as advocated Tn this state year ago. Efforts were made to pass legislation along these lines in 1883, but they failed However, the uniform tax year is not discarded. It merely awaits the opportune moment to have it espoused by all our 169 towns and cities.
 There is no reason to believe that when the machinery for the acceleration of tax collections is set going there will be any unwllingness to pay on the part of those who through no fault of their own have been unable to do so in the past. And there is no gainsayng the fact that if the city fathers can make it easier for the taxpayers through inauguration of just such schemes as eliminate the terrific interest bills now saddlcd on municipali- ties they certainly should do so. Decent appreciation of the consideration shown delinquents by the city authorities in the lean years delnands a return in kind and vice-versa.