The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-10-02
Mayor Hayes Merits
 Voters Endorsement
Democratic State Chairman Smith Praises Progress
 sive Program Cites City's Credit Standing

Critical Publicity
 Similarly, if we were not able to observe the workings of the various departments that make up the administration of the city of Waterbury, we would gain a very false impression from the exaggerated criticisms that have been launched. A stranger, whose entire impression of Wa terbury had been gained from tho critical publicity given our government by Republican prop agandists and the Republican press, would hardly be prepared for our efficient and well disci- plined Police Department. He would be very much surprised to learn that our Fire Depart ment is considered to be one of the best in this part of the coun- try, naturally expecting it to be inefficient and incapable of properly performing its duties.
 What would he think of our fine school system; of the man. agement of our Town Clerks office; of the efficient handling of the difficult task of collect ing taxes,--to mention only few of the functions of govern nent. Coming to Waterbury for the first time he might well tele- phone ahead for pair of oxen to drag his automobile through the unpaved and mired streets that he would expect to find if he were to obtain his opinion of our Street Department from the alleged examples of ineffi- ciency and corruption that are placed before the world as being typical of the manner in which the Hayes administration Is dis charging its duties.
 Extreme Examples
 Perhaps you may consider these examples extreme. Are they more ridiculous than re- cent piece of propaganda launched to the public proclaim ing that all that the city admin istration can show for the ex- penditure Of some fifty million dollars of the taxpayers money is some few thousand feet of sewers? Entirely ignoring the steady services rem d CT e q throughout the year by the de- partments mentioned above in the protection of our persons and our homes, the education of our children, the maintenance and improvement of our streets, bridges, sewers, water systems, the protection of the public health, the keeping of our rec ords, the relief of our poor, and the countless other services now demanded by the public from It's governmental agencies.
 How would this stranger of Waterbury reconcile the tragic picture of city finances present. ed by Republican critics with the fact that the credit of the City of Waterbury is 50 sound that its obligations sell at a sub- stantial premium to the invest ing public, who presumably look a little deeper than newspaper headlines in arriving at their judgment of our financial con- dition. He would probably find it very strange that a city sup posed to be skidding rapidly to- ward bankruptcy should be able to borrow money on short term credit at an interest rate of less than one-half of 1% per year.
 City Finances
 Some of the severest crit icism launched at the Hayes administration has been in con- nection with its handling of city finances. Well, it is a common ly appreciated fact that figures on municipal finances lend themselves very readily to vary ing and. distorted interpreta- tions. For instance, in the dis cussion of the Waterbury tax rate and the Waterbury indebt- edness, we See no mention of the fact that comparisons are made without taking into acc count the fact that other cities have not only different bases. of valuation but even the fact that some cities whose indebtedness is Compared to waterbury have separate bond issues placed upon tho various school districts, and that at least two important cit- iey do not own their own water supplies, while some 60% of the Waterbury debt has been aocu- mulated as a result of the fi- nanoing of tho Shepaug project, a project, which, incidentally, has been entirely out of the con- trol of the Democratic adminis- tration and which is strongly supported by some of the admin istration's most active critics.
 No mention of the manner in which the finances of this city have come through the depres- sion would be complete without some mention of the admirable Mutual Aid plan. I realize that this is a subject that has no