The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-09-30

istration, sewer, water and street maintenance and construction, and oil the other varied func- tons which constitute irreducible charges on the city's books.
 The extent of the relief prob lem may Do seen by considering that, in the five years of exist ence of the Mutual Aid Unem- ployment Fund, families including 47,000 persons applied to 1t for aid, and more than 27,000 of them actually received assistance from this source alone. Those figures seem fantastic in a city of 100000, but those arc tho factS--factS that have faced this administration.
 Same situation
 The same situation faced other municipalities throughout the na- ton, in varying degrees. We all know how serious 1t was here in Waterbury, but 1t may not Do aS widely known here that some cities were forced to postpone for many months the payment of their toachers, firemen, policemen and other employees, or to pay them in scrip or in tax anticipa- ton certificates. Other cities were in default on their debts and were forced to seek composition with their creditors. The Congress of the United States passed munich pal bankruptcy legislation in an attempt to provide machinery by which such cities could effect such compositions with their creditors.
 On oil sides cities were seen struggling with the burden of debt--a burden left following the expansion of boom days and mul- tiplied and made c thousand times more serious by the great increase in relief expenditures ct the same time that tax revenues fell off larmingly.
 Make no mistake about it; this was 0 situation which tested to the utmost the financial ability of those In charge of our city goy- ernment. Keeping up tho credit of any city in those days was dif- ficult. This task-Which was the task that faced Mayor Hayes and Comptroller Leary-Would appear impossible of achievement, but tho credit of the city was kept up and it was improved under their administration.
 Just Pride
 I soy that our city can justly take pride in the way that these problems have been met. I make that statement knowing that 1t Is being challenged. If it were not challenged by tho critics of this administration there could Do no campaign. It would Do impossible for . rival political organization to face tho voters of Waterbury with an admission that the ad- ministration of Mayor Hayes had successfully settled tho financial difficulties that have described.
 So, naturally, we find that record attacked. And on what basis? On 60 many bases that q voter of Waterbury today, who has tried, as c good citizen, to follow the arguments about our financial condition, must be see- ing swirl of figures every time he closes his eyes.
 I, for one, do not feel that the question Is as complicated as 1t Is made to appear. I think that we may accept the statement Of independent accountants that the total debt has been somewhat re- duccd. I think that we may note that even the opposing orators make no claim that 1t has been substantially increased.
 Tax Rate
 I think we all know that the tax rate was 8 mills prior to the depression, and is now 3ih mills. We know that the various depart- ments of the city government have continued to function. We know that the policemen and firemen have done their work, have done 1t well, and have re- ceived their pay. We know that the same thing is true of the teachers of the public schools, of the employees of the street and water departments, of the staffs of the health department, of the engineering department, of the welfare department, and of the various other branches of our city government.
 Other speakers have dealt more at length on the performances of these departments. will content myself with saying that every cfitizen of Waterbury has some degree of contact with the agen- cies that provide him or her with