The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-03


 amended, I am privileged to trans init to you, at this time, the annual reports of the several Departments for the year ending August 31st, 1940, and to urge your perusal and study of the same. The depart mental reports are, to very great extent, the history of the City government during the period spec flied. They indicate that very considerable amount of work has been done and I take this oppor- tunity to thank all boards, officials and employees for the painStaking and cooperative work performed by all departments.
 EFFICIENT, ECONOMICAL
 GOVERNMENT HERE
 Our governmental affairs have been conducted by the various departments with efficiency and economy and, as hoped for last January, well within the limits of budget appropriations. Every ef- fort shall be eXerted to continue these practices and to operate the city government economically and on a buSinesSlike basis.
 It is not my purpose, at this time. to make any extended com- ments or remarks on the various problems that confront the city of Waterbury. I shall make some reference to them so that you may be familiar with the existence of the problems and from time to time, as we go on, may have oc- casion to discuss them with you in a more detailed manner.
 TRAFFIC PROBLEMS
 ARE INCREASING
 An ever increasing problem is that concerning traffic conditions. This problem is present not only in Waterbury but in most other cities of any size comparable to that of Waterbury. The question has received attention from vari- ouS sources from time to time and it is apparent that no one remedy can operate so as to wholly re- lieve the entire situation. The board of police commissioners is planning to install parking meters and to eliminate all-night park ing, with the thought in mind that these two measures will help the situation materially. However, it is obvious that these plans, even though they will help materially, will have to be supplemented by the results of continuing study of the traffic situation. Waterbury streets are so geographically set up as to make it exceedingly dif- ficult to present a complete solu- tion to the traffic situation and it is only with the continuing CO., operation of our planning board and all other agencies that we can hope to bring about some effective solution.
 NATIONAL DEFENSE
 MOST IMPORTANT
 Probably the most important problem before the city of Water bury, and our entire citizenry, is the question of national defense. This question is not unreleated to that of traffic conditions because the question of traffic plays an important part in our national de- fense plans. The work involved in making our defense adequate and strong enought to protect our selves in case of attack involves a great deal of extra work and ac- tivity on the part of everybody. In making our citizens realize the vital necessity of being prepared to defend ourselves, in actually performing the many detailed acts that are necessary in order to pre- pare ourselves, in order to educate or train our young men, it is ap- parent to all that great individual sacrifices must be made and that the city, state and nation must make sacrifices never before heard of in peacetime in this country. All this activity will cost billions of dollars and the result will be that unprecedented taxes must be collected, in order to pay for this enormous expense. For that req son, among many others, it is in- cumbent upon municipalities such as ours to conduct our local affairs with minimum local expense to our taxpayers, still keeping in mind the necessity of adequate public service to the people of the city of Waterbury.
 All departments in the city of Waterbury will be actively con- cerned with and engaged in the work of defense, but the principal burden will fall on such depart ments as the street department, the water department, the police department. the fire department. the school department and the health department These de- partments. with calendars of ac- tivity very much crowded, have already taken on the enormous responsibility and work incidental to our local defense problems. In other words. these departments. and others in the city government, are and will continue to be much buster than under normal condi- tions.
 PURCHASING DEPT.
 HAS RESPONSIBILITY
 The department Of purciiasts has operated this year for the first time as a department sep- arate from the comptrollcr'S office. This department s responsi-