The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-11-27
Politics.
 -M- Passing

A special session of the Connec- ticut Legislature in January now seems inevitable. It will be given over to several matters, among them consideration of revision and mod1- fication of election laws. This is a prelude to the 1914 election, which Republicans confidently expect to carry for both their state and na- tional candidates. And if they can't overcome the Roosevelt in- fluence in one way they'll do it in another, for they still want to make two elections out of 1t in 1944-separate ballots to be cast for the state candidates and for the president. Democrats are opposed to this plan, both as a political and practical suggestion. There shouldn't be any need for the spe- cial session to concern itself with something that is simply COP bugaboo when there are far more important matters to be taken up and Q special session is not one to be featured by partisan pickering.
 New York state is finally to get reapportionment of its legislative districts. The Court of Appeals has ruled that law to this effect passed by the last Legislature is legitimate and will go into effect with the 1944 election. This will mark the first time the state has been reapportioned since 1917. The senatorial districts are to be increased from 51 to 56. the As- sembly size remains the same, 15O, but membership will be shift ed around quite bit. Maybe with the neighboring state cOm- mitted t0 reapportlonment Con- necticut can bring itself to the job of following this example. It's doubtful, though. for the only changes made here over a longer period of acceptance of the cur rent apportionment was to split the Greenwich Stamford senator ial district in half.
 The subject of reapportionment is an intriguing one. but one that long has been "ducked" by respons- ible public officials. Some attempt was made to do something about 1t during the 1941 legislative session, for it's the year after a decennial census ' len the General Assembly must make the changes under the Constitution. But Connecticut lacks what other states lack with respect to reapportionment of state or rla- tional legislative districtS--a method of keeping up to date by planning changes during each ten-year period preceding a federal census. If rep resentation is to be based on the nuriber of people there should be no hesitancy to make changes when they are indicated, but that has long been the stumbling block in Connec- ticut.
 z Publication of the expense sheets of the various parties par tIcipating in the November 2nd election shows that Waterbury 1; Democrats have as efficient an organization as there is In the state. The $2.S00 surplus locally is far in excess of any shown by Democratic Town Committees in either Bridgeport, Hartford, or New Haven. As 2 matter of fact in the latter city. where expenses and contributions ran around S2O,OOO. there was 8 slight deficit. Up in Hartford the COP incurred a S1,731.47 deficit fin winning for William II. Mortensen, while the Democrats spent $23,O00 unsuc- cessfully to run up deficit of S263. On the basis of "big busi- ness" elections like these the cOm- plaint of party treasurers and other officers that 15 days is too short period in which to compile a true statement seems justified. Incidentally, there Is an amount of conjecture among local officials as to the authenticity of the num- erOus reports around the state, all showing deficits.
 The outside" auditors report for the City of Bridgeport shows that 1t ended its fiscal year on March 31, 1D43, with a cash balance of $751; 51O50, which is the highest since Mayor Jasper McLevy went into office. Presumably this is merely a surplus of actual receipts over esti- mated income and does not repre- sent surplus made Up of cash and Jinexpended departmental balances For example, budget operations of the Waterbury government for 1942 showed the surprising total of 4649, ,182.64. This comprised $268,- Bl1.73, representing over-collections of taxes, and $380, ,670.91, unexpend- ed balances. Any way you look at them, it's good economy.
 Just when Democrats apparent ly were going to "gO to town" on the gubernat0rial mansion in Hartford a halt was called on it's reconstruction. Perhaps Repub- 1ican officials became alarmed at the estimates of cost to put the mansion in shape for occupancy. Whether or not State Senator Leon RisCassi is justified in his attack on such expenditures and whether the Democrats will be able tO use the establishment of the governors house as a political weapon depends upon how deeply fhe average person feels on things