The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-12

Shere VIII be @ tallng OH III tax Ie- eeipts and a consequent piling up of deliouencieS. Either the city will have to pull in Its belt to meet con- ditions or 1t will substitute deficits for surpluses. So any postwar scheme local officials contrive will certainly have to be based on what taxpayers are able to pay under much different circumstances than now prevail.
 Waterbmy's pension retirement
 commission is really expected to
 swing into action Tuesday after noon when it meets for the first
 time since 1t organized. If pos sible the commission wants to get a clear picture of what has to be done locally, who may be able to do it, and what the cost will be.
 The S1,OOO item to be asked of the
 Board of Finance at its next Ses-
 sion is merely organization money.
 It will allow the commission to set up shop. but 1t won't provide much working capital. But until
 the MeSSrS. Dubois, Robinson, Verriker, Maloney, TObin, Summa,
 and Tanner know what the re-
 turns will be it's doubtful if Ghereu be any spending sprees.
 According to the news of the day Ehe State of Connecticut has dlt- 1iculty in getting individuals and concerns receiving checks from Elle state to cash them. There are outstanding checks now on the books as far back as IT years. The City of Waterbury often experiences somewhat the same trouble. And a check of the records shows that one of the chronic offenders in holding up checks for considerable periods of time before putting them through for collection is the State Of con- necticut.
 The tax rate in Hartford for
 Its fiscal year beginning April l will be SO.5 mills, the same as has
 beer in force during the past year. Incidentally, a Democratic move to have any surplus from budget operations for the past year sar- marked for a special postwar .e-
 serve was defeated on a strict par1y vote. This may not mean that Hartford Republicans are Op- posed to such financial methods, for every municipality is doing
 the same thing today. Water
 bury hopes to increase its post war reserves shortly when the surplus for budget operations dur ing 194S is announced.
 Candidates will probably be tossed around as casually as nap kins when Democrats get together at their Washingtons Birthday Din- ner in New Haven February 9 Prime interest naturally lies in con- trol of the party. Will 1t go to the forces of Senator Francis T. Ma loney or those of National Con- mitteeman Robert A. Hurley? State Chairman John M. Dove hopes therell be no battle for control. but that any and all factions will work side by side, shoulder to shoulder Leadership will determine this uni- ty. In the meantime there will be mention of former Lieut.. Gov. Odell Shepard as the ideal candidate for governor, former Finance Comnis- sioner Lewis Phelps, Waterbury own J. Francis Smith, and a few other favorite sons AS for the sen- atorship, to joust with Senator John A. Danaher 1t might be that If con- ditionS are favorable there might be an effort to secure the nomin- ation for Richard J. Smith of Fair field County. At that Shepard Smith ticket doesn't sound too bad
 Some time this spring there'I he a formal drive to line up Dem-
 Ocratic votes for an aS-yet un. named candidate for top office in
 the state. It may be a Shepard
 boom in the offing, but regard less the forces behind the move ment are marshalling their si- news. It may even take the form of q campaign guided by a spe- ciaI political newspaper. Once upon . time 1t was rumOred that the One-time boss of the national
 emOcratic party, James A. Far
 R. would interest himself in the emnecticut outcome this year.
 a~Sapublicans hope to get their Apr1ng convention out of the way in April. Democrats will probably fol- low example, so that once the job of lining up national delegates Is completed both parties can think about early conventions for naming the state tickets. If anything al all is to be done about getting the names of prospective candidates tc the men and women in the service At win mean early conventions. And by that is meant conventions that win be over almost as soon as the Rg-E1ka a,x1 fnfN tT