The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1949-12-15

Last week, at st. Paul's Methodist
Church dinner and bazaar, l wound
up with the ice cream in my lap
and of course l was wearing a suit
that had just been cleanedl
Just for the record
At the weekly meeting of the
Board of County Commissioners on
Tuesday, it was announced that it
would be necessary to borrow, on
short term notes, some fifty thou
sand dollars to adequately take care
of the county's obligations for the
remainder of the year. But-and
it's very big but this money will
not be repaid from 1850 taxes, as
has been reported, but from unpaid
jim fact not yet billed-1949 taxes.
Here are the facts:
Qaite a bit of the county's tax
revenue comes from corporation
taxes, but these taxes, unlike yours
and mine, cannot be billed by the
county treasurer at the beginning
of the year In fact, he cannot bill
them at all until they are certified
by the State Department, and the
true facts are, that several corpor-
ations still have not been billed for
their 1949 corporation taxes, for the
simple reason that the state has not
yet certified them
If all the corporation taxes for
1949 were in there would be no need
to borrow the $4,000, but the blame
for their not being all paid does not
lie with the county treasurer; does
not lie with the corporations; but
lies squarely on the shoulders of
the state for failing to certify them.
Now we're getting somewhere!
At a special meeting of the Mayor
and Council, held on Monday, the
Comfort Station on Summit Avenue,
1AJuICtlt W tllc SOullIy OuIIllOuSS,
which has been a headache to the
City Fathers for a long time, was
apparently settled as far as the
Mayor and Council are concerned.
1t was announced at the meeting
that, effective January l, 1850, the
Board of County Commissioners
would take over the operation and
maintenance of the station, provid-
ing the Mayor and Council would
agree to pay half of the salaries of
the two clerks in the Magistrates
offices in the City Hall-something
the Commissioners have been trying,
without success, to get for a long
time. Half of the two salaries would
amount to total of $3.50 a month,
but at Mondays meeting the Mayor
and Council voted to pay only $125.
The Commissioners, however, at
their meeting on Tuesday, insisted
that the full $3.50 a month must be
paid if the County is to take over
the station.
l understand that the Mayor
and Council were of the opinion that
it was only fair that the County
run the comfort station, since they
claimed that most of the people
using it were either courthouse en-
ployees or people from the county.
Well gentlemen, if that is your
contention, why not go a step far
Their.
Surely the folks from the county
coming to Hagerstown use the Mar
ket House parking lot more than
anyone else-so why not turn the
operation and maintenance of the
parking lot over to the Board of
County Commissioners too?
Here's hoping that the Mayor and
Council act speedily on the request
of the Washington County Histor-
ical Society, that the Jungle" adj
jacent to our beautiful City Park
and the original Jonathan Hager
Home that the Society is soon to
restore, be cleaned up and made
a beauty spot instead of an eyesore.
Too long has this wooded section
been meeting place for orgies of
rum hounds" and it should have
been cleaned out long ago.
Congratulations to the recently
formed Planning and Zoning Com
mission on electing Claude M. Pot
terfeld as chairman of the group.
Not only will Mr.. Potterfield's
long experience as a member of the
City Council be invaluable in the
Commissions discussion, but his
awareness of the growing need of
far-sighted planning for Hagers-
towns fast moving expansion will
stand him in good stead as chair