The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, April 2, 1923, Page 8

PAGE EIGHT -—-—--— _to increase efficiency and to City Costs Mount High Taxes Soar---Warrants Uapsid Budgets for city purposes have been increasing | rapidly since 1911—out of all proportion to the in- crease in population and assessed value of the city A few figures will suffice: property. 191 UG) Daas ROWS)... 1914 1919 (French & Larson administration) 1919 1920 .. $ 46,356.70 9.00 58,222.41 101,180.00 92,599.00 During first four years mentioned Mr. Hinckley After his retirement was on the commission. 64,787.00 | 116,332.54 |} 106,890.00 costs for city government began to soar gradually | | the next intervening years but the peak was , reached during the four years from 1919-1922. In order that the taxpayers may be able to meet the heavy assessments for special improvements it | is imperative that the city budget be held down to the minimum so that the paving, sewer and other costs can be met without so many lapses in payment and virtual confiscation of property. Many lots have reverted to the city. There is in default on its payments now as follows: Sewer Warrants......$7,000 (year in default Paving Warrants... .$14,000 (year in default There are now registered city warrants in the ROCESS EE EE ET STITT SARS RTS RRR, Make y our Ballots T omorrow \ Reduce City Tax Burden_ 4 SS eee eS ———— | Put Solution of Water Problem Up to People at Special Election is Proposal of | Murphy and Hinckley, Candidates for City Commissioners “~ More than $46,000 has been spent in the last four years in water litigation which has gone to fatten lawyers, and engineers. Four years of waste, inaction and ’ camouflage. The Net results: THIRTY-FIVE PER CENT INCREASE IN THE WATER RATES and end not yet in sight as cases are still pending in federal courts. TAX PAYERS OF BISMARCK! This sum alone would secure for the Capital City a fine recreation park or it could have been utilized as a first payment on the present water plant or for a fund to erect a‘new plant if such is deemed advisable. City annals chronicle no gr eater waste of public funds, HOW CITY’S FUNDS ARE DISSIPATED | | “iy Engineer's Blunders Costly | Not in Bismarek’s fifty years as a corpora. HERE IS THE-BILL OF COST IN WATER | {Draws Big Bonus From Treasury | tion has there been such a useless waste of LITIGATION AND INVESTIGATION. | : funds as disclosed in the four years of futile | THAT SEWER BLUNDER litigation to secure Bismarck a more adequate ye oad City and — to Tax payers — _Probably the most startling evidence of a waste || of taxpayers mone it; ngineer Atkinson P \ Attorney’s Fees .... $ -8,810.62 | was in che comecctiniv at a si line sewer from Steps were taken June 23, 1919, shortly after Engineers and || Third Street to the Missouri River. q the inauguration of Larson and French to re- Assistants ........ 4,044.31 | | He first made plans for a 36 inch sewer to r _. duce water rates and down through the various Auditing .......... 750.00 "|| empty into an 18 inch sewer 1,400 feet this side | years the matter has been pending and the Miscellaneous ..... 4,657.92 || of the Missouri River, this sewer was already a ; Oo || part of the city’s sanitary system. It was dis- costs pyramiding and the only net result to rs || covered, however, when the 18 inch sewer was i date is a thirty-five per cent increase in water Motel iG... $ 13,262.85 | reached it was found that the.new 36 inch sewer rates allowed by the United States. district Paid by Water Company charged to water con- | was a foot and a half below the outlet of the 18 court pending a final decision which may drag suniers in rates on order of railroad com- |) neh paewrer: \ mission. 1 It; was necessary to go through to the river at 3 : He ing... ..:. ; ditional cost of $11,498.25 hich blunder There is not space here to discuss all the ae ae $ 28,850.46 page ge ep ey eae. | various cases started and lost by City Attorney éocdate : *3 390,10 | commission of $550. His total fee on a $46,000 O’Hare and his high priced assistants. Suffice ee ar a jl | RR cis ees ee ead yi nieadlbioniconhiar sea: | : | month and free office rent. i ; it to say that two cases were started to reduce Total. ¢.0. 22 $ 32,240.56 ‘eee ae 4 rates before the railroad commission; onecase Gand Total paid by taxpayers .$ 45,503.41 Some of the paving in districts No. 1 is begin. | supply of water. along for years to come. ‘ in the courts to condem the water plant and ' still another to cancel the company’s franchise. amount of $50,000 more than a year in default | upon which the taxpayers are paying SEVEN Per | i Cent interest. SALARY WARRANTS ALL PAID while others wait for their money in de- fiance of law and in detriment to the city’s credit. A.C. HINCKLEY | [x] A. C. Hinkley has been a resident of Bismarck since 1880, He served as an alderman under the old aldermanic plan. Later under the commission form of government he was street commissioner giving the city one of the best and most econom- ical administrations. The cleanliness of the city at that time was commented upon. If elected he will devote all his time to the job and take pride in keeping the streets up at a low cost. He jis a heavy taxpayer and will be vitally in- terested in getting value received for every public dollar spent. When he was street commissioner there was no paving. He kept the streets up from 1912 to 1914 at a cost of $15,000 for the three years. During the last three years with pavement in as against. dirt streets in Mr. Hinkley administra- tion, the present city commissioners have spent $28,253 or nearly $11,000 more. Probably more startling is the fact that the toal annual appropriations have increased from $541959 in 1912 to as high as $116,320 in 1920 and $92,599 in 1922. ¢ There is little jusification for the terrific in- crease in the tax lead. In a recent statement Mr. Hinckley said: “In conclusion, I believe that the affairs of the City of Bismarck are of sufficient importance as to.demand the entire time of the commissioners: who may be chosen to administer its affairs. If I am honored by the public confidence next Tues- day I pledge myself to devote my whole time to the affairs of the city without any additional remuneration than ‘the, sum allowed at the pres- _ent time.” g Vote for Hinckley and Murphy to lower taxes the pot only agitate and litigate the water Every, Case Mr. Voter WAS LOST AT YOUR | EXPENSE AND WE ARE STILL DRINKING THE SAME WATER AT A ‘HIGHER PRICE. THE BISMARCK TRIBUNE —— ny MONDAY, APRIL 2, 1928 City costs for investigation lower than water company’s as State of North Dakota furnished | nearly all rate experts and engineers'to make valuations—but a cost assessed also to tax- payers of state. WHAT WE PLEDGE THE WATER ISSUE If elected we will submit as promptly as possible to the voters at a special election the matter of purchasing the pres- ent water plant or the building of a new one and a plan of financing such enterprises. We also pledge in event the people direct purchase of present plant to make such additions and | improvements as will make the system adequate to all needs | of this growing and enterprising city. | refuse to cqni CITY ATTORNEY Until recently the City Attorney has been paid $150 a month for attending four meetings of the city commission a month. Lately this has been cut to $100. If elected we wil! | cannot han@le important litigation without hiring additional counsel at’a cost of nearly $4,000. Neithey,,will wa, vote forthe confirmation of a city attorne ( whose law partner appears upon the opposite side in qases in which the city is a litigant and the tax payers interests are at stake. , ‘CHIEF OF POLICE As our opponents state in their platform they are for a cleaner and better city so are we but we will refuse to confirm the employment of any person on our police force who is not a citizen of Bismarck and whose character and integrity are questionable. Records of the Chief of Police show that George Han- eckeyk, former convict, and murderer of Ellen Albertson, was employed as special police in the city of Bismarck under the present administration with a knowledge of his criminal. record. He had the approval of Chief Martineson and was used by him as a stool pigeon. We will never sanction the employment of such characters to protect the sanctity of the homes and to guard property of the citizens. When he was placed on the city police force to guard the lives of women and children they knew how depraved.he was and that he had lately finished a sentence for attempting to murder a young girl in Minot. No mention is made here of another regular night palice-' man who left town hurriedly on his'own initiative for the’ city’s Itvis high time to purge the police force and place it upon a higher moral plane. CITY ENGINEER ae One of the greatest leaks in taxes is the slovenly manner . in employing the city engineer letting One bia bars for ex- ‘ cessive fees. $ nfirm the appointment of any city attorney who * POLLS OPEN Hoos SA.M. gap AAvertizement:) Under the present arrangement T. R. Atkinson receives $60 a month salary whether there is any public work in prog- | ress or not. In addition, he receives free office rent, heat, telephone, light and water to pursue his private business. all Public work for the city of Bismarck he gets a commission of 5% on contracts over $500 in addition-to:salary and perqui- sites named above. WHAT ATKINSON HAS BEEN PAID Salary—1916 to 1922 @ $720.a year.$ 4,320.00 Free Office rent, heat, etc. fey ine: t- .ed at $480 a year... wee dey ee b 6) 2,880.00 Commissions on Sewers 5 7,436.42 Commissions on Paving... 35,074.84 Bip for:New Waterorks: re 2,000.00 ommissions on parking, cu 2h ‘ street grading, etc.”......7. oe : #4] 685.87 White Way extension commission, *. 196.74 $ 58,493.87" If this present unbusinesslike way of employing a city engineer is continued and the voters.decide upon building a new water plant and his estimate of $704,420 for a new water system is confirmed by bids called for in the near future he will receive for engineer services and balance due on plans and specifications $87,074.84 in addition to salary of $60 a month and office rent free. If the present water plant is purchased he Will receive a aie of 5% on all improvements tothe plant in excess of i . Fargo several times larger than Bismarck pays its city engineer a salary of $3,000 per annum and. furnishes assist- ants. He must give his full time to the city and any fees received by him for outside work must be turned into the city treasury. This gives the city good and faithful service. If a straight salary system is adopted here, thousands will be saved to the taxpayers and they will get better service. If elected we pledge'a complete audit of all city affairs and the publication as provided by law of regular financial state- ments of the city’s business, Statutory, provisions for period- ' ical financial statements have been ignored, The taxpayers should know quarterly the trie financial condition of the city which after all is a five, or six million dollar corporation. © ' A. C, HINCKLEY. | F. W. MURPHY, wean On | + _ man and a heavy taxpayer. He came to Bismarck ’ office at the hands of the people. Of course those ning to disintegrate. Little has been done to bring the paving contractors to book on their | bond. Lax supervision is what.the city gets for | its $60 a month and office rent free. On all sides even an untrained eye can see the bungling and costly mistakes in the laying out of | \4 public work. A housecleaning at the city hall is necessary to secure greater efficiency and lower taxes. — , F.W. MURPHY | [x] |] 9 F. W. Murphy has been a successful business: s, about eighteen years ago as manager of the Cap- f ital City Bottling Works. He disposed of this if property and later established the Bismarck Bot- il , tling Works which business he conducted succéss- fully for many years recently retiring to devote his time to his other interests. He is owner of the Rose and the Murphy apart- ments and is vitally interested in the welfare of i the city. 4 ‘Because of his property interests he is a large consumer of water and is especially interested in q securing all pessible benefits as any other water ; consumer in the city. _His standing in the community refutes the idle | ‘ charge by his opponents that he is the candidate i of a clique or interest. Mr. Murphy was requested by a-number of voters to make this race in the in- terests of those who felt that public moneys were | being squandered and that the city’s affairs were not being handled efficiently. If elected he will bring to the city’s affairs the samé sagacity which has made him a successful business man: He has been a builder and a boost- er for a bigger, cleaner and better Bismarck. Confident in the future of Bismarck, he has. in- veated a largeamount nt money in real estate and buildings. p Campaign Managers for tabien and French have been seeking to brand Mr. Murphy as the tool of certain interests because he is exercising his constitutional right and privilege of seeking - who. know Mr. Murphy's record in Bismarck real- ' ize that ¢ these charges are saarte and mendacious. « © ’ : _ aatamen et out and vote to clean up Police you want another: George Recaro the: hiy’P Police force?