Fifty-First Annual Report of the Receipts and Expenditures of the City of Lewiston for the Fiscal Year Ending February 28, 1914;
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The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine Maine Town Documents Maine Government Documents 1914 Fifty-First Annual Report of the Receipts and Expenditures of the City of Lewiston for the Fiscal Year Ending February 28, 1914; Together With Annual Reports and Papers Relating to the Affairs of the City Lewiston (Me.) Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/towndocs Repository Citation Lewiston (Me.), "Fifty-First Annual Report of the Receipts and Expenditures of the City of Lewiston for the Fiscal Year Ending February 28, 1914; Together With Annual Reports and Papers Relating to the Affairs of the City" (1914). Maine Town Documents. 2659. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/towndocs/2659 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Maine Town Documents by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STATE OF MAINE COLLECTION FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES OF THE CITY OF LEWISTON FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING FEBRUARY 28 1914 TOGETHER WITH ANNUAL REPORTS AND PAPERS RELATING TO THE AFFAIRS OF THE CITY Printed by LE MESSAGER Lewiston, »Me» FIFTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES OF THE CITY OF LEWISTON FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING FEBRUARY 28 1914 TOGETHER WITH ANNUAL REPORTS AND PAPERS RELATING TO THE AFFAIRS OF THE CITY Printed by LE MESSAGER Lewiston, Me. CITY OF LEWISTON In Board of Mayor and Aldermen, March 16, 1914. ORDERED, The Common Council concurring. That the Committee on Printing be and is hereby authorized to have printed one thousand copies of this year's annual reports of the receipts and expenditures of the last year and included such other reports and public documents as in its judgmeunt it may deem proper, expense of same to be charged to appropriation for printing when made. Read, passed and sent down. CHARLES P. LEMAIRE, City Clerk. In Common Council, March 16, 1914. Read twice under suspension of the rules, and passed in concurrence. EUGENE CLOUTIER, Clerk. MAYOR'S ADDRESS MARCH 16, 1914 Gentlemen of the City Council:— According to the usual custom, we have met to-day to take our oaths of office, and I hope that every one of you will appreciate the great honor which has been bestowed upon him by the citizens of our beloved city. Gentlemen, you are no longer private citizens, but re member that your are servants of the people of this city, the second largest in the State, and that you are to dis charge your duties without fear or favor, and regardless of political affiliation. You are to choose the most efficient men to the various positions necessary to manage the affairs of the city. Of course, the usual custom is to choose men of your political belief because the platform set forth by this fusion government just elected was adopted by such a large majority of the citizens of this city that you want men that will carry out all the terms of that platform. But as soon as those positions are filled by your men, then politics cease. You are then in a position to serve the people of this city with the best of your ability, and I hope that every one of you will do his level best to ad minister his department as ho would his own private affairs, in an intelligent, economical way. See to it that the city receives dollar for dollar, and it is also your duty to leport to me any errors, insubordination, or mis management in any department. As for my part, I will say that, if mismanagement or insubordination is found out, I will divulge it publicly. Let us work with a will to pay up this large deficit which has been left over from the preceding government, and, at the same time, lower the tax rate. The previous government, according to the treasurer's report, shows that on March 1, 1914, the city was owing $7,419.74 more than on Marchl, 1913. While the 1912 ad ministration reduced the city debt $17,181.68. There is one point that I want to make clear to the citizens and tax payers. That although the treasurer's report shows a deficit of $7,419.74, let me state that there are bills due by the city which should have been paid long ago, but these bills hav.e been held back simply for the purpose, I suppose, of making the deficit look as small as possible. Let me state that when all those un- 4 CITY OF LEWISTON paid bills,which should have been paid by the previous administration, have been accounted for, the amount will be thousands of dollars in addition to this $7,419.74. It is my intention, after receiving those unpaid bills, to lay all the facts before the City Council; so that the citizens of this city will know the true conditions of af fairs. There are two ways by which this increased debt can be paid. One is by taxation, and the other is by cutting off all unecessary expenses in each and every department. And if you gentlemen of the City Council will help me and put the shoulder to the wheel of good government, I will guarantee that we will cut a large figure in this unnecessary deficit, and, at the same time, lower the tax rate if we can consistently do so. FINANCES LIABILITIES MARCH 1st, 1914 5 per cent, bonds due in 1897 not presented 500.00 5 per cent, bonds due in 1917 Water bonds . 200,000.00 4 per cent, bonds due in 1923 R. R. bonds refunded 100,000.00 4 per cent, bonds due in 1924 Water bonds refunded 80,000.00 4 per cent, bonds due in 1930 ($26,000 water bonds re funded). 51,000.00 4 per cent, bonds due in 1927 Water bonds refunded. 100,000.00 31/. per cent, bonds due in 1931 City Building bonds 185,000.00 4 per cent, bonds due in 1937 Water bonds refunded 174,000.00 4 per cent, bonds due in 1933 R. R. bonds refunded 100,000.00 Total bonded debt Mch 1, 1914 $990,500.00 Total notes outstanding March 1, 1914 204,896.07 Total Liabilities March 1, 1914 $1,195,396.07 Total bonds and notes outstanding March 1, 1813. $1,218,496.07 Total bonds and notes outstanding March 1, 1914 . $1,195,396.07 Reduction in notes during 1913 $23,100.00 MAYOR'S ADDRESS 5 RESOURCES MARCH 1st, 1914 Municipal Sinking Fund, March 1, iai4 . $243,774.29 Water Loan Sinking Fund, M)ch 1, 1914 2,683.03 Total Sinking Fund March 1, 1914 $246,457.32 Uncollected taxes on March 1, 1914:— F. A. Conant. $3,513.16 J. E. Gagne . 2,078.64 E. G. Woodside 13,794.35 George F. Turner. 493.71 F. H. Wiggin 5,703.40 L. J. Brann. 1,346.05 M. J. Hagerty . 1,501.18 George A. Murphy 20,597.53 Total uncollected taxes March 1, 1914 49,028.02 Tax Deeds in Treasury March 1, 1914 8,642.60 Cash in treasury March 1, 1914 12,911.14 Total resources March 1, 1914 $317,039.08 Total liabilities March 1, 1914 $1,195,396.07 Total resources March 1, 1914 317,039.08 Net debt March 1, 1914 $878,356.99 Net debt March 1, 1913 870,937.25 Increase in city debt for the year 1913 $7,419.74 From this report, I find that although the city has re ceived more money by way of increased taxable property such as the large factories, also a large amount of build ings which have been built in the upper part of the city, yet it has cost the city very little expense; because the city did not have to build or repair streets or walks in the localities where those buildings and factories were built. The facts are that the expenses have greatly ex ceeded the income which shows bad management some where. This would not hold good if the city had been put to some great expense for improvements or other considerations, but, as far as I am concerned, I fail to see where those great improvements have been made. HIGHWAYS The expenditures of the several divisions of this de partment for the past year are as follows: 6 CITY OF LEWISTON $76,469.48 was expended for 1913 as against $59,335.48 in 1912, or $16,534.00 in excess of 1912. SEWERS The Franklin Gully has been extended 740 feet. So that now the open sewer that has so long been a source of danger to this locality is very much improved. The Lafayette Street locality was also in a very bad and dangerous condition as far as health is concerned. 500 feet 36 inch pipe was laid there, thus improving that locality very much. Several catch basins and manholes have been built. PERMANENT STREETS 11,013 sq. yards of bituminous has been laid the last year on the following streets: Miain, River, Pine, Lisbon and Sabattus. On lower Lisbon street, from south side of Maple street to Bleachery crossing, 2,909% square yards of concrete paving was laid. From the State, the city received $1,500 from the auto mobile fund. This was used for 2,162 feet of gravel road on Sabattus street, from East Avenue out. A special appropriation of $2,000 was made for the Lisbon Road, and this has been accomplished.