'// r w w DUJC THUMS OWES mmmm EDITORIALS Never Forget That These Editorials Are The Opinions Of One. Man, ——-—-*-:-And He May Be Wrong. Alderman Tav tor’s Resignation of Alderman Charlie the Kinston Town Council s tar a number of reasons, principal amom®4bese being the fact that! lie was an experienced man, dedicated to continuing better government. Per haps of secondary importance Is the fact that he resigned In bitterness and after having engaged In a spate of name-call ing, which the other four couneilmen feel was not only Improper but altogether un necessary. Aldermen Taylor reached this sudden parting ot the ways with his team mates for one or two fairly large-sized reasons 1 that had to do specifically with the 1954 96 city budget. Taylor refused to go along with a bud get that he declared to be “out of bal ance by about $160,000”. A close analysis of the budget along fairly reasonable lines will Indicate that Taylor was seeing a skeleton in the fiscal closet that could possibly be there but is most likely absent. He objected to the omission of an$85, 000 sinking fund item for the' welfare of the city-owned light plant. If we felt that this $83,000 were absolutely neglect ed we’d climb upon the Taylor band wagon and holler a little along with him. But our analysls does not reach any such conclusion. The proposed revenue, from the power plant for the coming 12-month period Is pot down at $1,230,000 which is just over a one per cent increase over the revenues of the ptoxjt for the Just-ended 12 month period. A glimpse at the Increased said two within a, whisper < fact It pee cent over yould he (jg||ncreaae tr acting the $30,000 increase that has been placed in the budget in that spot one finds $00,000 above the budgeted an ticipated power income. The other omission that Alderman Tay lor took strong and terminal exception to was the $65,000 coat of a sanitary sew er now under construction in the west ern edge of the city. Taylor argued, and with some logic, that it was improper to give a pay raise to “outside” city workers unless that $66,000 was Included in the budget. At each and every occasion on which this particular sewer was discussed by the city council It was agreed “to include it in the budget if it is at all possible, but if it is not possible to then pay for it by issuing two thirds the amount of bonds the city had retired during the past fiscal period.” ^" . ' , * : If the $20,000 for pay raises which the five per cent roughly ewers had been entirely eliminated the budget would still not have come together without the use of at least a part of that potential bona issue. More than two years had passed since city employees had been given any pay increases. During that two-year period the cost of living had moved ewer inward And during that same two-year period several dozens of thousands of dollars had been spent — much of It on motion of Alderman Tayior-