Here's How America’s Second
Largest City Became Broke One
Chicago.—When political In
competence and favoritism keep
working long enough, the chick
ens they batch ont eventually
come home to roost. Which is
%why Chicago and Cook county
today find themselves in des
perate financial straits.
America's second largest city, r.nd
the county of which It is a part, are
broke. In fact, by the end of the
year they will be some $18,000,000
in the hole—and the end is not yet.
This Is due. primarily, to two
things:
First, the fact that governmen
tal officials here have had a gay
and carefree way of spending puo
Uo funds without always insisting
on getting value received.
Second, the fact that these offi
cials have had many friends, and
have been very kind of them.
Can’t Collect Taxes.
Kxtravagance and plain, ordinary
tnoompetenoe have sent expend!
lure* soaring. Favoritism to large
•MSpa Of'taxpayers has brought
about • situation In which the city
and county are unable to collect a
cent of real estate tax money.
Within jecent years there has
been much inequality In real estate
tax assessments in Chicago and
Cook county. A certain building
Would have an assessed valuation,
■ay, of $80,000; another building or.
the same street, identical In real
falu», would be assessed for jio.ooo
because the owner happened to be
• friend of some Influential politi
•Un.
This condition became, finally, a
trabllc scandal At last the state tax
■ommissUm took a hand.
A year ago, the commission order
ed a reassessment of all real prop
Ssy in Cook county, and threw out
l old assessment. Then, bearing
Blind a state law that calls for
•quality in assessments, it ordered
the assessment here to be made or:
the same basis as the assessment
down state.
This last item was to cause trou
ble later. At the moment, however,
no one noticed it, and the work of
reassessing Cook county’s 3,000,000
pieces of real property, worth more
than $5,000,000,000 got under way.
Result Is Disastrous.
The reassessment began early this
year, and was to have been finish
ed in six months. It is not nearly
completed yet, and no one seenu to i
know just when it will be.
The result has been simple—and
disastrous.
No real estate taxes in this city
or county have been collected since
the old assessment was thrown out.
None can be collected until ie new
one is completed. No one in Cook
county has paid a dollar in real es
tate taxes for more than a year.
Tax bills can't be mailed out for at
least another six months.
To tide over this shortage the
city has been Issuing tax anticipa
tion warrants, held by local onnks.
Under tire law, however, these can
be issued only up to 75 per cent of
the anticipated tax levy. Now the
city has gone the limit. It can't Is
sue any more warrants, and It can t
pay for the ones it has Issued.
The result, of course, has been a
tremendous drop In the city and
county Incomes. But that Is not all.
$$<0,000,000 Below Estimate.
Down state Illinois used to assess
property at 37 per cent at Its mar
ket value. Chicago assessed it at
53 per cent. The new assessment In
compliance with the equality law Is
being made on the down state rate
Consequently, Chicago's new tax
valuation—when It finally comes—
will be $350,000,000 below the old
figures.
This means that when tax money
Is finally collected again, the city's
income will be approximately $5,
I
Wbnatthttmtofcatta
Of Atom tho chlldry.
Ita hoot la U
I aa tho
fcaaa tha itowtnf tadfc
aata and warm tha alt
riooo to tho floor Arab
It floaa aot rob tho air
of Btfltoii or
Irritation of tha
A gwreuo flood of dean, fin,
radiant gas boot... any tfcna, in
any room in tha boon. •. boat
flat atraaraa out in a fan-tike not
of penetrating warmth. That”*
what tha now Coleman Radiant
Hooter bring* to you) Strike a
match and torn a vahra. Tha In
V start Oaa Starter lights at ooca. In
ton Ann • mints the new Thermo-Safety Qw«
' motor span. ..the radiants light automatically.
Ms nseod match la needed.
V- PM a Coleman to walk in jroar home ,«*
*toptoelntdownstairs,elL^round the house”...
wbsisew you n—d heat quickly. The New Cole
nan li partible •. • makes end burns its own
to and ask to sse tbs new
- PHONE 73 —
Cleveland
Hardware Co.
“WASHBURN’S”
WHOLESALERS and RETAILERS
HARDWARE AND SPORTING GOODS. j
500,000 below Its former level. To
make matters worse, the city au
thorities estimated that it would
show, for 1928, its normal increase
of 1,100,000. Thus, it will have some
$6,800,000 less than it had planned
on and appropriated for.
"The city will finish this year
with a corporate operating iund
deficit of about $13,000,000," says V.
S. Peterson, deputy city comptroll
er. ‘There are only three possible
remedies.
“We could reduce our corporate
expenses by 32 per cent to absorb
the deficit and get within nex*
year's resources. But that is impos
sible because it would cripple the
fire, police and health department?.
Remedy Is A Puzzle.
“Then we could increase the tax
rate, by special authority cf the
legislature and fund the deficit.. Or
we could drop the equalization fac
tor and assess property values on
the old basis.
“Which will be done I haven't the
faintest idea. But city bond holders
will not suffer. Our bonded debts
will be paid 100 cents on the dollar ”
Here is an example of the incom
petence, favoritism and extrava
gance that caused all this.
Cook county has a board called
the Sanitary Commission, w'hich is
in charge of keeping Lake Michi
gan's water free from sewage uollu
tlon. This board, according to a
competent authority, could for ah
the work it does, be a simple bureau
in the department of public works
But it is a separate organization,
the original happy hunting ground
for grasping politicians.
, Spent *36,000,000.
It is not under civil service. Thus,
in 1927 and 1028, It had some 8,COO
employees, with a total payroll of
close to $36,000,000 a year. It has
been famous for its extravagances.
Some time ago it sent a delegation
to Washington to appear at a hear
ing. Most of the delegation never
reached Washington, but landed In
New York, where they rented most
of a hotel floor, made riotous whoo
pee and eventually got a largs dzsd
bill from the hotel for breakage of
furniture.
The upshot of the whole situa
tion, thus, is that Chicago and Cook
county, because of graft, incompet
ence and favoritism, are out of
money. Employees are getting paid,
in many cases, by vouchers. A little
later on some of them w’ont g»c
paid at all. Extended vacations,
without pay, are in prospect for a
number of them. City contractors
are not being paid.
Washington.—Five representative*
face vigorous contests over their
seates in the house despite the fact
that they have been serving official
ly since tile beginning of the spe
cial session. »
They were seated following re
ceipt by William Tyler Page, house
clerk, of certificates of election from
the state secretaries, but through
out the summer and fall attorneys
have been working on the cases of
both contestants and. con testers and
records are now complete and in the
hands of Mr. Page.
Three election committees will be
organised next week to hear the
contests after the regular session
convenes Monday. They will go into
the records and probably will hold
open hearings.
With the exception of the contest
over the seat held by Representa
tive Ruth Bryan Owen, Democrat,
of the fourth Florida district, the
contest deal with disputes over the
election returns.
W. C. Lawson, Republican candi
date for the Florida seat, charges
Mrs. Owen lost her citizenship when
she married a British arms' offi
cer. Mrs. Owen returned to the Unit
ed Statee after her husband died and
claims to have lived here' a suffi
cient time to have regained her cit
izenship and thus be eligible for her
seat.
Former Representative Harry M
Wurxbach. is contesting the seat of
Representative Augustus McCloeky,
Democrat, of the fourteenth Texas
district. He has declined to relin
quish his office in the house office
building and is understood to have
charged irregularities in Bexar
county, Texas, elections. McCloeky
is a farmer Mayor of San Antonio,
seat of Bexar county.
John Phillip Hill is attempo'.ig to
unseat Representative Vincent L
Palmlsano, Democrat, of the aiird
Maryland district.
Jacob L. Milligan. Democrat, of
the third Missouri district is stout
ly defending his claim to nts sent
against H. F. Lawrence.
Ralph E. Updike, defeated RepuD
lican of the seventh Indiana district,,
is contesting the seating of Louis
Ludlow, Democrat.
After the committees have com
pleted their investigations Into the
cases they will draft reports to be
submitted to the house for uispo
•ttion. Then it will be la-.Wed
whether the five holding the seats
shall keep them.
If a contestor succeeds in unseat
ing a contestee, both will '•sceivc
salaries for service up to the line
of final action, but if the contestor
falls to prove his claims, he will not
receive any compensation other than
the specified amount which the i
lions? provides tor defra.viivj thi|
cost.
Needle In Haystack
' Is Found By Science
Science has at last solved the
problem of feeding the human
race.
Worn-out soils, drouths and
weeds no longer hinder the
growing of crops.
The “‘dirt farmer" must go the
way of the hand scythe and the
spinning wheel, for dirt isn't need
ed.
The wonder is that farmers tnem
selves didn’t discover the truth iong
ago. For years they have bought
commercial fertilizer by the ton.
knowing that each pound contain
ed but a few grains of plant food. ,
The best of soils, like the best of i
fertilizers, consist almost wholly of
elements the plants can’t use. In
order to survive, the plants must
send roots far and wide to search
out and absorb scattered particles
of food that are hidden in a mass
of useless “filler.”
Why not give the plants con
centrated food. and make it in
stantly available?
That is what the University of
California has done. Dr. W. F.
Gericke, head of the University’s
department of plant physiology, pa
tiently experimenting for a period
of five years, has discovered a wav
to grow bountiful crops without soil
and without rainfall.
Plants feed on nitrogen, phos
pharus, magnesia, iron, potassium \
sulphur and calcium.
These elements, placed in small
capsules in various proportions to
suit the needs of different plants,
are fed to growing things as corn
is fed to hogs.
The plants are placed in shallow
cement tanks or small vessels that
contain nothing but water. A cap
sule dropped in the water quickly
dissolves and the plant roots absorb
the whole of its contents.
For the first time in history,
plants get all the food they can
use and their response is amazing.
Pansies, five inches across develop
as if by magic. Cotton loads itself
with full-grown bolls in 90 days.
Potatoes, tomatoes and grains dou
ble and treble their normal yialcl
and mature In two-thirds of ;he us
ual time.
In desert lands an ordinary well
provides water enough for ten acres
of shallow tanks. And puant food
for an acre costs only half as much
as the best commercial fertilizer.
No more plowing, no more crop
(allures. No more praying for rain.
Every back yard and housetop a
prolific garden. Every family feed
ing itself.
yDr. Gericke has emancipated the
man with the hoe.—Fountain Inn
Tribune.
ES5
hk
^ reductions /<p(
o
YOU SAVE UP TO $100.00
ON BRAND NEW
HUDSON-ESSEX
We hare on hand a very limited
number of current model
Hudson and Essex Super-Sixes
that we are offering at attractive
prices. These cars are brand new
and bear a new car guarantee.
Bumpers, spare tire and all other
equipment usually included as
extras are included in these
new low prices.
First come first served. Your
present car will be accepted in
trade. Hudson-Essex finance
charges are exceptionally low.
Get one of these fine big can
that hundreds of thousands of
satisfied owners have been glad
to pay full price for. Here nan
ideal Christmas gift for the
whole family.
9
Y ou will never have another
opportunity like this/
Old Prices
New Prices Yoo Save
Hudson Coach. $1275 $1175 $100
Essex Sedan.945 845 100
Essex Coupe .. 890 790 100
Hudson Roadster .. . 1420 1320 100
Hudson Standard Sedan . 1395 1295 100
Essex Phaeton . . 945 845 100
Above prices are actual delivered prices. tmkuMng spare tire, bampereamd
other equipment for which there is usually extra charge--nothing more to buy}
Shelby
* 'V ‘ j •«
Proportionate Price Reductions On All Used Gars And All Other Hff^tnFain
D. H. Cline
CLIFFSIDE MOTOR CO.
North Carolina
North Carolina
Cliffside
12 IDEAL HOMES 12
AUCTION
FRIDAY AT 10 A. M.
DECEMBER 6th
x
Shelby, N. C.
On the above day and hour we will sell at absolute auction 12 nice homes located in the beat sections ®f
the prosperous and progressive city of Shelby, with all modern conveniences. These home are all financed and
can be paid for on a MONTHLY PAYMENT PLAN. A great opportunity for the man paying rent to buy a
home. Please look them over before the sale and make your selections.
-SALE STARTS PROMPTLY
At 10 A. M.-—The Coy C. Morrison house, 6 rooms and bath. located on the corner of Gidney-DeKalb St.
At 10:15 A. M.—We will sell four 5-room houses located on Elm Street—Better known as Curtis Town.
At 11:00 A. M.—The W. B. McSwain house, 5 rooms and bath, located on Morton Street in South Shelby.
At 11:30 A. M.—-The Ethel Morrison house, located on Ware Street near school.
At 12:00 0*Clock~We will sell three 5-room houses located on Highland Aye. in North Shelby near Lb!?p.
, At 12:30 P. M.—The M. M. Patterson house, located on Blanton Avenue will be sold.
At 1:00 P. M.—The M. R. Weathers house, 6 room stucco dwelling, located on Washington Street will go.
At 1:30 P. F — f « O F-.-P'- —-d Fo - t
MU
These home are all in excellent condition, located in good sections on good streets. This is the largest
Auction Sale of houses and lots ever held in Shelby. Remember—.every house will be a bargain—on Easy
Terms of only TEN PER CENT CASH (10%)—BALANCE MONTHLY, LIKE RENT.
VJTUL
FREE—-25 BIG CHRISTMAS TURKEYS-- FREE
And a down pour of cash will be given away absolutely free at this sale. Remember the day and hour which
is Monday, December 2, 1929, beginning at 10:00 o’clock A. M. Come One—come all. Ladies especially invited.
Band Concert. ' *
CAROLINA LAND CO.
SELLING AGENTS
NEW HOPE REALTY COMPANY, Owner.,
HICKORY, N. C:
DURHAM, N. C.