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MAYOR DELIVERS STRONG MESSAGE Continued from Pen One. my judgment, of extreme importance that'no further delay should be coun tenanced in so important an investiga tion and that a prompt determination of the matter should be had in order that public "confidence may be restored. Electric Lighting. The careless, Inattentive attitude on the part of the company holding the contract for public electric lighting to . ward the fulfillment of its obligations is a matter of public notoriety. Upon nearly every stormy night the public streets of the City of Ventnor are left in utter darkness. I presume that deductions are made from the contract price for the hours during which the lights are out, but the purpose of pub lic street lighting is for the safety of 0 the people and some means should be w devised whereby this company can be compelled to fulfill not only its public contracts but its franchise obligations as well. Street Railways. The unsatisfactory condition of ser vice below Portland avenue by the company furnishing street railway transportation in the City of Ventnor has been a matter of deep concern to all of the. residents of the city west of that avenhe. It is the important busi ness of the governing body to see that all sections of the city are treated alike and that what advantages one section has the other shall as well ^njoy. Not only is this fundamental, but all sections of the city are bound to suffer in the future because of the lack of improvement or the character of improvements which are bound to follow in a section of the city not properly provided with passenger transportation. , In this connection, the status of the contract with the __ Atlantic City & Shore Railway Company concerning n the loop at Portland avenue is of great importance. The expiration of the company’s right to occupy the prop erty and terms and conditions upon which a new contract shall be entered into should-be well known to all of the members of Council and thorough ly well considered by them in advance of the time of its expiration. . Beachfront Parks. There has always existed in the minds of the public of Ventnor City a question as to the exact condition of the titles to the land oceanward of the Boardwalk and known as thd beach or ocean-front park. An investigation of the exact condition of these titles is necessary and important in order that such improvements as Council may from time to time deem necessary on the beachfront shall not be begun when there is a possibility of the land or improvement reverting to private ownership by the increase in the area of the shore. Street Ends—Thoroughfare Side. In many instances the city has not acquired riparian rights at the street ends of the Thoroughfare side'of the city. Bulkheads have been erected, sometifties at private and sometimes at public expense, which encroach upon lands owned by the state, and the effort has been made to make the street ends uniform with both driveway and- side walk improvements, which also some times encroach upon lands owned by the state. A determined effort should ho made to acquire title to these street ends in order that the improvements so made will not be destroyed and in order that they may be permanently maintained. * U H/UWV. Some provision should be made for a new railing on the old part of the Boardwalk and for replanking that part which is not subject to the pres ent contract. All of the lamp posts on the Boardwalk are In need of paint and before the Spring season should be cleaned and properly painted Water Reservoir. At the earliest possible opportunity a water reservoir should be built in connection with the water works. It is possible at the present time to sup ply the city from the standpipe and by direct pumping all of the water need ed for domestic consumption as well as for public purposes, but the con sumption of water is increasing every year, particularly during the summer and unless a reservoir is shortly built it is within the probabilities that the city will flnd! itself unable to supply the demand for water during at least two or three months of the year. Schools. ' Ventnor City can justly pride itself upon its school properties and facili ties and the character of its teaching staff, and its generally commendable '-system of public education. A great deficiency, however, that must be sup plied in the near future, is the lack of a high school curriculum. Whether in order to institute such a curriculum requires the erection of a new build ing or not is a matter that is some what in doubt and upon which, after mature consideration, I hope later to address this Council. The liberality of this Council towards the schools of Ventnor City is cause for deep thank fulness and the members of the Coun cil are entitled to their feeling of pride in the results that have been accomplished in this department. Bathing Beaches. The newly acquired bathing beaches Should be beautified and ornamented to comport with the beauty of the city. Bulkheads should be built upon either side and the streets extended and properly paved as soon as the finances necessary can be acquired. Streets and. Sidewalks. Not much can be done to improve the sidewalk condition of the city. The policy of Council in this respect should be followed as extensions to streets may require, but the increased traffic upon the driveways of the streets makes necessary a more per manent top >8urface. In such a city as ours a hard surface is not desirable, but a mixture of broken stone with the gravel would form a sort of ma cadam that would probably hold the surface of the streets more firmly than at present and be sufficiently durable to take care of the present character and volume of traffic. Rubbish and Weeds on Lots. Council has from time to time caus ed the rubbish and weeds to be remov ed from vacant lots. It is regrettable that there are pedple who profit from the beautification of neighborhoods and yet fail to keep their own vacant, un improved lots in presentable shape. Council should take stringent meas ures every year to clean up these lots at the expense of such property own ers. Bulkheads. In the second ward a number of the bulkheads on' the beach-front were washed down during the storm of some years ago'and have since pre sented a deplorable appearance, dis couraged improvement in that .section and are becoming the subject of gener al comment. It would appear to be a splendid opportunity for the city to acquire some of thjit property for an extension of its public park system. Ways and means would, of course, have to be devised and the suggestion is made to Council now without ma ture consideration and for the purpose of inducing Council to give the sub ject of the desirability of acquiring such property a proper investigation. Fire-Apparatus. • The fire apparatus of the city through constant use, depreciation and new invention, is becoming obsolete. A program looking to its gradual re habilitation should be adopted at an early moment. Police and Fire Bonuses. . The city is not in a position to in crease permanently the salaries paid to policemen and firemen. At the same time the city ‘must recognize that the tremendous demands of pres ent day prices constitute an unforseen drain upon the’salaries of men so em ployed. I suggest, therefore, that a system of bonuses during the emer gency be • employed to relieve the shrinkage fn .the purchasing value of the present salaries of this class of employees. Mercantile Tax. All men presently concerned with governmental affairs are investigating every economic system to enable them to find some method of taxation which will either relieve the burden upon real estate or provide against the ne cessity of increasing that burden. Taxes must come from some other source than real estate. In Ventnor City the opportunity is present by the adoption of a properly drawn mercan tile ordinance to obtain many thous ands of dollars of additional revenue without placing the burden of an addi tional dollar upon the people of Vent nor. Ventnor City is one of few cities ! in the state of New Jersey that has not a mercantile license tax. #This subject should be investigated and the ordinance adopted before the coming summer in order to provide the addi tional source of revenue so much need ed by the city today. Compilation of Laws and Ordinances. This Council has, ever since the city was organized, adopted from time to time laws and ordinances for the gov ernment of the city. Those laws and ordinances are only to be found in the minute books kept by the City Clerk. Even the laws of ancient Rome, under the emperors, had to be published be fore they became a law, and while it was true that some of the emperors, in order to hide the law from the peo ple, hung the tables upon the towers of the temples, they were nevertheless subject to the light of day and there fore, in a sense, published. Even this method is not adopted in the city of Ventnor, so that it is practically im possible for anyone interested to find out anything about the laws or ordi nances of the city from actual exami nation of them. It is quite important, therefore, that the laws and ordinances of the City of Ventnor should be com piled and published for official and public use. I have endeavored to sketch, in a brief way, the important matters be fore the City Council. I know that some of these matters are under con sideration by the members of this body. I have no doubt that all of them have been given some more and some less thought. Some are not pres ently feasible because of the present great expense, but are suggested as a general policy, looking toward the con summation of such of the changes as seem advisable to the members of this Council, and in a few years perhaps all of these changes will be realized. The progress of the City of Ventnor, its public improvements, its beauty, its attractiveness as a residential city, its general tone and advancement de pend upon the most alert and faithful performance of their duties by the public officials of the city. I hope to lend my aid to all of the officials of the city in the performance of their duties. It is my.purpose and inten tion to devote a considerable part of my time to the direction and adminis tration of the affairs of the city and to maintain an executive and adminis trative office in the City building. As occasion may require I shall from time to time further address you upon i questions of public welfare. If criti cisms are offered I hope they shall be ; constructive and that it will be possi ble for all of the departments and the officers of the city during the coming administration to work in complete harmony, with the interest, improve ment and advancement; of the city stnd the happiness of its people as the sole objects of official consideration, and may we have the pleasure, at the end of our terms, of looking back and see ing that our official duties were well performed in a spirit of harmony and friendship. I wish you all a very Happy New Year. INCOME TAX IN A NUTSHELL. WHO? Single persons who had net income of $1,000 or more for the'year 1920; married couples who had net income of $2,000. WHEN? March 15, 1921, is the final date for filing returns and making first payments. WHERE? Collector of Internal Rev enue for district in which the person resides. HOW? Pull directions on Form 1040A and Form 1040; also the law and regulations. WHAT? Four per cent normal tax on taxable income up to $4,000 in ex cess of exemption. Eight per cent normal tax on balance of taxable in come. Surtax from 1 per cent to 65 per cent on net incomes over $5,000. SCOUTS TAKE HIKE. Members of Troop' 17, Boy Scouts of America, of this city, went for a hike to Absecon on New Year’s Day, and upon arrival were invited by A. H. Cremona, of the Ideal Farm, to have refreshments. After luncheon they staged an athletic meet on the spaci ous grounds of the farm. Among the boys who enjoyed the outing were: Wiliam Burch. Scout Master: Jack Van Praag. Assistant Scout Master; Napoleon Van Praag, ’ Senior Patrol; William Bach, Bruce Dimon, F. Fan nan, John Cochran, George Fenley and Max Van Praag. INSTALL OFFICERS. Following the regular monthly meet ing of the Margate City Republican Club a banquet givep in honor of the newly elected officers was enjoyed by the members at the home of Gottlieb Strotbeck, Jefferson and Winchester avenues. The newly elected officers were in stalled by Republican Countv Com mitteeman C. C./Chester. The itst follows: President, Carl M. Voelker; first vice-president, Hon. Josiah Nor cross; second vice-president, William Whittacker; secretary, Orrey C. Hills: treasurer, Lorenzo Bye; membership committee, John W. Risley, chairman. William Whittaker, Lorenzo Bye, Er nest Rau and Henry Gertzen; house committee. Albert Fulmer, chairman, Gottlieb Strotbeck. Joel Kelly, Norman McConnell and T. D. Hodson; auditing committee, C. C. Chester. Anthony Gertzen, Jr., and Seth Page. Others present included Lewis Harris and Al bert Whittaker. „■ \mm winks • Now Playing At Woods. “Tiddledy Winks", I. H. Herk’s sen sational success, will appear at the Woods for the balance of this week. Mr. Herk has succeeded in getting to gether one of the best casts for his show known in the realm of burlesque. A new two act musical comedy has been provided which gives those two famous comedians, Harry S. LeVan and Ambark-Ali ample scope to dis play their versatility and talents. This spectacular.production is des tined to be the “snining light" in the burlesque field for a long time to come because of the fact that it contains everything that is new and up-to-date that comes under the heading of sen sations and novelties. The book, written by Arthur Harrisbn, is replete with comedy situations and witty .dia logue. The splendid cast in addition to the featured artists already mentioned, is composed of several of the most prom inent and capable artists in the vaud eville and musical comedy fields, and includes Arthur Harrison. Ruth Has tings. Pears Briggs, Rdith Lyons and Geo. Reynolds. DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS Colonial To Show Star’s Latest. Those who attend the Colonial The atre on any of the four days beginning tomorrow to witness Douglas Fair banks’ latest United Artists produc tion, “The Mark of Zorro,” will notice Miss Marguerite De LaMotte who acts the part of the aristocratic and roman tic Lolita. Some folks possess a con ception that all those eminating front the Latin race must necessarily pos sess a dark or swarthy complexion People will note that Miss DeLaMotte fails to fill that requirement in that she appears to be somewhat of a light er hue; thereby upsetting more or less m established theory. As a matter of fact, many of the aristocrats of Spain claimed to be free from all admixture with the darker Dlood of the natives, a proof being supposed to lie in the blue veins that showed in their fairer skins. Hence he care and preciseness displayed by 'Doug" and Director Fred Niblo in selecting Miss DeLaMotte for the fern nine lead—exclusive of her dramatic ibility. Incidentally her initial ap pearance before the camera, was with ;he Fairbanks’ organization in the pro luction of "Arizona.” She had also ittained considerable prominence upon he legitimate stage previous to her idvent upon the screen. INSURANCE IS IMPORTANT Are Your Household Furniture, Personal Effects, Jewelry and Furs Properly Protected? : i CALL 2240 HARRY L. GODSHALL INCORPORATED GUARANTEE TRUST BUILDING «^»^»»g!»si»sgHg-»ag3gais«^sai!ag-as»»:».asa£»8ea83asas?sa *»»*** v.*9*v*i&**if****:**v*v?#*** t’Zjt-ts trsvti VERY SPECIAL OFFERINGS -IN USED CARS— BOTH CLOSED AND OPEN i ======= EASTERN MOTOR CO. 2207 ATLANTIC AVE PHONE -1078 •>A***,t)iA**xx'*;*A < «« < « *'*'**>**:# *•;**'( Lincoln Roadability is a fact—notan advertising fancy. How ever sceptical you may have been as to the possibility of improvement in the roadability and riding qualities of present day cars, one ride in the New Lincoln will convince you that the Lelands have achieved the ultimate in roadability. Cuskaden Brothers 2008 Atlantic Avenue * 35 t tf * ® H * B * B * • » * n 35C • B SALE Now Going On IN HOUSEFURNISHINGS AND HOTEL SUPPLIES J. B. Scanlan Co. “The Store Worth Knowing About” 1917 Atlantic Avenue t l PHONE 391-J *>>ss»s»s»»*r- >o<xgaacgaofgo. -^o itaa^xpaannra^ra ADOLPHUS GREEN i Plastering Contractor ! JOBBING PROMPTLY ATTENDED TO j 11 N. Victoria Bell Phone 7667 Subscribe now for the Ventnor New* J. M*thi» j Vau^rban Mnth Bell F'tuiue 2IttiV hmM PUooe 7070-Vfr - J. Mathis &Son Contractors^* and-* Builders .>42-3-4-5-6 tiotiiatw Truat Building Atlanttr C*tyf N. J.