STATEMENT AS TO ASSESSED VALUE OF BROCKVILLE.
Mr. Gardner. I wish to ask the mayor of Brockville what the assessed valuation of the town is.
Mr. Dewey (city clerk, Brockville). The assessed valuation of the town is about $5,000,000, and the population 9,500.
Mr. Gardner. What is your rate of taxation?
Mr. Dewey. Thirty mills this year.
Mr. Gardner. What is your basis of value; is it full value?
Mr. Dewey. No. Under the law it is supposed to be.
Mr. Powell. Is that a supposition contrary to the fact?
Mr. Dewey. Taking it on the whole, I presume it would be 75 or 80 per cent of the value.
Mr. Gardner. It is high enough at that rate, I should think. What is your indebtedness?
Mr. Dewey. The net debt, including public utilities, is $600,000.
Mr. Magrath. What do your public utilities cover?
Mr. Dewey. Electricity, gas, and water.
Mr. Powell. Is there any surplus from the supply of electricity, gas, and water?
Mr. Dewey. There is a slight surplus over the operating charges and the amount necessary to take care of the debt.
Mr. Gardner. How are you paying that? Is it by a sinking fund?
Mr. Dewey. Some of it. Some of it is payable in annual installments. We issue debentures both ways.
Mr. Powell. Is your debt diminishing or increasing?
Mr. Dewey. I think it is diminishing. Our local improvement debt constitutes the bulk of the debt.
Mr. Powell. And these public utilities carry themselves?
Mr. Dewey. Yes. The local improvement indebtedness is paid largely by the property owners.
Mr. Magrath. It might be well to state for the information of those gentlemen who have come here from a distance that we are to hear this afternoon Mr. Paterson, an expert in the matter, in reference to methods of treating pollution. It might be interesting to these gentlemen to stay here to hear Mr. Paterson.
Mr. Powell. It may interest these gentlemen, because Mr. Paterson claims that the municipalities could make a large profit out of the treatment of this sewage.
Mr. Gardner. You would be able to pay off your indebtedness, perhaps, if you took Mr. Paterson’s advice.
(The commission took recess for luncheon.
After the luncheon recess.)