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Oknti.kmi:x : At this, the first reguhir niectiiig of tlic new Council for the year, I have thought niiglit l)e well to briefly review our progress during 1S95, and as it were take Stock of our Assets and Liabilities. When the Town was iucor{)orated in 1890 aud the first loan contracted, the Council of that da}', rightly I believe, adopted the principle of using its credit to assist the individual proprietors to provide themselves with Drainage, Roads, and the other accessories which go to make property valuable. The wisdom of this course is pro\ ed by the Valuation Roll, which has increased steadilv from $4,294,379 in 1890 to $7,428,430 in 1895, and as additional proof that this augmentation is not fictitious, I would add that of $1,500,000 increase in the last two years, nearl}' $600,000 is represented by buildings, of which 132 have been erected in 1895 aiif" loi in 1894, and the iDopulation has in- creased from about 2,cco in 1890 to nearly 4,cco in 1895. The debt of the Town is to-day $700,000 of which there has been expended on Drains, $355,- 000. Roads, Quarr}', Yard and Plant $197,000, Town Hall, Fire Station, Fire Alarm vSystem, etc. $31,000, and the balance in awards which are in process of repayment by the parties interested. AnJ here, I wish to say a word about criticism which has appeared from time to time as to the proportion which our debt bears to our valuation roll. If these critics would but remember that if we had adopted the usual plan of compelling cash payments by proprietors for Drainage and Roads our debt would be diminished by $185,000 under the former account and $132,000 under the latter, or a total of about $317,000, leaving our actual debt under $400,000, I think they would be com- pelled to admit that Westmount has not expended more than was justifiable in bringing itself up to ^ • 3 the requirements of modern civilization. I am glad to sa}^ that investors, who are perhaps the best, as they are the most impartial judges cf the true finarcial condition of Municipalities seem to have faith in the soundness of our position, for whereas in 189 1 when the first issue of 4 per cent bonds was made we could not get more than 95 for them, we were able last summer to sell the balance of our last loan at loi ]{ . Now let us see what the owner of land worth, for example $1,000, has to pay as his share of the debt incurred to make Westmount a g;ood place to live in. He will pay as a fixed charge for 40 years for every foot frontage for his drain, ... - 9 1-50 He will pay as a fixed charge for 14 years for the Road in front of his property, - - - 12 Total, 21 1-5C Or on a frontage of 25 feet, - - - - $5 30 He will pay for his share of the General Drainage of the Town, Intercepting Sewers, Tolls to Montreal, St. Cunegonde and St. Henri for passage of Sewage through the Sewers of these Cities - $i.io (over) $6.40 Ca tried fonva rd $6.40 Vk\x Cross Sections of Roads, Quarry, Dep'n of riant, ctc\ . . r . . . 0.8S I'or Town Hall, Hire station. Fire alarm, etc. - 0.22 lM»r interest and sinkini; fund on such portions of exj)roi)riations as have been levied over the Town, - - - - - - - 0.29 Makinij a charge on Ciij^ital Account annually of $7.79 Now if a house, valued on the roll at $4,000, is built on this lot, the taxes for the current ex- penses of the Town on the total valuation of $5,000 will be at present as follows : Police and Fire Department, Administration. ...... Walter, - ...... Light, Roads, - ..-..> Health, - - - Farks, - ...... A total of We therefore find th:it tlie owner (jf this property iis.ses:-;ed at >5,ooo, the \ alue of which on the ord- inary basis of assessment would be from $7,ocx) to 5'*'7,500, v.*ill pay in all ^^37. 79 per annum, which lie may at any time reduce to $32.49 by repaying to the Town the balance of the loan it has $4-50 540 3.20 5-90 6.45 1.40 $30.00 \ \ 1 made hiiii to build the drain aud tlie road in front of his property. The Council have endeavored as far as pos- sible to expend on each section of the Town its fair proportion of the amounts raised on the credit of the whole for improvements, as will be shown by the following figures giving the relative areas and values of what is known as the High Level compared with the Low Level, and the amounts spent upon each — the line of division followed being Cote St. Antoine Road east to Mountain Avenue, and then up to the level of High Street to the City limits. HKVH I.KVI 1. Area, iS,.)')4,iio ft. Value of Land aiul Buildiiisfs, - - }[,i\i/h4'~i'=2o \^.c. Diains payable by Frontage picprielors, 38,652=^1 i).c. I'roportioii of cost of DraitiaRe System payable by the Town charged to each Level .... 34. 240=20 p.c. Roads payable by Frontage proprietors, 26 bi^.42—22'4 p.c. 9^,254 41 =:77,',i p.c. Town's Share of Road.s, Quarry, elc, 18,394. 27=^2^^ p.c. 63,o<)3.32=77J^ p.c. I.f)W LEVM. :S, 020.37 1 '*• -\S.<«i.935="^op.c. 147,02C;=:79 p.c. t^5<'oS=Ho p c. It is a matter of great satisfaction to me that during the year just closed, it has been possible to secure for the use of the inhabitants of West- iiioniit as a Park about 15'.' acres of land, hclwccii v^licrbrooke Street aiul Western A\enne known as the vSniiili, Watson and Murray jn-opcrties, on a lease, with option of jMirchase, at any time within ten years fr.r <2i the Ihiiversity reserve ; tliis is also lieUl on lease witli rij;-ht of purcliase. I>irect cotnniuiiicalion has been made with ihe Corporaii.n ()nair\- bv means of a road from the top of Mount Pleasant Avenue and this will also conn t with a road en- cireli.i.^ the Univcrsit\' reserve. d' the Ouarry Road about $4,600 has been spent, most of tlie stone used on the Town streets liaving been taken from there. I cannot leave this brief review of the past year's work without recording- my appreciation of the cheerful, intelligent and painstaking manner in which the oflFicials in the emplo}- of the Town have performed their duty, and of this, the condi- tion of their several Departments to-day is the best evidence. For the coming Year the programme is not an extensive one, and I do not think it will be neces- 8 sar\' to expend an\' considerable amount on Capital Account. No work of any magnitude is contem- plated, but only such necessary' road making and drainage as the opening up of hitherto undivided properties for building purposes may necessitate ; as these will be of a local character, the burden will fall almost exclusively on the proprietors in- terested. It is not pro])osed to expend much upon the Parks, simply for the present to clear off the underbrush and make such paths tlirough themas will render them accessible to our people. In conclusion I can only express the hope that when at the end of my year of office I retire, and m}'- successor presents his statement of this yearns work, the record of stead}^ progress may have been continued, and Westmount may have still further substantiated its claim to rank as one of the model towns of the Dominion. FRED. W. EVAHS, 7'fl^KVOR, -if lJ> j'^iV'fii'-ril.i.i J