The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-04-07

Oh Tic pOohS.
Arain. in the last annual report ls IN
item of sI6s,74, paid to the town treas
urer for collecting. Your committee
knousofno law authorizing such disburs-
ment and believe that no such law exists
Nor does vouf committee find any a'l-
thoritv of law whereby the county Treas
urer can charge over two per cent. for re-
ceiving and pavingsout money, yet he has
been in the habit of charging, and retain
ing in his hands five per cent. on all mon
les received and paid out by him.
The county Treasurer is required by
Sec. 100, Chap. 10 r. s., ito kcepra just
and true account of the receipts aud ex-
penditures of all monies which Shall come
into his hands by.yirtuc of his oficc.''.zss
Since 1855 the towns have been charg-
ed with the amount of. tax apportioned to
each " tho county Board, and they have
also been credited upon settlement with
the town Treasures, with the amount Of
cash and orders paid into the; Treasury
and the delinquent tax returned, and this
comprises nearly the sum total of the ac
counts of the office. Many of the items
entered in the. books are without date
There is sales book kept in the Office II
its pages are so detacei and interlined
that is difficult to understand it without
explanations, and it is Consequently almost
useless as a public record. Such records
and accounts, in the opinion ofyoar COM
mittee, do not answer the requirements of
the Statute above quoted,
Sec. SO, Chap. Is, r. S, provides that
any person may discharge the tax's on
any lands returned, by paying the same
with interest at twelve per cent. from the
first of January previous, and lawful
charges to the county Treasurer, at any
time before h " are sold for taxes.
No account of such interest and char
ses, or tn interest and charges received on
certificates assigned, has been kept by the
county Treasurer. Nor has the Trcasur
er kept any account of monies received by
him, for taxes paid to him, and upon re-
demption of lands from sales thereof for
the non-payment Of taxes, as required by
tile first section of Chap. 95, Session Laws.
of 1854.
Sec. Y, Chap. Is, r. S., makes it the
duty of the county Treasurer to file in his
Office a statement of delinquent taxes re-
turned by the town Treasures with their
affidavits Endorsed thereon that the same
are correct. Your committee called upon
the county Treasurer forlists of delinquent
taxes returned by the town Treasurer and
was informed that they had not been pre-
served that they had been lost or de
stroyed-anl NOR over that they were
privatc property, with which &c COM
mittee had no business, showing q adispo-
sition to set aside the plainest provisions
of the, Statute, or an ign rance of the du-
ties of his office, which do not refl2ctmuch
credit upon one holding SO important an
office as that of county Tre:sarer. = 2.
But small part oft the transactions of
the office, as before stated, have been
made matter of record, and many i'm
portant duties have been but partially
performed or entirely neglected. A dis
regard of some of the 'painest provisions
ofthe Statutes and gross neglect of du-
ty as characterized the management Of
the office ever since the organization of
the county, and such is the present con
diticn Of the records and accounts that it
would be impossible to ascertain the true
state ofthc finances of the county or 70 eff
feet satisfactory settlement with the
Treasurer.
Your committee have thus briefly no.
ticed sor1c of the most important errors
in the record and accounts of the county
Treasurer as they have comc under thor
observation. Many others of less impor-
tance-some Of which are but the newt
able result of the imperfect accounts, or
rather the want of any aceolnts-haye
come under the notice of the committee
! ia the course, of their examinations, of
which no mention is deemed necessary,
believing that enough has been exhibited
to satisfy the Boarl of the necessity of a
reform in the manner of keeping the ac-
counts of the Treasurcr's Office and the
adoption of some measures on the part of
the Board to insure mIrc faithfulness in
the discharge Of the duties OF so important
an office as that of county Treasurer.
Your committee have not deemed il
! necessary +" rcco;nmonI a..y plan for
keeping the accounts u the county Treas
urc.T;. rs Instructed by resolution of the
Board. believing that dictation on the
part of the committee would DO unayai[
in, and that no person should have charge
of the Office who is not competent to keep
the accounts OF the office in a manner per.
fcctly Ineligible to men of ordinary bust
ness capacity. A plan for keeping the
accounts of lands sold for taxes and the
redemption of the Same was submitted to
the committee by the Clerk of the Board
and was approved by them, and the nee
essary books have been procured for that
purl o;e. 1....s.e - aHEsH
/ = When Your committee first entered up
on, their duties they called upon the coun-
ty Treasurer and informed him of theil
business and asked his cooperation. The
Treasurer placed in the hands of the com
mittee statement which is herewith sub
mitted to the Board. ..s., - T..
Your committee would invite the at
| tention of the Board to the last annual
report of the county Treasurer. The
committee have spent much time in vain
attempts to unravel the mysteries, but
have been obliged to abandon it as be-
yond their capacity to fathom.
-, G. w. CAIRNS,
0. STRAHL. ~;
Dated Prescott, Wis, March %, 1858