Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-08-27
THE COUNTY.
Commissioner White has a Word
or two to Say.
He Reviews the Situation and is
Very Sanguine.
A Document to be Carefully Studied
by the Grand Jury Report.

by the Grand Jury Report.
Want of space compels us TO con
dense the following letter of Commits
sioner White, but we have been care
full to preserve all of his speculatiOns,
guess-Work and figures. This we do
in order that he may have an OppOr-
tunity of being heard by the public
who are deeply Interested in the fu-
ture of Shelby county, which w hope
will not much longer be entrusted TO
the control Of the present Commits
siOners:
Gentlemen Of the. Board Of Commits
SjORers: There being a marked differ
ence between us as to the amount of
tax which is required to satisfy present
demands and the accruing eXpendi-
lures of the county for the balance of
the year-yOu believing a larger per
centage is called for than l think nee
esSary, l respectfully submit the fol-
lowing statement and reasons for my
conclusions:
For the purpose of arriving at the
percentage which should be levied, l
first intend giving a list of the items
provided for, and which will not have
to be this year, (nO like claims will or
can possibly be made upon the county
again,) and then give the items
Especial and general) of expenditures
which must be promptly met.
Under the first, or those what have
been settled, are: Completing new
Jail, SD, 600; old jail expenses, $4,000.
S23,304 has been expended in and
about new Jail since it was received.
There is no possibility OF there being
any necessity of spending one-third of
that amount in years TO come. There
fore it is safe to say at least twO-thirds
of the above amount will be saved, OF
SIG, 600.
Under the last bid for burying the
paupers, there will be saved over last
year $4,000. At the rate reported by
Commissioned Merriman, there will
be saved in stationery $1,000.
The general character of the bridges
is go0d-few needing repairing and
but few to build-they mostly small.
Here will be q saving of at least
$4,000. Ali the county offices have
been supplied with good safes at a cost
of about $500. We have also paid
for paving in front of the county prop
ertY $237I. Also settledtaX collectors
bill for 1861, amounting to 1882. Ia
ken up old warrants issued by Judges
Petit and Leonard, more than we
shall have to do this year, at least
$1,000.
Last year we paid to Chas. Johnson
and others, for indexing, $5508; this
year it will not be over twelve or tif-
teen hundred dollars, n saving Of
$4,000. We have allowed for losses ON
warrants to county officials, where the
law fyed the price, Z legal claim,
which we believe cannot be again
made, of ST., 900. We have paid the
committee for preparing plats of the
city for assessors, and examining and
comparing assessments with the same
$4,000. John League, for making out
list of outstanding warrants, $500.
The several years Indebtedness to
the State Insane Asylum has been set
tied, over and above the ordinary ex-
penSes, of about $1,000. Your order
refusing to pay the Jail guard will
save directly and Indirectly $1,000.
we have refunded taxes, which in ali
! probability will never again be re-
quired, amounting to $500. There
has been expended for fitting up and
furnishing the several Courteous and
offices, including the new Criminal
Courtroom and office, $l0,S5l 80. The
cost hPreafteF will only be for wear
and tear. There has been paid TO
Commissioners Davis, Sears, William
son and Williams, for registering
voters, ian item which | cannot con-
ceive, or believe there will be much
of any claim for in the %future), 1896.
The expense of running the Crimi-
! nal Court last year was not less than
fifty. if not sixty thousand dollars. A
reduction of this Court and Jail ex-
penses will amount to twenty-five
thousand dollars.
The expenditures for the year end
ing December 81, 1868, including the
foregoing, were 1896, 9gl 50; d~educting
the abQYa S253,hiQ, We have sl35,S
45l 80. Thus our expenditures for
! 1869, ON the basis of 1868, would be the
above. = X = 4 The outstanding
debt of the county on the lst inst,
| was 1898, SOB 50 on warrants issued by
us. In this amount is included alt er-
! peRSeS for SereB months Of this year,
I which amount must be deducted from
the Sl34,45I. Seven months eXpen-
Sos, SIS, 800. Balance to meet for five
months, S55,46l. Add the Mississippi
I River Railroad bonds falling due
($j0,000). Interest on the whole
: $500, 900 issued in favor of said road
falling due, $4,000. Past due coupons
of the Memphis and Ohio Railroad
bonds, Including those due on the lst
J Of lctokeF neat, 500, litI. Interest ON
] the same, say so, 600. Judgments in
favor of w. II. Cherry and others,
' So 225. Under the statute we must
levy a tax to pay judgments. This
! glgea US tire slaQunt Qfthe current eE-
/ pepseS for this year, $500, 6SB.
The taxable property for this year
is $37, ~, 49G.
Qaducting the odd hundred thou
: sands for claims allowed on property
over assessed, and q tax of one dollar
! on the hundred will give us S3T0,Q00.
Allowing, again, that One-ffth of
this amount is not collected, we would
lose s74,guli But say we lose lq fOAnd
numbers $4,000, we then have COL
, lecCeQ S0UillNl. 4euuctiNS tHt ca
! nenditures, that is, the s26S $50, we
have remaining $aI,ali,
Further, in the amount Of warrants
issued since the first of January last,
are the sl7 900 loss on warrants, $2000
to the Registrars, S5q0Q for mFniture,
$500 to John League, and $1,000 for
preparing assessment plats. One dol
! lar and ten cents on the one huns
gred will give US, including the
ahoye, q surplus Of S73,353,
Our outstanding debt, in round
numbers is about 100000 dollars,
42,225 of which is in Judgments and
the above tax provides for it, leaving
257, T76 dollars. in q few months the
unpaid interest coupons of Shelby
county will all be paid of, when the
! craditn of Shabby nnIlntu with it, small