Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-01
The County Beard.

Its labors for the yesr-and states, in
substance, that the record Of It's action
is now open for criticism; to approval
or disapproval. We do not wish or in
tend to do the Board, or any member
thereof, injustice; and we wish right
here to thank the Board as a whole.
and especially those members who were
arrive in guiding It's action in that be-
half, for the defeat Of the several tax
certificate bills. which, had they been
allowed, would have loaded our county
with an additional debt of many thou
sands of dollars. It is doubtless pref
ty generally understood that there
were outstanding ta1-certifcates to the
amount of 1926, 600 or $50, 900 which it
was generally believed were invalid and
legal charge against the County.
Bills were made out by the several
owners and filed with the Clerk, and it
at one time looked as though the Coun-
ty would have them to pay, with inter-
est. Without attempting to explain
the manner in which it was done, the
Board at its last meeting, defeated the
whole batch. and we understand they
are dead beyond recall. The commit
tee who had the mana cement of these
claims in charge, Supervisor Neeves at
its head, are entitled to special praise
for the great service done the public by
the manner in which their duty was
performed.
We regret that we cannot speak
equally approvingly of all the proceed
ings of the Board at it's last meeting,
but candor compels Us to disapprove its
action in two important matters, at
least The County bought at Sheriff
sale sometime ago, some four hundred
thousand feet Of lumber, in full dis
charge of certain delinquent taxes
against John Rablin. This lumber
could have been sold for cash, at any
time within the past two weeks for six
dollars thousand, where it lies. An
offer has been made Of $6.08 per thou
sand, and our shrewdest lumbermen
regard that as all the lumber is worth,
in view of the scarcity Of money, and
the uncertainties which surround the
lumber market. Instead IF selling the
lumber at the price named for cash,
the Board offered it to Mr. Rablin at
the same price on six months time,
with seven per cent. interest; and this
at time when the County's credit is
being hawked upon the market, at
eighty cents on the dollar, for the pur-
pose of raising means to repair the
County Bridge. We do not believe
any sane man would thus transact bust
ness of his own, and we insist that the
Board of Supervisors, and each MEM
Der thereof is bound by his oath, and
honor TO guard the interests of the
County with a vigilance and economy
equal to that with which he would pro-
tect his own important private interests.
1t is due to some members of the Board
20 state that they voted to sell the lum-
Der to Mr. r. on the terms stated, be-
cause they were convinced that to do
so was the only way to prevent the
lumber from being disposed of at
much greater disadvantage to the coun-
ty.
We complain, too, at the action of
the Board in allowing one half of the
old Dexter small pox bill, amounting,
We believe TO something near a thou
sand dollars, and referring the other
half to committee with power to audit
and allow it. This bill had once been
rejected by the Board. IF an appeal
was not taken from the order rejecting
it, then the bill was dead, and the
Board had no power TO act u,on it.
If an appeal was taken, Gas is claimed, }
then the matter was in the hands of
the Court, where the legal questions in
volved could be satisfactorily settled
The action of those who were interested
in the allowance of the bill. in getting
the matter again before the Board,
instead of leaving it to the
Court where they claimed it was
pending, shows they had little
sonfasnse in the justice OF legality of