The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-05-31
COUNTY FINANCES.
VANCOUVER, w. T., May 2Sth, 1877.

Your issue of last week contains an article
discussing the propriety of enacting law req
quiring the County to pay interest on all
outstanding orders semi-annually, and you
seem to approve the plain, as do. But,
after reading the report contained in your
parVr, of the proceedings of the Board of
Coo6ty Commissioners, at its last session,
am of the opinion that it would be well
enough to inquire if there is not some way of
cutting down the expenses of the County;
taxes paid, no matter how large it is, will
make no difference, as the bills against the
County will always be quite as large. Let
us look at the, report, and find out, if we
can, where the taxpayers money goes.
There is no meeting of the Board which is
not flooded, as it were, with road petitions
and reports thereon No matter where the
road is to start from, or where to end, the
petition is sure to be granted. Twelve men
sign petition, the signatures are usually in
pencil, indicating that it is signed just where
the men can be found, and, as it costs moth
ing to sign the petition, why, anyone will
sign it. 1t is presented to the Board, view
ers are appointed, and, on a given day, the
army of viewers, chainmen and axemen meet,
make out report, or rather sign report
made out for them, the people outside know
or care nothing about it, and do not remon-
strate, the road is declared public high
way and ordered to be opened as SUCH" A.
B., c. d., Z. F., viewers, G. H. and /. j.,
chainmen, L. NJ, axeman, each allowed Sc
for three days service. The Surveyor has
S. per day, Sl5, making in all S5l There
goes the interest on $500, not counting the
time Of the Commissioners, Auditor, Sheriff,
etc. Where the road is, or why it was
wanted, "a whether the road ever will be
opened, or travelled if opened, say nothing.
Let the taxpayers pay the bill. That is
their part. This is only sample. The rec
ord shows that seven petitions were received
and referred ''to the appropriate committee"
at the last session of the Board. The ques-
ton arises, whose fence is got in the way
now? Have we not now more roads than
are worked or used? Have the Commits
sioners ever reflected that the law says, they
shall allow the petition, ''the Commissioners
being satisfied that such road will be of pub
lie utility? And yet, let one man want a
road to enable him to straighten his fence, or
to run the other side of his barn, and he finds
1t easier to get up petition and get twelve
men to sign it, than to move his barn him
self. The Commissioners should remember
that roads are for the public, they are to pay
the bills, and their rights should be consid-
cred
/ next call attention to the matter of pau
pers. In looking over the report find some
rather singular allowances. One merchant
furnishes goods for one pauper, $40. IS, for
another, Sol 05, another merchant for $ll.5
What kind of provisions, and upon what au-
thority were they furnished: l wonder if
any canned fruit or the like was furnished.
The County Commissioners are vested with
the entire and exclusive superintendent of
the poor. Did they superintend this, or did
the paupers get what they wanted and have
it charged to the dear people: Then
find, one man hauls wood for pauper, the
bill is presented, $40 80. Let it be paid.
Another pauper says to wood hauler, ''You
haul me load of wood and charge it to the
County" Certainly, madam. The wood is
hauled In comes the. bill Let it be paid.
Now, as a Taxpayer, l do say this is very
loose work. 1t is wrong. If people are poor
and needy, let them be helped; but let the
help come in the shape of a regular allow
ance Let it be help. Let them bear a part
of the burden themselves. But if they are
to be able to get meat here, wood there, and
provisions at another place, and the bills be
sent to the Commissioners and by them paid
people will begin to think the world owes
them living, and that it is rather creditable
to be paupers. Hauling forty dollars worth
OF wood for a pauper when all around our
streets and on the public square are chips,
bark, broken sticks and the like, that could
be had for the picking up; but why do that
when the County will pay forty dollars to
one, and four and 20 to another for haul
ing wood. Why, Sir, there are men in this
town who are well to do, and who remember
the time when they picked up chips and the
like for fire wood, and they are not ashamed
to tell it. They were not ashamed to do
any honest thing to earn living, but they
would have been ashamed to ask anyone to