Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-01-27
COUNTY CoNsoLlDATION.

COUNTY CoNsOEiDAIIoN.
There was considerable talk shortly
after the Legislature convened OF a prop
osition to unite some of the counties OF
the State and thereby reduce the num-
Der of county governments. This we
conceive to be q measure the Importance
of which overshadows anything that
has so far come up for legislative dis
~cussion, and we are somewhat surprised
that, up 20 the present, nothing mate
rial seems to have been reached in the
consideration OF the matter, if, IN fact,
the proposition is not kept entirely in
allowance. 1t is universally known that
no further very considerable reduction
can be made in the expenses OF our State
government except by constitutional
amendment. Even the saving thus cal
culated on is insignificant when compared
with the. possible reduction Of eXpendi-
ture in county government. This is the
leak at the buughole. The tax for State
purposes is 90 cents on the 500. Fol
county purposes it is as follows, exelu-
sive OF the cost of municipal government:
Churchill, 81 80; Douglas, 81 10; Elko,
81 So: Esmeralda, 81; Eureka, 81 20;
Humboldt, 81 10; Lander, s.; Lincoln,
81 50; Lyon, 3 Is; Nye, 81 So: 0rms-
by, 81 -; Storey, 81; Washoe, 81 30;
White Pine, 81 50.
Now, why could not Storey, Lyon,
Ormsby and Douglas be merged into
one county ? Why might not Washoe
and Churchill be consolidated And, to
carry the process of uniication further,
why not Eureka and White Pine
be placed under one county govern
ment, the same Of Humboldt and
Elko, of Lincoln and Nye and
Lander and Esmeralda? This arrange
ment would reduce the number Of ex-
pensive and burdensome county govern
ments from IA to ), thus looping off
nine county organizations. OF course
this is merely a hint, and is not thrown
out arbitrarily. As to the particular
counties to be brought together under
the same government, that can be deter
mined better by those Immediately
affected by the consolidation. We merely
make the suggestion, in an entirely I'M
official way, for those in Office to con-
slider. Ii only one or TWO county organ
izations could be wiped out there would
be an almost immediate rebound in mat
tiers Of finance that would result in pro-
found relief. AS d striking example of
what we aim at, OF what earthly neces-
sity is the county government Of Lyon
County? Why could 1t" the peoples
money, obtained by onerous taxation to
keep it up, be saved by annexing Lyon
to Storey? Pretty much all that there
is of both counties is comprised in a
circle, the radius OF which is five or six
miles. But the matter Of distances,
which is an obstacle in the consolidation
Of counties having large areas, such as
Lincoln, Nye, Esmeralda, humboldt n
Elko, is not OF sufficient seriousness to
counter-balance the great saving involved
in the proposition we are discussing. The
inconvenience of a few citizens is not to
be considered as against economy in the
interest Of all.
As we have said, the project Of con-.
solidating as many counties as practical
BILE we believe is OF overshadowing i'm
portance, and it is to be hoped that it
will meet with all the consideration from
the Legislature that its seriousness at
the present time demands. This article
on the subject is entirely crude, Of
course, but If it tends in any way to elicit
interest and call attention to the matter,
which seems to have fallen into the back
ground, its purpose will have been fully
accomplished.