Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-08-22
THE NEED FOR BETTER PLATS.

EDITOR INTELL1GENECER 1T is
surprising, meantime very humilating,
fact that no illustrating records in our
county correctly or definitely show
small tracts or parcels of land, mainly,
when the same differs with the regular
snrvey-sectional or subdivisionsl Sec
ton lines. In other counties where
such happenings still more frequently
appear, it has become a custom, neces-
STATED by bitter experiences, to attach
plsts to deeds for such small parcels of
land, which, ofcourse, are to be recorded
with the deeds, said plats showing to
some extent of such land and in what
part of a asection to be found. The next
neighborhood of pretty nearly all our
towns in Lafayette county is abounding
with such small fractions of land, one,
two, three and fraction acre pieces, and
in most all such cases it is almost impOs-
sible to give the proper and correct
description of such lands without
going into more trouble or heavy ex-
pense. This state of things is very
troubling and burdensome to the assess
or and collector Of the county, but still
more 80 to the owner of such land
when he comes to pay his taxes ; he
very seldom, in such cases, takes the
conviction home whether he has paid
for his individual part of land or not,
and if they might not call on him a
second time for back tax considerations.
There Is no insinuation in this. A
sensible collector knows that, and he
is not under obligations, and has too
many more important things to do in
virtue of his office to examine titles.
There is another very urgent necessity,
a. important as the other before men,
toned. Our county assessors should
be held to furnish plat books of all our
town blocks of Lexington and all the
other places in the county. The first
start for. such work may create little.
may be considerable expense, but it
will amply repay by better accommo-
dating every single taxpayer. We
have SO many blocks in Lexington out
in 30 many. small fractions of a lot or
lots that q plat only shows the correct
shape Of such block directly and not to
60 to the trouble of hunting for every
thing in. the records. But the assess
| ors Office of the county to-day is not IN
the fix to afford such accomplishments
since the necessary funds for such work
are not existing. Several years age
more than Puritan retrenchment and
reform cut the salaries for this and
other county Offices down so low thai
| even with the best will and intentions
of such an official it is impossible to dt
his duty and render satisfactory work
In our humble idea we might say
the county administration could d.
great deal here to give the necessary
4 support and remedy without to lool
for other legislative steps. but, if thu
latter are needed, we have to take then
to complete and illustrate our record
as much as we need it to do SO. Whel
new corners call here with the intention
to settle here, we have nothing to show
from our county but the now-existin:
county maps, with great deal unnec
essary stuff on and in it. Since tina
map was made great many tracts o
land have changed hands, many publ
roads have been changed and new one
established, new towns have come II
life with denselv populated surround
ings, and the old ones greatly changed
and extended. Ten dollars each wa
then spent for such map, that can no
\ reliably be used to-day. How muc
more good could we have gained if al
4, that money had been spent more rea
sonably and more to the point ? X.