Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-06-05
rhs Levy Court statement.


and expenditures. We say pretenes, for,
despite the sueer OF our morning neigh
Dor ct the GAzETrE's standing offer TO
print such a statement tree of charge, the
exhibltygiven ont Tuesdsy by no mems
measures up to the detailed statement
which the law coutemplatss. The Ian
auage Of the law is;
That 1t shall be the duty Of the levy court
OF each county In this state, annually, In
the month of December, to cause to be
printed In pamphlet form detailed state
ment OF all the expenditures OF tbs funds
OF said county, and orders drawn by the
levy court commissioners for any and all
{ services performed or materials furnished
In their respective hundreds, specifying In
! said statement the time when AMI the pur-
pose Tor which the same was donei SAD
statement shall also contain the aggregate
amount per diem allowed to each member
of the levy court, with the number OF days
attendance and miles allowed to each.
II would be an insult to the intelli-
gence of every reader TO attempt to point
out the vast difference between such
statement ss this law explicitly calls for
and tine meagre balance sheet summary
reluctantly and so tsrdily conceded to
the taxpayers as one might throw bone
to q troublesome dog.
But, such as it ID, let US see what this
report tells us. First we may notice that
it states the county debt (no date speoi-
fed but presumably at the end Of 1880
at $685., 800; showing a reduction OF
$4,000 as compared with the debt on
October 3lst, 1889, reported to the legis-
Rtive committee last January. Inc
funded debt remains the same, S4SG, 800.
The Horaing Nesos editorially blunders
in stating the funded debt at $237 900 :
unfortunately for the tax payers there
has not been a reduction OF $3.50 600, as
local report. The apparent reduction OF
$4,000 has been made in the floating
debt-we say apparent" because we oan
find no entry OF the paying of OF this
sum in the list OF expenditures. This
missing item of $l0,OO figured on octo-
Der 3lst as ''sooeptances of county tree
surer," which evidently means that ths
levy court gave that official Its l. 0. u.
for that amount, and the treasurer pre-.
sumably returned this l. o. u when
county's balance straight. This is only Q
guess, but it IL one of the multitude OF
items which this meagrs exhibit throws
no light on and leaves entirely TO guess
work.
Orr neighbor finds some difficulty il
figuring up how the levy court psit
S3l, 393.4S interest upon county deb
OF $3lO,000 We do not wonder at this
considering that the interest Gu the cor
rect Indebtedness OF $3.50 900 fills bho1
of $3l ,393.45. The real Interest pay
ments for one year, at the rate given,
Al and per cent for the funded debt
and tho assumes rate Of per cen 70
the floating debt, should have bee
1885 60. Even edding ono years in
terest at per cent on the unaccouated
for-nlleged- distinguished county treas
urer's $4,000 acoeptanoes, only bring
the amount mp 10 S2s, 555.50; ieRYlu
still $2,S37 % TO be accounted for
we sssume that per cent interest wa
paid on the floating debt, ipoluding thi
$4,000 item, we still lack g3i7 % q
accounting for the whole Of this intarei
disbursement. We must give il up; th
exhibit doesn't furnish even this data I
guess on.
But let us see what the total eIpend
lures and disbursements show We III
that the county started in at the begi!
ming Of the year with balance
Il, So, 49699; hut It borrowed $40 U;
from the National Bank q Dsiawat
that it received S2i8, 152. IS from tn ii
collections; ~, 44i ~ from negro seho
taxes; $25l .lS from Interest; go 50 fro
fines; 1926 from sales OF old ua,eris
81, 0OO from the sureties OF DuYal diDb
ard 1926 from error settlement
1882 making 10 all, $3.50, 49745. Tur
ing to the expenditures, we tiud that
this has been paid out, WITH the eye
ton OF cash balance Of SGI9s
let no shsrid's fesd bill
ures in these expenditures. d
the sheriff receive nothing last yes
Was the jail empty? This public has
different impression and rather liyt
suspicion that gomewhers between 81
and $4,000 must have been raid
sometime dnring 1889 in settlement
the sherIS's bill for the Aeep Of prlst
ers presented and sGdited nv the Ia
court during the spring Of 1850 En-
il an item Of 81 0JJ.l9 for uaintenaI
of county prison. out nothing else
ferring, even remotely TO thstiusti. ati
Possibly that 81 $50 10 was 70 the p
ment OF the wsrdens, or maybe t,
come in under the 80 ,bl4.92 fvr "sal
ies'-but here again there is nothing
which to frame even plausible guass
There are numerous other things WI
this statement does not tell rs; bat u
are, on the other aand, a5yessl til
that it does tell. Oas Of thess Is |
that there were outstanding vt tns cl
OF the year unCHllected taxes amount
to S93, 43O.ll, subj3ct to deduction
ESsE.s and commissions. We fad t
of the taxes collected during 1853, u
that came ever from the preceding J
foot up $40, 4O0.26 Add to thus
allowance OF SIS, 43l 80 for errors in
sessment and We have $50, S3i .6i, y
the commissions still to be accounted
So that the income from back /,
during the current year will plainly
exceed that for the past year.
morning neighbor remarks shat "if