Smyrna times., 1890-01-29
Costly County Officers.
JOHN C HIGGINS GIVES soNtr Co,,
PARAT1VE FIGURES OF INTEREST

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In his address before the Forn0o..,
institute at Newark on "yVbat ;s -
become of the Poor Farmer 9m Tobn - ~
Higgins said -
Many thanks Governor Pott;sor
Ior the noble sentiment of the World
SaiHsI aSai; Lne Farmer 1t is precisely as
applicable to Delaware as to PennsvJ'
,Eanla' We must note, too, that the
iaCIer mas no controversy over the lew
ing ing and collecting of her county taxes
1nree commissioners in our nevt
neighoor, Chester county, do the wort
oI eleven here. I have made mncL
personal inquiry and l have vet
70 near the first claim that there is snv
.neHclency In the working of the svs,
lem Governor Jackson of MARYLAND IN
MS message says that the raiIrooJ
companies own $l25,OOO,OOO worth of
property in the state, and nav onIv
Soo;OOO IN taxes, or about one. .twan
tleth of one per cent. wei"
but coming to our own county 7 r,a,,
remark that the present assessment
~ .a4aoie property have existed. with
ouV sIlgnt changes, since war prices
maue grain high and farms yalnabIe
IuG9eo IL is now becoming difficult to
soll sci lauu Ior farming at any price ex-
cepO 10 capitalists, who are willing r.
increase their acreage at low fo1res
Let US get some idea of what this tavo"
IIon really is. Take the farm Monti
cello, three miles from Delaware CitU
SIe : &c oPn present owner bought it in 1884 for
$4,000, or $75 per acre. Tn 1aS9 ~ ~
assessment asss was on 17,l6O, or $50 Der
80 49, Tn Wnlcn was a tax of S107 Sc. OF
%nlcn sum but $40 was school tax
!sT1aElng s1ao ior county, road and poor tar
etV%'So' Ihe farm contains 244 acres
% Oi winch thirty is worthless marsb
! 9noulo the owner wish to sell it novy
Ie ~ cou!d not get near what be maid for
II, YET II Is assessed at IS more ner
acre This Is tax equivalent tn ab6nt
Il per cent. of the owners income
-rec6onlng what his $4,000 wonId
nave brought him if invested at & nor
'ent' his farm did not pay him per
cent. so the income tax was reIativeI,,
mat much more. The farms that 7
nave indicated in some instances bava
mortgage debts upon them. and The
I"ners now pay taxes upon pronertv ,
uaG . they only partially own.
, nave compared our taxes with
nose upon farm which once
,wned IN Kent county, MARYLAND anJ ,
,hd the amount SO per cent. less unon :
ne Iast named, than which there i ,
, ,,rooaoly no more productive farm in !
MIS- county. This county is DIVIDED .
nto i've districts, each with a commis. /
touei' VINO has charge of all roads in c
10 district The board has weekly c
I aseeI1Ings from January to July. when i
ne levy Is made, together with an. \
olIUmehts to county officers. The Y
otaI cost is only 5000. ~
Cecil county has but three com
llssloners who do the work hand.
1meIy' She formerly had nine to nav
. = a. cost OF $1,000 zach to the county
ecu taxes are collected by the county
easurer. If paid by September / a =
'oaie OF per cent. is given: if nv d
cUoOer l, per cent November 2 "
er cent; December l, . per cent a
lter January l, the full amount ia "
AlO, ana at a given time the list is mt n
10 the sherift's hands. The treasurer b.
Is at convenient places on certain b.
iys to collect" ''''H h
In speaking of the cost of oovarr p
ent IN New Castle county Mr.. Hig. al
In 1888 appropriations for BRIDGES es
"a causeways made $4S.I11.69. IN
INK those of you who are familiar ia
TN the subject will agree with me in
at the resOlute economv DIsn ,vo,,IS ict
we we saved @ at least $l5, 900 per year. WI
III 1898 eleven members of the CC
IVY court were paid $9,758.12 per ma
am and mileage expenses. The svs-
~ OF three commissioners, that is en-.
ely adequate for our neiRhborino tri
anties of Chester and Cecil, would HI
We US more than 5000. sta
AS taxes are collected in Kansas ha
'rmont, Maryland and Pennsvlva- Ca
ana other states for 8 per cent. we he
DO likewise. The cost for collec. gil
q IN 1888 at commission of ner fec
lt. was $12,S39. We should save ma
600 in this direction. to
A0oiish tax qualiication--thes source to
eVli and of evil only-and then col du
I the tax laid on every man not an gal
oeclle or pauper. This will give we
$40 1000 or $4,000. ne:
IT IS plain to us that prisoners can Sta
fed IN Wilmington at 7 cents ner she
J.. The Chester county y ort gives er
feed expense for prisol in the tha
est Chester Jail at s CO ,r dav use
r sheriff is allowed 80 1r each
soner. Should his b aver. \
100 per day. aud we a 0 cents SIM,
peI uay, the here Co
uld be $1,000. onI
L do not insist upon these figures. Per
merely adduce them to snggest tho
IS upon which retrenchmeuts and to
'rms can be easily aud iudiciousIv Sta
sued. The savings mentioned will ono
regate $4,000. Other reforms not sid
ntioned, but needed and possibIe eve
ugh, would swell the saving to
Hard Times in Dakota. tion t1m,