Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1890-01-08
GOUGING THE COUNTY.
A Little More Light Thrown Upon TIT
System of Managing the
Finances.
Some Record from the Sherff's Office
Those School Funds-Paid
Twice.

ago, CWeu the snerlH SlSO.Zl. Among
| the credits are the following items: I'm
collected taxes due the county, $lO,9ll SO ;
uncollected licenses, S4S2. l2l2; uncol-
ected district court fines, S3 02O; support
Of county Jail, December | 1856, to Deem
be- 81, 1888, 81, l2l 50; support of county
Jail, January, 1889 to June 81, 1889, S533.-
80, support OF county jai! prisoners, July l
to November (no year gvenN $42, 80 ;
labor done for the county, as per vouch-
ers, $2,577.52; commissions on collected
taxes, licenses and fines. $2,3l6.l4.
Errors, deductions and exemptions I'M
der the law have yet to be figured out,
when POSSIBLY some clear idea of the af-
fair can be had. The clerk says he will
do this figuring shortly.
From private memoranda Sheriff
Chavez gave the reporter the following
totals OF amount he has paid in cash be-
tween the years 1855 and 1889:
Territorial treasury, S43, 9SG. II; county,
$36, l64.3S; schools, $29, 93S.0S; interest
on county bonds. 81, 444.42; interest on
court house bonds, 6,42O, &c., N. NJ. d S.
P. h. R. bonds interest, $26, 967 so; T., S.
f. & n. K. r. interest, $l4 POP 81; peni-
Tertiary funds, 81 635. 80; capital bonds
fund, So ,26S. 80; territorial bonds interest,
SAL AT; capitol contingent fund, $2l9.63
penalty fund, $74. So; poll tax, $4O9.25.
From these sums The collectors per-
centage was deducted
Sheriff Chavez informed the board that
he would be ready at their regular meet
ing in February to present his statement
for the year 'S9.
He shows receipts for the following
sums paid in during 1889:
To the territorial treasury, $S, 1880
To the county treasury, SIS, 043.S4
According to the sherih's statement
also the sum of $2l ,Sl5 SO represents the
amount OF uncollected taxes due the
territorial treasury by Santa Fe county
for the years 81 to IS.
THE TREASURY SHORTAGE.
Yesterday it was stated in these columns
that the county treasurer asked the board
to credit him with several thousand dol
lars paid out by him contrary to law
Conn., WHY'S talked with Solicitor Gen.
eral Bartlett about it, and upon the state
ment OF that official that what was done
was done, and there was now no hope for
it, the board yesterday afternoon did give
the treasurer such credit. The school
funds for the present year have therefore
suffered an irreparable loss, it appears.
After the above went into type assNEw
MEXICAN reporter called on Solicitor Gen
eral Bartlett in reference to this subject
He said he had not given the county
board any opinion, merely saying in an
of-hand way and simply as private
citizen that ss matters stood he thought
the board would have to credit
the Incorporated funds to the
treasurer. Gen. Bartlett added further
that it was not his business to advise the
board, and he thought, without examin.
ing into the case, however, that Treasurer
Ortiz and his bondsmen are liable for the
moneys paid out of the school fund con-
trary to law, and thinks suits may be
instituted for that purpose even if the
county board has credited him with the
shortage.
School Superintendent J. P. Victory
called on the New MEXICAN to-day to say
that he positively advised the treasurer
not to use the taxes Elected in 'S9 for
any other purpose than for expenses OF
1890, the present year, yet before con-
Guiding the interview Mr.. Victory adj
mitted that he himself drew moneys from
these funds to meet expenses OF 1889,
which the law says shall not be done.
This afternoon Mr.. Victory called to
say he had examined the new law and
thought the school fund exempt from its
operation.
PAID COUPONS TWICE.
Yesterdays examination of the county
treasurer's books, unsatisfactory as it
was, also developed another singular
circumstance.
On January 8, 1888, this county owed
$1,000 interest on the T., S. f. q y.
bonds. The late county treasurer. n.
Garcia, paid $1,000 OF this interest, and
stipulated that when the remaining $4,-
900 was paid the coupons should all be
turned over in lump. In April and
July last Treasurer Ortiz paid the agent
of the T., S. +. q N. bondholders, Gen.
Nelly, "a, 740 OF interest. On December 70
latt he paid "a ,O2O more.
On the payment of the "a, 74O OF in crest
the treasurer should have received the full
80, 900 worth of coupons, but he didn't T.;
he only got coupons to the amount OF
$4,74O-and they were the same coupons
that n Garcia bad already paid. For
tunately, there is receipt for the first
50, 900 on file in the county clerks office,
so that the county, notwithstanding the
bondholders have not surrendered their
coupons, won't lose the money, but on
the whole the circumstance demonstrates
very loose way Of doing business, and It
looks as if there was some sort of niger