Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-04-24
THE COUNTY FINANCES.

10 tho Receipts.
"Even With the strictest economy
in expenditures" said Commissioner
Plughoff to the TINES reporter last
Saturday; ~ do not see that we can
straiten county affairs in less than
four or Eve years. The bond suit will
come off next month, and will be set
tied this summer. Our funded in.
debtedness will then be apportioned,
and we will be able to provide for
that. But the floating debt will re.
main. That amounts to some $48. 900
and interest Tho most Of it is due
by Logan and Gilmore, of course, as
they constituted the larger part of
the old county. Blu. suit will have
to be brought to have it apportioned
That will take two years more. We
may as we'll say one year to have the
funded debt apportioned, and two
years for the floating debt. Then
when these are straitened two yesrs
more will be required to settle affairs
upon tho new basis. That will make
five years. before we can know jus.
what We have to pay and how we will
payit.
"When the present Board went
into Office we determined to keep the
expenses within the income. We OK.
pected to do so. Then came the
Schroeder and Hendel cases, and the
Johns case, not to mention others.
The criminal expense in sight
already amounts to thousands Of dol
lars.
"The roads are giving US moro
bother than anything else. Tho ex-
penses under thi, head have usually
been $1,000 to $4,000 a year. We
believed these could be cut down
from one to two thirds. 1t would
have been If the new law had gone
into effect the 18th OF April, instead
Of in July, when all the work for tho
year will be mostly done. AS it is we
will cut it down fully ono third; but
just how much will depend upon the
condition OF the bridges.
II never before realized, as much
IS l do now, the folly OF mutilatlng
the county the way it was done. 1t
was oil right, and OF mutual advan-
tage, to cut off fillmore. Also the ex.
treme east portion of Alturas. 1t
might not have burt to cut off little
more there. But Logan should no. have
been detached. Were Logan and
Alturas together, the two could be
governed almost IS chesply as either
is now; aud the amount thus saved
would pay off oil the indebtedness OF
the two counties without the taxpayers
feeling it. This ata rate not exceed.
ing, - or 1880 on the 500.
There are SO many directions where
one county interferes or clashes with
tie other. Take the stock interest.
The summer range Tor for about eight
months of tho Year, is in Alturas, the
winter range in Logan. The latter
county collects about all the taxes on
the stock OF the two counties.
''ln roads it is just as bad. The
county boundaries run over the
mountains 10 such fashion that the
officials have to 60 from one county 10
the other, and back and over again, to
60 from end to end OF their own
county. The roads and bridges up
Cfoy gulcb, above Gilman, Tor instance,
are in Logan county. They are in.
dispensable to Logan county farmers
who come from Camas Prairie to
HALEY. Also to mining people who
live in HALEY and operate mines back
OF Bullion, on the Gold Belt, and in
Smoky. Yet they must be kept up
by Logan county. How we'll it is
done We al know. So with Eastern
Alturas. To reach there our assessor,
sheriff. and so forth. have to 90
through Logan OF Custer counties.
Roads and bridges are used by both
counties. The complications that
follow and will follow because of this
condition of affairs are not even
guessed At by the people, or they
would unitedly insist that the Leg;s.
lature grant relief either by uniting
the two counties or by relieving them
Of their Indebtedness altogether"