Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1894-05-24

glance, when it 10 known that it only
cost us $2,lOO for two years care to pay
for children sentenced from this state
and kept at the South Dakota school. II
our reform school is built AMI equipped
it will be the outlet for another unneces-
sary annual expenditure OF large sum,
when the care OF these so sentenced
could be met for many years at q much
less expense, under the present system
South Dakota adopts the plan of send
lIR her blind to Iowa. North Dakota
could have done the same with her deaf
and dumb, and if any proposition is
made for a blind asylum for this state,
the same plan ought to be. strenuously
opposed for many years.
South Dakota has two more state in.
stitutlons than has North Dakota, name
ly: The school of mines and the reform
school; and for her institutions, all told,
she paid for the two years past, $4S7,SS2.
For the North Dakota institutions, two
less IN number, the taxpayers for two
years are called upon to pay s564.990, or
577,1OS more. South Dakota pays less
for her clerk hire and office expenses than
North Dakota. Clerks there get salaries
OF from $1,000 to $1,000; in North Dako-
ia Office clerks run from $500.
"Our system is too broad gauged.
Every legislature in South Dakota makes
each appropriation for specific sum. In
this state the legislature has left stand
ing appropriations, or open accounts OF
from s36O,0OO to 100000 for every two
years. These are all duly fixed up by
preceding Legislatures and an off-hand
appropriation OF sufficient sum, is
hereby annually appropriated, etc. This
leaves with the officers the whole respon-
sibility of spending the money. There
is no limit in this state to Office expenses.
The expenses OF boards Of trustees are
not fixed as they should be, except in
their per diem and mileage. 1t should
be SO that members travelling on passes
should not collect the transportation
when they don't use it. The govern
ment makes certain OF its officials swear
to the possession of railroad passes and
takes receipts for expenses. have en-
deavored to have the expenses Of eherihs
and boards made at the proper figures
under the law, and including what are
known tn be hotel rates, etc.
III South Dakota can economise in
the matter Of her expenses, as is above
clearly shown, North Dakota ought to.
I'm South Dakota the auditor is not
allowed to draw warrants for q dollar
except for specific appropriations. It
should be the same in this state.
"South Dakota's total assessed valua-
tion for 1898 was sl36, $40, and the
levy made for state taxes only two mills
on the general fund. The assessed valu-
alton for North Dakota is but S92, ,OOO. 900,
and the highest tax rate levy fixed by
law four mills, has already been reached.
I'm South Dakota there are not as
high wages paid for educational instruc-
ton as in this state, neither are there as
many teachers employed. The salaries
of the president and force of instruction
in the Grand Forks university is $4,000
out Of the total appropriation of $73.910.
'In the pepitentiary, for instance,
where one guard did work formerly at
$50 per month, there are now two men
employed at $50 month, an increase in
the number Of men and the amount Of
wages for the same work.
"In addition to the institutions already
in existence, there are, as Is we'll known,
four are five more proposed.
Those, together with what We already
have, il built and equipped, will make a
staggering load for this young state to
carry. In order to meet the past appro-
pr,stions, it will be necessary that ex-
penses in this state be reduced; that
there be an increase in the assessment of
real estate; and some radical steps made
to supply the deficiency Of STE, 1000 more
than the revenues for the two years OF
1893 and 1894. How this is to be done is
question for the present officials and
boards, and the next legislature to solve;
and the taxpayers to consider in the
election of that body this fall"
State Capital Notes.
The governor has received from the
treasurer Of the United Ststes draft for
s5.774.51 for the 5 per cent. accruing to
the state, Of the net proceeds Of the
sales of public lands lying within the
state for the fiscal year ending June 80,
1894.
|. The governor has also been notified
that AZ ,245.4 acres OF the land selected by
the state for schools and other state in
st,tutions has been approved by the Sec