Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1894-02-23
COUNTY EXPENDITURES
I'm Elm Dale Correspondent
Reviews the Financial
Statement.
EDITOR TRANSCRIPT:

EDITOR TRANSCRIPT:
Ii you think the following effusion
OF sufficient moment to allow it's in.
sertion in your paper, I would like
to take this means of addressing a
few words to the voters and tax
payers of Morrison county.
presume that quite a number of
taxpayers Qike myself find it quite
all exertion to raise money TO pay
the taxes coming due now, and no
LIKELIHOOD of any increase in their
revenues in tile near future, there
fore it behooves US to look well into
our common interests as regards
our county revenues and expendi-
lures, consequently I turned to the
financial statement of the county
published in the Transcript, with
the hope OF finding that we were
square with the world and possibly
our county authorities would be
warranted in reducing the rate of
taxation for the support of the
county next year. My hopes in that
direction were, however, soon shat
tered when in place of finding the
county With a gOOdly sum to it's
credit on the balance sheet, / found
that the authorities had issued war
rants Oh the county revenue fund for
an amount of $27,96O.OO while only
$l5,Oll.25 had been collected to pay
them with, leaving $12,94S75 or
nearly one half unpaid, to which
should be added warrants unpaid
Jan. l, 1898 to the amount of $4,l27.-
O3 making total Indebtedness of
$l7, O75.75 besides the bonds.
Is not this fine outlook for the
already overburdened taxpayers?
1suppose though that the conf
missioners knows what to do in the
case, namely, issue some M ore bonds;
still I would like to see them find
some way to diminish the expense or
increase the receipts without addi-
tional taxation.
Now a question right here. How
comes it that the "Franciscan Sis
tiers" are given county warrants to
the amount Of $3O4.2s during the
year for taking care of Mrs. Weir?
Nearly dollar per day. Also Frank
Stump for boarding Tim Osier $54.
Can some Of the towns be exempt
from taking care of their poor, and
send them on the county, or how is
that?
Another question. The expense
of that sood roads committee. Was
it warranted by law? Can we tax
payers ever expect any return on
that investment? Will the com
mittee give some good advice ON the
road question? Or is the money ex-
pended to no practical purpose when
the county is in debt over ST., 900 90.
or course those items are only
small but every little bill adds to the
Indebtedness.
A heavy outlay to the county is
the court expense, but as Morrison
county is bound to have at least one
murder case for trial every year, it is
useless to expect any reduction in
that quarter.
BY far the heaviest expense to the
county is the officers salary and fees.
Now l don't think that the salaried
officers receive too much cOmpens;l-
ton for their services therefore if any
reduction is possible it must be from
those renumerated by the fee sy stem.
AS far as understand, no county
official needs more ability and care
in the execution Of his official duties
than the auditor, still we find that
the register of deeds, the sheriff
and the clerk of the court receive far
more pay for the same amount of
time and work than the auditor.
Now, would suggest that the diff
|erent political conventions direct
their respective2 nominees, if elected
to cndeavor to place all county Off
GERS (excepting possibly the sheriff)
ON a certain salary and turning all
fees into the county fund.
Another lessening of expense could
be accomplished not only for the
county but the state as well, by re-
ducing the mileage fees which at the
present rate is an absurd outrage on
the public. and quite saving would
| accrue from mileage reduction to 5
cents a mile for any and all officers in
| this state. OF course, some OF the
legislative members, as well as others
affected thereby, would howl, or at
least growl, at the change; but if it
was known that the dear voters
really insisted on reduction it would
be graciously accepted by the grum-
blers.
| Another reduction ought to he
made in the printing and advertis-
ing expense of the county, the nice
little sum of about $1,000 being last
year divided between the three news
papers of Little Falls, but as 1 pre-
sumo the editor would hesitate
about publishing my remedy l will
say no more about it.
Now am we'll aware that all of
this wisdom is sent out in vain, as
the farmers and laboring men OF the
different parties will not agree on
concerted action, but are willingly led
around by the different party leaders;
still if it would set people to think
ing and talking about the necessity
of more stringent economy in county
affairs during these hard times
thereby perhaps our county commits
sioners as we'll as the state legisla-
tors could be induced to open their
eyes for the necessity of reducing
expenses and thereby lessening taxa
ton.
| J. J. JACOBSON.