Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-02-14
COUNTY AFFAIRS.
If a School Fund Shortage Actually
Exists EX-TreaSurer Ortiz Will
Promptly Make it Good.
Sheriff Cunningham Takes Up the
D Cudgel in Favor Of Fair and I'm
partial License Collections.

county commissioners the following letter
was received from Sheriff Cunningham:
Gentlemen:-As collector of taxes and
licenses in and for the county of Santa
Fe, have received many complaints
from merchants and others doing bust
ness in our county, who are liable for
taxes and license. desire by this letter
to respectfully call your attention to sec
ton 29O3 of tho Compiled Laws, to wit:
Son the first Monday in May of each year
and quarterly thereafter the assessor
shall make out list of all persons liable
to pay license in his county, showing the
name and residence of such persons, char
acter and place of business, date of COM
mencement and duration thereof and
amount due. Such list may be rendered
from the application, or from any other
information which the assessors may OBJ
tain and it shall be returned by him to
the county clerk in triplicate, verified by
the assessor in like manner as the lists
of property taxes. The clerk shall en-
dorse on such lists in the name of the
county commissioners under his hand
and the seal of the board an order for the
collection of the license taxes therein
mentioned and shall deliver the same to
the collector. Such list shall be full
authority for the collector to collect such
license taxes and the like proceeding
shall thereupon be had as the changing,
abating, reducings collecting, paying
over and accounting for such license
taxes as are provided for by law in re-
gard to property taxes" BY reading
section 1908 you will please note that the
law makes it an imperative duty for the
assessor to make full list of persons who
are liable to the county for license
taxes, that it is the duty also OF the clerk
to make or cause to be made quarterly
statement for the use of the collector,
which am obliged to inform you has
never been complied with since my term
in office. I would therefore respectfully
request your honorable board to make an
order directing the assessor and clerk to
comply with said law, in order and for
the purpose of protecting each man i'll
our county alike. 1t is quite unfair for
one man to pay license for a certain bust
ness, and his neighbor conduct business
as is made and provided for by our
statutes. 1t is my earnest intention to
collect license taxes from every person
or persons who are liable for the same
and who are doing business in our county.
By giving this matter your immediate
attention you will confer favor of no
light Importance upon the taxpayers of
Santa Fe county.
Yours respectfully,
w. p. CUNNINGHAM,
Sheriff and Collector
The statement was received Ard ap-
proved and the county clerk and assessor
directed to comply with the law.
At meeting of the board yesterday af
ternoon, good deal of business of minor
importance ives transacted. The only
i'm portant business was the receipt of the
report of the committee appointed tc
audit the accounts of x-County Treasurer
legged shortage.
Chairman Kendall was not present, and
Commissioner Dudrow acted as chairman.
SHORTAGE IN HIS ACCOUNTS.
The statement published in the New
MEXICAN six months ago, that there were
charges of an alleged shortage in the &C
counts of ex-Treasurer Gavino Ortiz, was
fully justified by the report of the com
mittee who examined his accounts an6
reported to the board yesterday. The
committee consisted of ex-School Super
intendent Botulph, Ambrosio Ortiz, act
ing for the present school superintendent
and ex-Treasurer Ortiz himself. The re-
port of the committee proved a bomb il
the camp of the commissioners. After {
thorough and exhaustive examination o.
the accounts the committee found a short
age of $964.64 in the school fund.
The present county superintendent o.
schools, Juan j. Ortiz, has claimed fol
some time that shortage existed, ant
has been endeavoring to get the commits
sioners to investigate the matter. Tit
commissioners contended that if short
age existed, it was the duty of the treas
urer and school superintendent to inves
tigate the matter, and if their surmis,
proved correct, it was then their duty t.
report the matter to the board. TIT
school superintendent becoming con