Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1894-03-01
SEEK THE REMEDY.

Mr.. W. H. Bush has some pertinent.
inquiries il las. weeks Nide..e relative
10 who is 10 blame for the county finances.
It is always well 10 find ou: where the
blame lies, but the thing OF mos. i'm
por.ance usually, and especially 50 in this
case, is TO find the remedy. The frs,
remedy TO be soush: is that which can be
applied a. once: then keep at il until
every possible remedy has been applied !;
keep at i. until the expenses d this county
have been cut down nearly one-hal:.
As stated last week every salary in the
county is too high, We. all OF the elective
officers are beyond the reach OF the COM
nissiones. as their salaries are fixed by
the state legislature, and they cannot
be reached unless by their voluntary acts
these officers should reduce their own
salaries. This they eugh: 70 do. II is no
more than Just 10 state tina. when the
present county commissioners were elect.
ed they found the county ~iihou. funds
for general purposes, and It's indebtedness
$1,000 beyond the constitutional limit.
and their hands have been to great ex-
tent tied; that for lack o: funds the ex-
penses OF running the county last year,
with the exception OF salaries, are yet
unpaid, and partly for this reason the
taxes this year are unusually high.
But there are wayE in which the COM
missioners can and should make reduc.
tons at once. The salaries OF Deputies
have been fixed a. $50 per month. and
that Of clerks al 1925 per day. These
items are a. least % per cent higher than
business men are now paving for similar
services, and We simply reflect the senii-
ment Of the people when We demand that
al their meeting on the 18th inst. the
commissioners reduce these items by that
amount, to take eFec. April l. II there
are any clerks that can be dispensed with
by any official making himself more use
full, cut them of. The taxpayers Of this
county have no money TO pay anyone ior
occupying "soit snap
The only appeals ior appropriations
that are liable to be made to the commits.
sioners this year are for roads, and roads
are absolute necessities, but there must
be no jobs or soft snaps in them. The
estimates ior this purpose is s25, 900, ex.
elusive Of special taxes which may have
been voted by some OF the districts, and
this ought to give Us large amount Of
new and improved road. The estimate
for schools is also, in round numbers.
$4,000, in addition 70 the amount re.
ceived from the state. I'VE cannot afford
to stint our schools, but this amount is
far in excess Of that paid in the Eas. for
the same number Of schools, and We call
upon the directors and school boards. who
are Responsible for this, TO reduce these
expenses to correspond with the present
conditions.
When reductions have been made in
all Of these lines, then comes the real
work for the taxpayers OF not only this
but every other county in the state, a
work that will send legislature to Olvm.
pia next winter that will simplify the
whole scheme Of government, state,
county and municipal, and put them on
a more economical basis, for there is
where fully one.hali the fault lies. We
sincerely hope the Taxpayers Association
at the meeting next Thursday will lay
aside all prejudice, and calmly and in a
business.like manner, go at the business
in hand and inauguIate a practicable
scheme OF reform.