The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1895-10-04
POLE FIX iH1 EIhajAaS.
Tbs County attorney Coushpes the Law thst
Flowing Fjregusgas Is EoadWork.

Road OveFseers are Instructed to Issue
Poll Tax Receipts for Work That Has
Been none or win Be Done on Making
Fireguaras.
There has been considerable eonfu-
sion in regard to the working Of Ere
and poll tax, under the new law, and to
settle the vexed question the county
attorney has issued instructions to the
road OverseeFs in regard to the relation
that fireguards bear to road work.
He holds that the making aud burn
ing Of freguards is road work, and that
poll tax receipts can be issued there
for. As work on the prairie roads is of
no great value, and questionable i'm
provement at the best, this decision
gives the road overseer an opportunity
to use his forces in making fireguards.
This opportunity is of vast Importance
and should immediately be taken ad-
vantage of, as a FIRE, sweeping over the
praIries that are now covered with the
rankest growth of grass in the history
of their settlement, would menace life
and property. The following are the
instructions in full:
You can let ali persons in your road district
40
ing Of fire guards, as the blowing and burning of
fire guards is in the nature of road work, and as
the law says you shall plOw along the outside
lines of your district two strips of three burrows
each, one on the line of said district, the other
at least SIX rods inside Of said line where there
is open prairie.
1 take it that the law means that the outside
burrows should be plowed in the public highway
around your road district and the blowing in the
highway would be road work; therefore, in my
opinion YOU have a right to let parties work out
their poll tax and give them poll tax receipt
for same you can also, IN addition to this, let
each party, where there is IRE tax charged
against him, work that out, you to give him a
sepeTate receipt for the amount of ire tax
charged against him as shown by the tax rolls
now in the hands of the county clerk, this re-
ceipt to be fire tax receipt. That is you give
him two receipts, one for poll tax and one for
! fire tax. Of course where parties have no fire
/ tax charged up against them they have nothing
to work out in the way of lire tax, hence would
only get poll tax receipt in case they worked
out their poll tax in piOwing and burning fire
guards. A party who has fire tax charged
against him and does not work out the amount
OF lire tax gets no hre tax receipt. You viii have
to apply to the county clerk and get list in your
district of the names and amounts of fire tax
charged against each person, so you Will know
what amount each person Is entitled to work
out, and the amount for which you shall issue
receipts.
give you the following as an example:
We viii say that the tax rolls show that the
fire tax for this year assessed against John Doe
is 70 cents, you can only give him, provided he
works it out, fire tax receipt for 70 cents. If he
! does any more work above this amount of his
tax and poll tax of two days he will have to file
a sworn voucher with the township board and
/ have the same allowed by said board and have
a warrant or order drawn on the FIRE fund of
| said township Tor the amount due him. If there
/ is not money In your hands to pay said warrants
or orders drawn On the fire fund the same will
be registered and numbered, beginning at num-
/ Der one, the same as other warrants or orders
/ are registered.
That is to say, John Doe would have to work
/ two and One-half days without a team at ST.
per day. to pay his fire tax of 70 cents and his
/ poll tax, You would then give John Doe poll
tax receipt for two days work and FIRE tax re-
ceiptfOr 70 cents, If the fire tax is less or greater
| than 70 cents you let the party work out just
! what the amount is and give him a receipt for
| the amount of fire tax, figuring on the basis of
$3.50 per day. that is if his fire tax is IS cents he
would have to work one half day to pay it. if
! less than 70 cents he would work less than one
| half day, if more he would work more than one
! half day.
/ If John Doe, whose fire tax is IS cents, should
work three days he would then have coming to
| him from the township fire fund the sum of 70
cents, as he works two days of the three days to
pay his poll tax, and as he only owes 70 cents
| fire tax he would have to work one half day to
pay that hence the township would owe him
| only for one half days work or % cents. You
Will keep list of all fire receipts issued by you
/ and TO whom issued and the amount of receipt
| and description of land that it is against and
make report to the county clerk by Nov. l, 1885
! Also advise the parties to whom you give these
| fire tax receipts that they should present the
same to the county treasurer by Nov. ID. Ii they
J wish to get credit for them on their taxes.
All able-bOdied male persons above the age of
of q years and less than 40 years are subject to
| poll tax of two days work.
The county does not pay anything in the mat
ter Of blowing fire guards and working the roads
/ the expense being paid by the township or road
district, these matters being entirely within the
| township. This work of blowing and burning
fire guards has TO be done between the 18th day
| of August and the 1st day of November each
year. Respectfully submitted,
HOYT ANDREWS,
Deputy County Attorney,