Kansas City daily journal., 1895-07-11
WANT TO REDUCE EXPENSES
COUNTY JUDGES FIGURING on REDuC-
ING CLERICAL FORCES.


County Accountant Smell presented the
county court yesterday at Independence,
with detailed statement as to the possi-
bility Of reducing the clerical force OF the
county clerks office without affecting the
public service. According to the report OF
Mr. Smell the county can dispense with the
service of four clerks in this Office. and as
result. portion Of the force is on the
anxious seat
MIR Smell made a very exhaustive state
ment. According to this report there was
employed in the office for the year iS9i an
average of eleven deputies, at an expense
OF S5.2l1 The average Of salaries paid
was sli5 per month for assistants
At the present time thirteen clerks are
employed in the office exclusive OF those
engaged in counting ballots in contested
election cases The total amount paid In
salaries for the year 1885. assuming there
is no change tn the present force.
would amount to sli6j0. The average sal
AIRY paid assistants would be s9i per month.
Mr.. Smell further stated. In drawing COM
PARSONS between salaries for 1921 and 1895.
that the excess of cost to the county FOR
the current year over salaries paid for
lS9i would be S2.2i2
After enumerating at length the duties
Of clerks In connection with the Office and
the time to perform such labor, MIR. Smell
stated that the work of the Kansas city
office can be efficiently performed with
three clerks upon the tax books. ana three
deputies thereby reducing the force of this
office to six instead of eight, as now en-
ployed In addition TO the deputies here
tofore mentioned five clerks are engaged
IN counting the ballots of contested cleo
tion cases. two OF these deputies are en-
gagged in tallyinr the votes as, they are
called for the particular Office being con-
tested "A third tallies the total votes cast
II was the opinion Of MIR. Smell that the
work of these FIVE deputies could be ham
In the opinion OF the county accountant
* q a.
the efficiency OF MIR Crittenden, but y
decrease of millions of dollars in the as
ponding decrease in revenue 1T Is a wise
government which makes provisions in adj
llres at least within its ability to pay. Mr..
Smell, in conclusion. stated that the present
incumbent had brought order and system
where in many cases chaos and corruption
had ruled.
Clerk Crittendcn stated he would not give
consent 20 a reduction in the present work
ing force, Of his office. The work imposed
Justified his effort to secure sufficient dep
uties to transact the business of his Of
i,n, iiSS. He had no reason to- change ,,if his
insist on retaining every clerk now em-
ployed in his office. This he said with all
and and ' the county court. @ ''G In his own behaif %
Mir. Crittenden stated that the work of the
office had virtually been doubled within
The court, after listening to Mr.. Smell
and Mr.. Crittenden, filed the. report of
Cussion for future action
The court took up the application of
James Duileld to run a saloon at Buckner.
4 strong fight was made by Dufcld upon
his petition but he failed in having the
tion Dutiield comes from a number of
substa tial citizens of Buckncr. who
claimed that Duiiiel1 sold liquor to minors
and kept his place open on Sunday
August Muheloir's application for a Ii
cense to run Il saloon on East Eighteenth
street shared the same fate Dutfield :.
The court refused to grant the same owing
ber of signers.
The resignation of II. +. DeRhodes.
road overseer in district Eight was pre-
To-day the court will take up the semi
annual report of County Treasurer Capell
and listen to arguments in several contest
ed applications for licenses to run saloons.