Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-02-18

tax certificates, records and vouchers in
the county treasurer's office for the two
years, ending January 4th, 1897, relating
to the returns and collections of delin-
quent taxes, the tax certificates issued
for the sale of such delinquent taxes,
the disposition made of such tax certl-
| fcates, and of snch as were on hand at
the beginning of the term and also of
all county funds received and disbursed
during said term, the result of which is
shown in schedule marked Exhibit
! D' which is hereto annexed, and to-
gether Exhibits B" and ''C' are also
made a part Of this report.
We have also checked up the book in
county clerks office, called County Land
! book, from which we find that in sew
eral descriptions Of land the tax certifi-
Gates for the last few years have been
| sold to private individuals, while the
county held number Of previous GER
! tltiCates, which, of course, are q dead
| loss to the county, and to guard against
! future occurrences of the kind we
would respectfully suggest that the
present county clerk be instructed to
obtain affidavits Of nOn-occupancy on
all lands on which the county holds the
certificates as speedily as possible, even
| though the county should have to pay
| for the services of competent men to
obtain such affidavits. We have com
pared the county. witness, juror and
court orders, paid by the county treas
urer, with the corr espOnding ''stubs"
and entries in "Records of Orders Is
sued" and have cancelled the said
''stubs" and "entries," marking the day
and date of cancellation upon each
''sub" and opposite each entry of same
in the records of orders issued, and the
total amounts of such orders amounted
to the following sums:
County orders paid and cancelled.......S4S424 424 96
GsS$f {S5SF ~: IS s s
Total ... S57, ,512 q
Said above orders are all listed and
added up in book in the county treas
urpr's office
We have also compared and cancelled
the following county jail bonds and con-
pOns paid by the county treasurer, and
we have made complete record of all
of such county jail bonds and coupons
issued, in the book in the county treas
urer's Office IN which all county and
other orders are listed, and in such
record we have marked the day and
date of cancellation of such bonds and
coupons as have already been paid, to
wit:
Bonds Nos. l, and of 81 900 each....S 900 90
Coupons No. on each of bonds Nos
to 10 inclusive of $1,000 each $50 90
We have also examined and checked
up the amount Of juror, witness and
court orders drawn in the clerk of cir
cult courts office, and have cancelled
the ''stubs" and entries of same in
"Record of Orders" in his office, and
compared his report Of fines and costs
paid over to the county with the county
treasurer's report, and found the same
to agree. We have also found that GER
tain claims against Wood county had
been Overpaid, to wit:
Witness fees in case ofState vs. Fred WindtS S29 II
All of which is hereby respectfully
submitted.
Grand Rapids, Wis, Feb 3, 1897.
P. n. CHRISTENSEN,
T. L. RoURKE,
ORRIN GRAY.
STATE OF WIScoNsIN, S.
COUNTY OF WooD, DO
Orrin Gray, F. i. Rourke and P. n
Christensen, being duly sworn, each
upon oath, for himself, deposes and
says, that having been employed by the
Finance committee to assist in making
examinations of the accounts, books.
papers and vouchers of the county
clerk county treasurer's, and paity
of the clerk of circuit courts offices.
for the term of office commencing Jan
uarv 4th, 1895, and ending January
7th, 1897, say that thev have care
fully examined and checked through all
of the accounts in said offices for said
term, except such accounts in the clerk
of courts Office as are under the direct
control and supervision of the circuit
Judge, and that the utmost care was
taken to avoid all errors, and make such
examinations impartial, true, accurate
and unpreiudiced, and that our report
hereunto attached is Just and true to
the best of our knowledge and belief
P. n. CHRISTENSEN,
f. l.. ROURKE,
ORRIN GRAY
Sworn and subscribed to before me
this 3rd day of February, 1897.
w. J. SHEA,
TsEAL Cle1 k of Circuit Court.
Wood County, Wis.
Your Finance committee would re-
spectfuIv state that they feel very CON
fdent that great care has been taken by
their special committee in checking up
accounts of the county officers for the
last two wears, and that their COnclu-
siOns and statements, as put down in
their report, are as near right, Just and
equitable as thew can be made. Our
attention having been called to the fact
that there are now in the possession of
the county number of tax certificates
| that are really illegal and worthless. we
would suggest and recommend that they
be at once examined and cancelled, and
the amounts of such certificates be
charged to the several towns where
| they belong, and when this is done, thu
| proper time would seem to have arrived
| when the new County Land book, which
has been purchased. might at once be
copied and entered. We would also
! respectfully call your attention to the
| fact, that although resolutions have
| been passed several times bvthe Honor
able Board of Supervisors of Wood
county to have all lands decided over tO
| Wood county. on which said county
| held the necessary tax certificates such
has not been done, partly for he reason
| that the county clerk has been unable
| 10 procure the necessary affidavitS of
non-Occupancy, on account of the
| trouble and expense connected with the
making in due form Of such affidayits,
where tue lands are situated remote
! from any farms or other habitatlons,
and we would recommend that some
competent man or men be employed to
! examine such lands, on which the
county holds the tax certificates. SO that
! he or they would be able to legally make
such etfidavits of non-occupancv. and
at the same time such persons might