The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-22
IT is BECOMING A POWER
Firm of F. Kinds 81 Co. Waxing
Influential.
HAS THE CITY ON THE HIP
Unable to Get All the Money 1t Claimed
Due on the Paving There Is Now a
Chance to Hold Back $4,000
From the Council.

j The firm OF Il. Kinds & Co, which be-
gan its existence last summer in a
! humble sort of way. is growing to be
q power of such might that IL is dan
gerous for any corporation, municipal
or private. to monkey with it. 1t was
supposed at the start To be only n lit
tie firm of paving contractors, TO which
some mystery was attached. but now
it seems to have its grasp on both
county and city affairs. and the financ-
es of the whole works seem to be in
its power.
There is an impression I'm city hall
circles that the recent action of County
Treasurer r. i. Kinds in refusing To
pay the sum of slo.424.13 to the city of
Butte for road tax is owing TO the fact
that Mr.. Kinds has some connection
with the firm of paving contractors
known as +. Kinds & Co. A few
weeks ago this firm. when had COM
pleted its paving contract, presented an
additional bill of 81. 700 for dirt which
had been hauled off of Main street and
deposited I'm various parts of the city
where the street commissioner ordered.
The city refused this bill. claiming that
the dirt was of no value to the firm.
and that IL was saved a long haul by
being allowed to deposit the dirt Ia
side the city instead Of being required
To haul ii outside the city.
In settling IN with +. Kinds 4 Co.
the city held out S30.50. which was the
amount of expense the street depart
ment incurred in cleaning off Main
street after the PAYERS were through,
the city claiming that the contractors
should bear that expense.
The firm of +. Kinds a. Co. kicked.
but the kicking did no good. 1t bided
its time and now has the sum of s10.-
424 10 to set off against the two sums
OF s1.700 and S3o.50 1t seems that the
city council made ii demand on the
county commissioners for it's proper
Tomato share of the amount of money
collected in road tax. The county com
mssioners allowed the claim and voted
oN"r u the city tn sum of sl0,-
Al. IL mentioned above. This was very
satisfactory, but when city Treasurer
Mccarthy tried TO get his money he ran
plump up against the mysterious and
ail-pervading firm of #. Kinds & Gu.
The county treasurer refused to pay
the money over to the city, basing his
stand on the claim that the people Of
he city could not be legally taxed for
road purposes. the road tax being for
county roads and not for city streets.
1 is minated that County Treasurer
I, Kinds & Co. would have turned over
The money had It received it's commits
sion for collecting and the money held
out on the tax contract but as the
matter stands the city is out just that
much money. More than $4,000 is in
this way added 10 the cost of Butte's
paving.
The city authorities Will contest the
matter in the courts. CITY Attorney
Devote has been instructed To look
into the law regarding the road tax
and If the law is found To be all right
action will be brought against County
Treasurer r. Kinds & 90. for the
amount stated above. IT the city is
defeated in the suit the money cannot
be legally held by the county treasurer.
but must be returned TO the parties
who paid the road tax.
At the present stage of the game f.
Kinds & Co. county treasurer. seems
To have the CITY on the hin.