The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1898-10-07

ton or valuation and paid a fixed rate
on these scales and still does so.
At first, only those offices that paid
we'll in fees, the register and treasurer,
were fixed and the result was quite a
gain to the county. But later, some of
the MINOR and poorer paying offices have
been brought under the sliding scale
basis with the result of immensely in
creasing such salaries and the swallow
ing up of all that had been formerly
gained, and it would require consider
able figuring to discover, whether today,
the county is not paying more for salar-
les for practically the same amount of
work, for approximately the same num-
Der of officers and clerks than it did un-
der the old fee system, eight or ten years
ago.
The first criticism we make is the re-
markable diversity in the bases, measure
ments and rates of the sliding scales on
which salaries are based. We have not
space and can only give an idea of these
differences. Several of the officials
salaries are based on population. To
find the population of county (see Sec.
1869 R. C.) the auditor is to take the last
census and add five per cent for each
year until he has added twenty per cent
and that is the legal population. Of
course in some counties this is too much
and in Others too little. In this county
the census of 1890 gave 1884 popu-
lation, so adding twenty per cent our
Salary population is now 1921.
The states attorney, the clerk OF court
and the county judges salaries are fixed
by the population basis of Sec. :O59, but
strange to say each by a distinct and
different rule. The register and auditors
salaries are fixed by the amount of as
sessed valuation of property in the coun-
ty. but each by a different rule. The
county treasurer's salary is figured on a
rule that supposes that the commission
ers know how much tax he is going to
collect during the year following, but
which is so lenient that in this county is
certain TO be at least $2,OOo. Uuder
these laws the register also gets $4,000;
the auditor about 81, $40 and the clerk of
court $l,SO0 and the county judge with
other things hereafter mentioned con-
siderably more than any of Them,
Our idea would be, that all these Off
ces should be paid on the basis of assess
ed valuation. A positive, known annual
basis, and which really shows the rela-
tive ability of any county to pay its SER
wants.
Another criticism is the diversity of
law on the appointment of deputies and
clerks and their pay. In some of the
offices the pay of the deputies and clerks
is entirely at the will of the commission
ers. In the clerk of the courts's Office
there must be a deputy in counties of
this size and his salary is fixed by law at
one half the salary (as fixed by the popu-
lation scale) of his superior. In the
county judges Office, the law provides.
(Sec. 2O69) "tnere shall be allowed and
paid to the judge of the county court for
clerk hire the sum of six hundred dol
lars" That is, this amount is SLOWED
and paid over to the county Judge
whether he has clerk or not.
The beautiful absurdity of this is fur
ther shown by the contrasting statutes in
the case of the clerks or deputies of the
register and treasurer, where it is made
a misdemeanor for the principal to re-
ceive or appropriate to his own use any
part of any clerks salary. Our idea is
that all salaries of deputies and clerks in
all county offices can be fixed at more
uniform and reasonable rate by the coun-
ty commissioners than by any fixed
Statute, and we don't believe that any
board would pay clerk hire except to
persons actually and necessarily employ
ed, unless arbitrarily compelled to do SO
by Statute.
Now as to the amount of salaries paid,
it is our opinion based on pretty thor
ough knowledge of the duties and re-
sponsibilities OF county officials, that the
register, treasurer and auditor ofa cou.t\
OF our assessed valuation are worth at
least 5000 salary each to the county, or
it not, the mistake is with the voters who
selected them. For like duties and
much less responsibility, similar or grea.-
er salaries are paid by private firms and
corporations.
The Offices of clerk ofcourt and county
judge are however in our opinion greatly
overpaid. The present clerk of court
was very willing to take his present office
and pay his own clerk hire for the fees
OF the Office at the time of his first cleo
ton. The last published statement of
the county shows the fees to have been
for the year $77v.5O which however
probably does not include the county
business which under the salary system
pays no fees. and would pay perhaps
$2OV or 500 more, making a SALARY if