The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-01-18
COUNTY EXPENSES,

Appended TO the annual report OF the
Auditor Of Public accounts are tabulatcd
| statements showing receipts and dis
| bursements of The several counties of the
Commonwealth. for the year ending July
l. 1900. These tables should be studied
carefully, and thoushtfully by those who
have been saving that the expense of
county government in this Stale is far in
excess of what ii should be, and that it
can be greatly reduced by a change in
the organic law. Several years ago when
this question was first brought lip It was
argued that our system of county gov
ernuent was the most expensive in the
South and that ii could be greatly re-
duced by certain changes in the Con-
stitution. The tables which Auditor
Marye has now made public do not sup
pert these contentious They show That
in some of the counties the expenditures
are large but they show also, that the
main items relate to road improvements
support of the poor support OF the public
schools, and so on. These expenditures
may be increased or reduced at the OPP
itbll VI liz 80 Lt.N i'Ni' ~ 49,
are in no way affected by the Coustitu-
ton. We take it that no reformer will
be IN favor OF such Constitutional
restriction as will prohibit the tax
payers in the several counties from max
ing as large appropriations as they choose
to the objects named. To do SO were to
tiy in the face of the good old Democra-
lie doctrine OF local self-goVernment
Let us examine the reports from some
Of the counties. Let Us begin with the
county of fienrico, for that is beginning
al home We find, upoh examination that
the county and districts raised for all
purposes during the last fiscal year the
sum of sGaG4S.lS. Out OF this amount
si9Soss went to the support of the poor;
S539 o. TO defray election expenses: $l1,-
eSS.t1 for road Improvement; $i01S9.27 for
incidentais; $2S,4IS.95 for the support OF
public schools. The county at large APP
propriated for school purposes s1l,45SSS
and in addition to this the individual dis
tricts raised for the same purpose, SIT
O235 S Does ANYBODY pretend to say that
the Constitution is in any way responsible
for these expenditures?
Let Us look at the other items. The
county of l5enr;co pays 10 the judge OF
the County Court salary of si.2eo; the
clerk OF the County Court, $500; the clerk
of the Circuit Court, size; 10 the attorney
Tor the commonwealth, 1868: to the
county treasurer, including commissions
sl,Gil-ls: to the sheriff, sl.5oo, and TO the
Board of Supervisors. $500, making d to-
tai of the salaried account OF SI,2IlS
This. mind you, out Of Il total OF Sb9,-
6iG.aS. This does not seem to us 10 De an
extravagant expenditure on the part OF
a large and wealthy county like Hcnrlco
for officers. and il is mere bagate!le.
as compared with the aggregate eNpenai-
tura for other purposes. But TINS is
largely in excess of the salaried accounts
of the great majority Of the counties in
the State The total disbursements, for
example, OF the county OF James CITY Tor
the las; fiscal year were S5.57S.N5, and the
entire salaried accounts was Sl,io9.
The largest disbursement was in the
county of Norfolk, the total for all pur-
poses being sllS,GS8a5 OF this o9i
went 10 the public schools. s72o TO The
sinking fund. So, Ss4.4i TO incidental ex-
penses: s25.Sl5 TO road Improvement:
while sll,s4l.3S Went to the ottice-hoiders
Editor lsibb, of the Louisa News. is a
very prince among reformers, and he has
been telling his fellow citizens for some
time past that they were a taN-ridden,
onice-r!dden community, and that they
ought to apply the heroic treatment
But we find that during the past fiscal
year the entire sum disbursed in Louisa
county was s14.s03.1G and that the
amount aid 10 the oftice-ho!ders was 49,
so. The tax rate in 25c. on the hundred
dollars. with SC. added Tor schools and
is 1-sc. Tor roads. In view of these figures
Il does not appear TO us that the tax