Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-05
WILL NOT HIRE COLLECTORS
County Board Turns Down Lawyers Pro-
pOsal to Collect Taxes,
WORK TO Be DONE BY COUNTY OFFICIALS
After InvestigntiOn Commissioners
Decide 90 Allow Clerk Miller
TO Retain Two Men in
Tax Department.

On second thought the county commits
sioners have realized that IL delinquent
taxes can be collected at all they can be
collected without the expensive aid of en-
terprising attorneys, and II was agreed
yesterday afternoon to turn down the
proposition Of Ransom and Piatti to make
such collection for Is per cent OF all taxes
paid more than the $4,000 per month, which
Is the normal.
"In the long run II would be an expen-
sive arrangement said one of the COM
missioners at the meeting of the committee
Of the whole. The attorneys would be at
no expense whatever, except the value OF
their time in such instances as they chose
TO prosecute the delinquent, as thew re-
quire the board to employ the expert. who IS
TO prepare the lists, and to furnish also
the notices to be sent out. and even the
postage on the same. For less than the
money they would make on the deal we
could put a few collectors in the field and
bring the money in faster than they could.
Indeed. the county treasurer has arranged,
The Bee says, to begin just this kind of a
crusade soon, and l notice that the col
Iector he has out now has collected more
than 1900 in the first month he has been
out. He cannot start out that van any
too soon to suit me, and let him use his
distress warrants without fear or favor.
County Has Some Hired Men.
"As for suing, We can do that, too, with
out the assistance OF these bidders, for the
county has, or is supposed to have, its
own legal machinery, competent to do
whatever is right and is required. l have
newer favored giving the bidders the FIVE
year contract they have asked for, but at
1rst l thought it might do to let them
try Il one year. But now, when / have
thought over the details more fully, l fail
10 find any inducement whatever in the
plan, and l believe 1t is the duty Of the
commissioners to see that these collections
are pushed by the county officials and not
farm out the work in the way proposed"
Without exception the other commission
ers appeared to have reached practically
the same conclusion and the proposition
was accordingly dismissed from further
consideration.
In this connection there may be men
toned the fact that two men who are ex-
tensive property owners and tax-shirkers
have appeared before the board as a self
appointed committee to protest against the
proposed campaign Of collection announced
by Treasurer Elsasser.
Relatives Cut a Figure.
Another circumstance that is amusing, IL
hot important, is the change of front pre-
scented by two veteran advocates of re-
trenchment since immediate relatives Of
each have secured places on the county pay
roll. The commissioners say that it is
such circumstance as these that make
the board wonder II the cry for economy is
as unselhsh and public spirited as 1t
should be.
The board rummaged the tax books Thurs
day until o'Keefe was satisfied that the
county clerk had use for the two additional
men he had asked to retain in that depart
ment and his request was accordingly
granted. 1t is said that the personal tax
accounts have not been brought up since
1897 and the real estate taxes not since 1890.
The treasurer is now adopting the system
OF indexed cards to avoid future errors of
the kind that recently occurred when one
man paid seven years back taxes and later
was confronted with taxes for the three
years prior to the seven he had paid. He
asked the collector IL there was nobody
about the county court house who knows
how To keen books.