Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-17
FIGHT OVER COUNTY PRINTING
Protest Filed Against Circulation
Statement of an AvOea
Paper.

The newspapers seeking to secure the
publication OF the proceedings of TIE county
supervisors filed sworn statements Of their
circulation with the board yesterday aft
ernoon. AS three of the papers filed notice
OF contest of the alleged circulation Of the
Avoca Tribune the board postponed the
hearing until Saturday morning at o'clock.
The Council Bluffs Nonpareil, by Victor
K. Bender, its business manager, presented
a statement to the effect that the circula-
tion of it's daily and weekly in the county
outside of the papers delivered by carrier
in Council Bluffs exceeded $3.50 copies for
the last three months; the Oakland Acorn
swore to a circulation of 595; the Nicola
Reporter to 724; the Avoca Journal-He
to 663 and the Avoca Tribune to 9s5.
The Oakland Acorn, Nicola Reporter and
Avoca Journal Herald disputed the state
ment Of the Avoca Tribune as to its circu-
lation and filed joint protest alleging that
the statement was fraudulent and that the
stated circulation was not bona fde They
also eontended that as the Avoca Tribune,
which was formerly the Council Bluffs Trlb-
une, had not been published in Avoca prior
to January l Of thls year was therefore
not entitled to consideration at the hands
Of the board. It was further alleged by
the protestants that the Avoca Tribune was
totally different paper from the Council
Bluffs Tribune for the fact that the Coun-
ell Bluffs publication had been a demo-
cratic organ, while the Avoca paper was
now republican in its politics.
According to the provisions OF the code
which went into effect in 1897 the super
visors are compelled to award the pub
fishing OF the proceedings to the three
papers published In and having the
largest circulation in the county This
law has been ignored by the Pot
tawattamie county supervisors and the
publication was divided annually be-
tween eight or nine OF the county
papers. This year two OF the papers de-
oined to abide by the former arrangement
and called the attention of the board to
the law governing the matter. Under the
law the board is obliged to pay 33 cents an
inch for the publication.
large number OF farmers from Rock
ford and Crescent townships interested in
the proposed drainage ditch scheme were
present, but owing to the failure of the
Harrison county authorities 10 appear the
board took no action in the matter, al
though a greater part OF the afternoon was
taken up in an informal discussion OF It,
Many OF the farmers present made objec-
tions to the scheme as at present outlined
Those south OF the proposed bitches insist
that levees be constructed alongside Of the
bitches to prevent the overflow from them
and the backing up OF the river onto their
land while farmers north Of the proposed
bitches object to any such proposition un-
less Harrison county will take care of its
own water and drain 1t into the Missouri
by an outlet In that county without using
the waterways through Pottawattamie
county.
The following claims for damages, ag-
gregatins S24,SO4 by reason OF the proposed
drainage bitches through this county were
/ filed yesterday with the board:
| j. w Frazier. Mary T. White and