The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1904-10-05
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WFTEEFETktk~UU 49,
The state auditors Office is preparing
several tables for the biennial report,
which deal with county financial affairs
of all the counties OF the state, with de-
tails of their financial business for the
past year. The total liabilities of all
counties of the state at the end of the
past fiscal year were S5,5II $50, which
is an increase of sci 900 over the La
bilities outstanding at the end of the
1903 fiscal year. Out of this amount
81, IO6,164 is due the state on school
fund loans, and is all secured to the
counties, either by mortgage or bonds,
leaving the liabilities outside of this fund
a little over 50, 100000. The assets of the
different counties show $6,S41,40S an in
crease of $1,127, 152 over the assets at
the end of the previous fiscal year. OF
the assets returned $1,69S,9I0 is in the
way of unpaid taxes. The report will
show that t~wenty-four out of the fifty
four counties of the state have no bond
ed Indebtedness. The counties in this
list are Aurora, Brookings. Brule, Butte,
Charles Mix, Clark, Clay, Gregory,
Hamlin, Hand, Hutchinson, Jerauld,
Kingsbury, Lincoln, Lyman, Mcpherson,
Miner, Moody, Potter, Sanborn, Sphinx,
Sully, Turner andUnion. While this long
list shows no bonded Indebtedness. the
counties of Butte, Lincoln and Turner
are the only ones showing absolutely no
outstanding debt of any class at the close
OF the fiscal year, and all show cash in
the treasury. Several other counties
show sufficient cash on hand to take up
their floating liabilities and leave a sur
plus, but these three alone started the
now vpnr with on ahSn1ttaly nlaor clufa
This is quite a different showing from
only a few years ago, when but few of
the counties of the state were clear of in
debtedness, and shows that the people
of the state are getting themselves on a
firm foundation of public business, and
that the old days Of rich interest fields
for eastern investors have gone from
this state.
The rank growth of vegetation
throughout the state this season, and the
fact that thus far the fall has been a.
very dry one, renders it necessary for
extraordinary precautions to be taken
against the starting OF prairie fires. One
of the leaders in the movement to guard
against these disastrous fires Is Charles
K. McCherney, United States Indian
agent at Rosebud agency. He recently
issued to his subordinates in the various
sub-districts on the reservation instruc-
tons to construct fire guards in each SUBJ
district and for every white person and
Indian to turn out promptly, either day
or night, to prevent any prairie fires
which may be started from spreading
and sweeping over adjoining districts.
The subordinate officials are authorized
to employ Indians at the rate Of $1.25
per day, to pillow fire guards. and a large
number of the red men are now engaged
in the work. Some damage already has
been done in the agricultural portion Of
the state by prairie fires. A fire which
was started near washington Springs
by sparks from an ash pile lifet by a
threshing crew swept over quite an ex-
tensive area and destroyed a great deal
of hay, pasturage and fencing before it
was extinguished by farmers, who turn
ed out by the score to fight the flames.
y
The State Historical Society has re-
Gently come into the possession of an in
teresting and valuable relic, in the form
Of a stone AK, such as the Sioux Indians
were accustomed years ago to utilize in
~chopping wood. The AK is an exception
ally fine specimen, being almost perfect
in shape and much larger than the or
binary AK. 1t has a groove around it by
means OF which a handle was tied on with
a thong. The curiosity has the date of
1855" and the initials "W. III. t."
marked upon itz1n black paint, showing
that the specimen was first found at that
time. The ak is a valuable addition to
the curios being gathered by the histori-
cal society. 1t is the aim of the socie-
ty to gather as man relics as possible
Of the weapons and domestic implements
used By the Indians prior to the settle
ment of the west by the whites.
Residents along the river from Cham
beriain down are shipping live stock, and
especially hogs, to the Sioux City mar
ket by boat, and say that they can land
them on the market in better shape by
this manner Of shipment than they can
by train. The shipping business from
Dakota points to Sioux City has been re-
ceiving considerable attention from boat
owners for several years, and as they
keep at 1t there is evidence that ii pays.
The new boat built at Pierre last spring
has been kept busy all summer and has
been as far up river as Forest City, and
as far down as Chamberlain. With more
economical methods Of propelling river
craft there is no reason why a good car
rying trade could not be again worked up
along the Missouri River.
The state land department is not issu-
ing patents so numerously on final pay
ments for state lands as it did before the
interest rate had been reduced. The
holders of state lands, on which deferred
payments are out not finding it so profit
able to change their class Of loans with
the lower rate OF interest. In the past
month but three patents have been sent
ouf on final navmant two of these roinr