The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-17

luton of the present system of road
work In Ramsey county. 1t means that
$4,000 will be available next year for
permanent roads and that the So called
repairs will be restricted to $4,000
This year, and in past years, the road
and bridge fund appropriation has been
made in lump sum, and it was left
with the county board to spend as that
body saw fit. Out of the $4,000 that
has been appropriated, large portion
of it has been expended for repairs,
and when the repairs were paid for
very little has been left for permanent
roads.
System Will Be Changed
Next year this will be changed.
There will be but $4,000 available for
repairs for the year, and the $3.50
must be expended for permanent roads.
This is the system the Good Roads as
ISOLATION has recommended. and it is
believed that 1t will result in a move
ment towards macadamized roads in
Ramsey county.
The new plan naturally has the op-
position of Commissioners Powers and
Wright, the two country members of
the board, although, by bringing out
good roads candidate for commits
s1oner in opposition to Mr.. Wright, the
North st. Paul member was forced to
vote for the resolution at yesterdays
meeting. The reason the plan is on
posed by the country members is be-
cause 1T robs them of decided prestige
that they have enjoyed in the past
Under the old system. in vogue for
Years, 1T has been customary to divide
the county, outside the city, into two
districts, each under the supervision of
the country member.
All repair work in these districts has
hO(lIl 1nv@ I IL 80
the commissioner in whose district the
work was being done. In this manner
thousands upon thousands of dollars
have been expended under the personal
supervision Of the commissioner from
that district. 1t has long been charged
that the country commissioners took
advantage Of this plan to favor their
personal and political friends in the
distribution of this work, and an in
yestigation of the records in the county
auditors Office bears out these charges
to the extent that they show that it is
practically the same men-the political
supporters of the country members
who have drawn the money for this
work month after month and year
after year. Instead of any great
amounts being expended for permanent
work, the major portion of the. annual
appropriation has been expended by
the two country commissioners for re-
pairs.
The Seng resolution behind which is
the good roads association, is couched
in language that will make the continu-
ance of this system an impossibility
I Under the terms of this resolution the
$4,000 is placed in the budget for per-
manent road work. This means that
no part of it may be legally expended
Tor repairs. The repairs are provided
Tor in the additional and separate item
of $4,000.
The good roads association was rep
resented at the meeting by T. J. Nc
Dermott. Louis Betz, J. W. Taylor and
Gustav Scholle, all of whom addressed
the board on the Importance of pro-
viding for permanent roads in Ramsey
county. Commissioners Powers ana
Pottgieser though the proper way to
provide a fund for permanent roas5s
was to issue bonds, but the other menu
bers of the board were not favorable
to any bond issue, and the Seng resolu-
ton passed, having a bare ma ority
Discussion Delays Work
So much time was taken up by the
board in the consideration of the road
and bridge fund that but few other
items in the budget were disposed of
yesterday, and another meeting will be
held tomorrow morning, at which time
GA Ciloi WI LIZ nc tl1dSlG To dispose OF
the budget
Commissioner Pottgieser jumped into
the spot light position once more
when the item of $4,000 to carry out
the provisions of the Torrens system
of land registration was reached Con-
siderable surprise was manifested at
Mr.. PottgieSers open opposition to the
Torrens system, since it is generally re-
garded that Nm. Pottgieser is to be-
come candidate for register of deeds.
The county commissioners statements
that the system was too "cemplicated''
is considered by his friends to be a
bad piece of politics.
Mr.. PottgieSef was still denouncfng
the Torrens system when it was ex-
planned to him that the amount of
$2,500 was fixed by law. and all the
board had to do with it was to provide
for it in the budget. Mr.. Pottgieser
finally subsidized, but he thought the law
should be changed.
The commissioner was still in an
economical mood when the next item
in the budget was read. 1t provided
for an appropriation of $500 for -coun-
~ Jail expense, and he expoStulated
until the item was reduced to s., COS.
He also had $4,000 chopped off the item
of $4,000 for blank books
Chairman Smith called the attention
of the board to the fact that Hennepin
county PAID OUT SS90 Tor printing the
| financial report Of the county; whereas
it cost Ramsey county $4,000, but no
action was taken towards reducing the
amount paid here.
This was as far as the board got
with the consideration of the budget
| yesterday, but the work will be re-
sumed tomorrow morning, and merry
time is expected before some of the
items are disposed Of
krahmer Worked Alone
The budget was made up by County
Auditor Krahmer, who disdained any
assistance, from other county officials.
Even County Treasurer Metzdorf. who
has heretofore been consulted in the
matter, knew nothing of the manner in
which the budget had been made UP
until he saw it in print It has always
been customary for the auditor to con-
suit with the treasurer in making Up
the budget, but it was not done this
year.
Unless the board passes it without
due consideration. County Auditor