The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-01-25

oustut-s VI DteSstu WIN even
ordinary powers of observation and
common sense, he will have no more to
say after that visit against the needs
of a new courthouse. Turning into the
first door to the right and entering the
treasurer's Office he finds himself in a
little box. confronted by a counter only
ten or twelve feet in length on which
is pile of big books, eighteen or TWEEN
ty, all in constant sc, sufficient to GOV.
err counter space ten or twelve times
as great. Perhaps he wishes to pay his
taxes, and finds number of others al.
ready there for tine same purpose. They
fill the little space to full and overflow
ing. They crowd over and around each
other, walk on each others toes, and put
in a miserable half hour waiting for the
deputies and clerks to get through with
the work that under proper conditions
might be done in half the time, or less,
and by about half the number of men.
Doubtless Yakima is the only county
in the state whose treasurer mas no
vault. Every valuable record of the
office lies exposed to dangers of dozen
different kinds every working day in the
year. In case of a fre--a calamity of
which the county officials live in hourly
dread and fcar--records would be de.
stroyed in this Office alone that never
could be replaced. The only available
place for the old assessment rolls is
under the one counter referred to. At
night truck is loaded up with the
record books and taken the full length
of the hall, through the auditors office
and into the auditors vault. The one
l6x2O feet in size: here the treasurer
and his deputies-never less than four
and in busy seasons seven or eight men
do their work in the space left after
the big books, typewriters, tables, etc..
are accommodated. 1t is this disad-
vantage that makes more help neces-
sary in the treasurer's office than would
| be needed. If there were more room,
a vault and a proper place for keeping
| the books and records, at least two men
less would be required in the busy or
| taxpaying season, and furthermore. at
that time night work could be dispensed
with at great saving to the county.
| The business of this office is greater
now than it has ever been. owing to tue
growth of the county; old taxes, delin.
quent for years and years are coming
in, necessitating the keeping of eight
cen large books on the counter most Of
the time, with twenty others scattered
about the room that may be needle! at
any time.
County Cl"yk Day is properly up
against it in trying to provide for the
court records and other valuable pap",
and books that are entrusted to his
care. lie las vault. it is true. bat it
IL 50 small and crowded as to be prac.
tically useless from now on. 1t Is
filled to the top, every available inch of
space being taken, and there is no place
where the old papers that date back to
the territorial days, and all of which
are valuable, can be put to make more
room. The vault is only IT. 10 in. by
10 it. 4 in, and the height to the top
of the arch is not over feet. The floor
once cement, now q powder, is in such
shape that it is impossible to roll truck
or wheeled case into it. There Is also
lack of room for the reception of peo.
pie having business in the Office, and
of facilities for consulting the records
in time and labor saving manner. Mr..
Day also calls attention to the fact, not
known by all perhaps, that the county
will be paying out about $3.50 per year
from the first of this year for the SUI
perior judges chambers and the pros.
ecuting attorneys Office, which should
be in the courthouse, but for which there
is no room. This sum would pay the in
terest on a good many bonds. The
court house has but one jury room,
whereas there should be at least two
At the last term of court, the jury was
housed part of the time in the Office
Of the county superintendent, a poor
place for the purpose, but the only
one available.
The miserable little place assigned to
the county superintendent is no more
fitted for its purpose than are the aud
itor's, clerks and treasurer's Offices. 1t
should consist of a private Office, a re.
ception room and room In which exam
nations could be held, institutes con-
Quoted, ETC., and better facilities should
be provided for the records. A vault
is badly needed, and q less resourceful
man than the present superintendent
would find great difficulty in keeping
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