Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1905-06-30
PUBLISHED FRIDAYS.
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TIE AuprToRs REPORT

To the Honorable Board OF County
Commissioners, Grant county;
have Just finished an examination
Of the accounts OF ex-county treasurer,
j. w. Fleming, covering a period OF
time from date OF last examination.
May, 1904. 70 the date Of turning his
ONCE over to his successor, Arthur S.
Goodell, on January IL, 1905, and re-
spectfully report that all moneys that
came Into his hands as treasurer and
collector have been properly accounted
for with the exception that Mr.. Flem-
log has deducted az commissions OF
certain receipts, moneys which under
late District Court opinions, to which
he was not entitled and Of which the
following is a summary:
Poll tax aud Hnes, $1,000
Interest from Treas. Luna Co., 1856
Miscellaneous collections, 1895
Liquor any gambling licenses, 754OO
Total, Sl,372.9l
l attach herewith statements show
ing numbers Of receipts and sources
from which such collections or receipts
were received.
Your District Attorney will advlse
you as to the action you should take in
this matter.
] also wish to advise you that Judge
Mann, Judge Of the 9th judicial dis
trict, 10 a recent opinion in a suit
brought by one Of the assessors 10 his
district against the county to enforce
the payment Of assessors commissions
for assessing liquor and gambling
licenses held that section 3, chap. los,
Session Laws OF 1901, repealed by i'm.
plication section 1749 Of the q. L.. Of
1897 whereby the assessor was entitled
to 4 per cent on all licenses and taxes
collected under their assessments and
that they we're entitled TO but50 cents
as provided in section 3 above referred
TO. During the past two years ending
December 81, 1904. these commissions
have been allowed and paid to the
assessor and 10 this also your District
Attorney will advise you II you should
take steps TO recover this money &C
paid 10 the ex.assessor.
Yours respectfully,
G. V. Stafford, T. A
The above is the report Of Travelling
Auditor Stafford, for a copy OF which
the LIBERAL is under obligations u
Probate Clerk Walton, Of which The
LIBERAL has had several things to say
In the past week or so, and IL is fully
as interesting as the LIBERAL thought
IL would be. II should be understood
that the collector is entitled TO -four
per cent on all monies be collects, and
the assessor is entitled to four pei
cent on all monies collected on the
tax roll he makes out, aud ifty cents,
the same as the clerk, on each license
issued. The treasurer does not collect
the poll tax; that is collected by the
clerk OF the school board, and be il
paid a commission. Fines are paid
into the court. The liquor and gam
bling licenses are collected by the
sheriff, and he receives a commission
for collecting them. The interest
paid by Luna county tax payers or
Grant county bonds is collected by the
treasurer OF Luna county, aud he re
ceiYes a commission for collecting thii
money. IL will be seer that Treasurer
Fleming charged the county four PEI
cent on all monies that were paid intC
his hands, but which he had not col
lected. IL he had read the law 1t Il
probable he would not have mad
these charges. IL he had read thl
papers. which contained the decision
Of the courts on this question, hi
would not have made the charge. /
will be noticed that the assessor got u
the county for an amount ranging
from four 20 sixteen dollars on eact
license issued, when the law only al
lowed him ifty cents for each licens,
Issued, which would amouDtin AssessoI
SWartz's case 20 some seven hundred
dollars, thus making the county treas
ury short the sun OF some two thous
and dollars. Both Assessor Swart
and Treasurer Fleming arc good To-
the amounts, aud the county treasury
will probably be enriched, 10 the nea'
future by this amount, and 70 look I,
the county commissioners TO see tina.
Treasurer Goodell does not charge fou.
per cent on the amount for accepting
H. Grant county has the travelling
auditor 10 thank for this.