Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1905-07-06
NOTES R THE CAPITAL
Des Moines. July 1. 1905

of much Importance in relation to the
preservation of the lake beds of the
state. The council has made an order
for the drainage of a lake in Emmett
county on certain conditions which
contemplate the expenditure of a con-
siderable sun of money. The super
visors of the county were doubtful
about their right to expend the funds.
They asked the executive council for
advice on this subject and the attor-
ney general was called on for an opin-
ion. In the case in question the
council had ordered South Swan lake
drained and the bed of the lake sold
on condition that the county built a
levee at the south end of North Swan
lake to prevent 1t from being drained.
This would cost a large sum of money
and the supervisors of Emmett county
doubted their legal authority to ex-
pend it. The attorney general de-
cided that the county had the author
ity to expend the money for this pur.
pose. The law relating to drainage
provided that counties may make
drainage districts and expend funds
raised therein for the building OF
levees and other improvements OF
this character. He decided that the
expenditure referred to was entirely
legal for the county to assume This
affects a large number of lakes in the
state. They are so situated that the
swampy portions may be drained,
with ease, and the beds made into
fertile lands, but in doing it the por-
ton of the lakes in which there is
clear water also is drained. To pre-
vent this the council, which desires
to preserve all possible lakes, has or
dered the erection Of dams as in the
case of Swan lake. The attorney
general has decided hat the executive
council has the legal power to ray
the expense of this construction also.
June was the banner month for the
collection of collateral inheritance
taxes by the state. Treasurer Gil
This is at the rate of about 100000
a year. For TIE biennial period the
collections would amount to 5000 600,
if the June rate were kept up. But
probably it can not be. In the month
Of ~ bruary $23,0 900 was collected,
which indicates that the rate will be
kept up to a very high figure. These
two months, however. cap the climax
for the collateral Inheritance rec.
ord. Special effort was made this
month to push the collections up. In
the case of a number of estates it was
decided to issue receipts in part pay.
ment of the taxes rather than to wait
for the whole collections, thus Sc
curing the funds for the general rev.
anue of the state. The state treasury
Ices not expect to keep up the June
rate during the year.
One of the interesting things about
the biennial statement of the boar1
If control relating to the finances of
the thirteen state institutions, is the
variation of expense for the same
service at the different institutions.
For instance, salaries at the school
for the deaf at Council Bluffs cost the
state S270.19 per capita, while at FL
1ora they amounted to but $SO.32 per
capita. At Council Bluffs there were
1876 pupils and %fifty-one employees who
got $50,254.89 in wages, while at
Eldora there were sos inmates and
sixty-six employees, getting ~S40,401.30
in wages during the biennial period.
This variance m about because
of the fact that Council Bluffs is run
as a school, as a matter of fact, re-
quiring peculiarly fitted teachers, al
though. of course, the number of en-
,Inyync would NOT innrnaCn in nrOnnr-
ton as the number of pupils in
creased.
It cost $216,4S2.52 more to run the
state institutions of Iowa during the
biennial period ending with June
than it did during the biennial period
ending June 80, 1908. Altogether it
cost a pretty penny to care for the
institutions-in all $2,554, 1926.
Of the increase, $SS,539 was due 20
the increase in wages and salaries and
$115, 281 to the increase in the cost OF
coal. which takes care of over 100000
of the increase.
The increase in wages was due to
the operation of the institution at
Cherokee for the full biennial period
while it was operated during but n
veal of the preceding period, and to
the 476 increase in population which,
in turn, made an increase in the en-
ployes and therefore in the pay roll,
essential.
A new feature of the cattle exhibit
at the Iowa State Fair this year will
be the test for milch cows, in which
is offered four premiums amounting
to 1000. The COWS entered for the
contest may be fed and handled at
the option of the owner, except no
condiments, condition powders or
drugs of any kind shall be given TO
the COWS during the test, but common
salt. ashes or sulphur may be used.
The rules further providing that only
water may be given the cows to drink
and that they shall not be MIXED
more than three times during each
twentv-four hours Of the test, which
continues three days. The scoring of
the milk will be on the basis OF
twenty-five cents a pound for butter
fat and two and one-half cents per
round for solids other than butter
fat; or by rating butter fat at twenty
five cents per pound and b~y-products
at twenty cents per hundred pounds.
Jack lin a museum)-"This collec-