The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-25
WORK FOR THE COUNTY
ANNUAL srATEMENT or BOARD or
 REVENUE.
Presidenf Houshton Submits Report on Roads, Bridges, Buildings and Finsnces-First Baptist
 Church Taxes.

Board of Revenue of Montgomery County yesterday made a report to the Board of Revenue showing the finan- ciaI condition of the County and the amount of work done by the Board in making, improving and repairing pub- lie roads, bridges and buildings.
 The report shows that Montgomery County Is again assuming the excel lent financial condition 1t enjoyed be- fore the failure of the Josiah Morris hank and that the Board of Revenue is not retrogradins in the policy adopted nearly a decade ago of con- stantly constructing and improving public utilities.
 The report in full as read by Presi- dent Houghton Is as follows:
 "A general statement of the financial affairs of the County of Montgomery, the receipts and disbursements, the progress In building and repairing public highways and bridges, the costs of court and the administration of Justice, the maintenance of public buildings and offices and other affairs properly within County municipal con- troi and direction. is of interest to the tax payers and the public generally. If is also valuable as basis and guide to those who are charged with the re- sponsibility of directing and disburs- ing the public revenue. The total as- sessed value of property for taxation for the year 1904 was:
 Real estate. $15,499,039. "Personal, s7,24s,352.
 "Iicenses. 20 per cent of State levy, s12.269.
 ''The 5 mill tax rate levied for gen. eral purposes and to pay interest on the public debt yielded S113,734.10, and | the special levy of 1 mill for roads, bridges and causeways brought in | S22,14.09, or a total revenue for the County including the license money of | S14S,S49.5S. available for public pur- | poses.
 "A large proportion of this fund Is appropriated by statute law, such as | the payment of salaries of judges. so- 1 licitors, and other officers. ex-officio | fees, pay of jurors, bailiffs, road su- | perintendents and overseers and ap- | propriations for military and guards | for the jail
 comparisons are made for the year | April i, 1904, to March 31, 1905, as | statement was made the preceding | year between those dates. The total expenditures for all pur- l poses for which the funds named | were liable was s121,566.64. 'It is not practical to classify all | payments under a proper head In brief report, but the subjects named | will be found to be charged substan- | tially with the correct amounts.
 There was paid for interest on County bonds s23,71S0S For costs and expenses of courts. | including salaries of judges and so- licitors, $24.301.79.
 For salaries of other officers. $s.- l 6S2.S2.
 County poor and expenses of in- sane, $6,616. 91.
 I fx,AI
 books, stationery, repairs to public | property, printing. purchase of safes
 and office fixtures for County officers, | court house and jail, etc, $l0,279.2S.
 "Ex-officio fees of County officers. 1 $2,01S. .O9.
 Health department, $3,321. 35.
 Public roads, including pay of beat
 superintendents, overseers, purchase of
 wagons and mules, shovels. spades.
 road machinery, camp outfits. gravel.
 etc. $34,003.2T.
 Bridges, including expenses of reg
 ular bridge force and cost of one new
 steel structure, $s.17T03.
 The County force under T. W.
 Stacey has graded six and three-quar-
 ters miles of roads, repaired fifteen and | half miles of graveled roads, and
 surfaced with gravel four and half
 miles, building in connection 620 feet
 Of bridges, and using five boiler shells
 and 1S5 feet of sewer pipe for drains
 and to replace small bridges. This
 force has also unloaded and hauled 110
 cars of gravel and several cars of coal
 for tAe Jail and court house.
 'The County force under W. H.
 Rives has graded eight miles of road, | repaired fifteen miles and surfaced
 with gravel four miles. using one boil
 CT shell and 630 feet of sewer pipe. One
 bridge was built, four others repaired
 and seventy-five cars of gravel loaded
 and unloaded.
 Much of the hauling by both teams
 has been over long distances, and the
 irregularity of the gravel supply has
 delayed important work. 'The expense to the County of these
 two forces for the year stated has been $17,41S.29.
 The County bridge force under J. l W. Filler has been engaged largely in l making necessary renewals to bridges,
 having constructed only about 300 feet
 of new work and has built one con-
 crete pier. This force has cost the l County for the period named $1900
 The lumber for bridges has cost S5,-
 264.bS, and the quality is not SO good as in former years, necessitating more frequent renewals and repairs, and the price has steadily advanced. | The county has made a beginning | in the erection Of concrete piers for | bridges which will be permanent in character and will serve as durable foundations for steel bridges when the wooden ones require replacement. | Montgomery now has 15I miles of | graveled and cherted roads and about l sixty miles of graded and improved | highways. The policy of the board is | to extend these roads into all parts of | the county, as every mile of improved | and surfaced highway is a benefit di- rectly or indirectly to all the people.
 "The board found it necessary to em- | pIoy a county superintendent of roads whose duties are to constantly inspect | all the roads and bridges, the work of
 construction and repair, and to super l wise and assist the beat superintend-
 ents and road overseers and make 1 weekly reports. A. R. Dick of Pine | Level, was appointed, and his ser
 vices have been of material assistance | to the board in the Information ob- | tained. the prevention of extortion by
 contractors and in urging the superin- l tendents, overseers and road hands to | do more and better work as required l by law. After the roads have been | graded and graveled at the expense of
 the county the board has not found a | way to compel the public road hands to | do the legal amount of work in keep | ing them in order.
 | "Including forty-three mules, eigh- | teen wagons, one traction engine and T |. h.-