The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-11-05


the part of the author of the circula,
to deceive the voters is nothing shor
of absolute falsehood,
The author of the circular selected
as his first years for comparison ,
time when Mr.. Lander, who was ther
commissioner from the Second district
was absent from home more than hal
the time. because of Ill health ant
hence not attending to the duties OF
MS ONCE. Had the author of the cir.
GUAR selected any other time, his
hgnres would not have shown the dis.
proportionate increase that he has at.
tempted to show. For instance. com.
pare the years lSS9-99 with l9O5-6
During the first period the commits.
sioner from the First district drew In
mileage and per diem, $16S.15, during
the second period SSH. or nearly five
times rs much as during the first. The
commissioner from the Second dis.
trict 1.-THE one here under consider
alton drew during the first period
$lS5.S5: during the second period
*l.24S.25 or practically two and one
half times the amount. III other
words. the increase in the costs of the
commissioners office in the Second
district was proportionally only so per
cent OF the increase of cost in the
First district. while the increase of
cost in the Third district was much
greater than the First. The increase
in the Fourth was little less than the
Second and the increase In the Fifth
about the same. So that taking the
increase for commissioner costs for the
county. the increase in the cost in tn,
second district during the fifteen years
is less than the average increase.
1t would be a waste OF time to bore
the public with list of figures for all
OF the different years, but as a matter
of fact with the exception of the time
mentioned when Mr.. Lander was alb
sent because Of i'll health, the EXPENSE
for the commissioners office for the
Second district has each and every
year exceeded the average expense of
the different districts in approximately
the same proportion that it has dur
ing the years 1906. The reason is
plain. The city of Grand Forks is in
cluded within the Second district,
which brings the population of the
Second district up to more than one
third of the population of the county,
while the expense of the commission
er's office for this district is approx
imately one-third of the whole. The
assessed valuation of the Second dis
trict is one-third of the entire val
uation of the entire county, and the
duty of handling the poor and needy
who apply to the county devolyes al
most entirely upon the commissioner
from the Second district, the city of
Grand Forks furnishing with but few
exceptions the entire list of those who
are assisted by the county. The COM
missioner from the Second district be-
ing now and having been for some
time resident of Grand Forks CITY
the matter of purchasing supplies and
all articles and things needed has de-
volved upon him. All Of these things
OF course, necessarily increase the cost
of that Office.
Grand Forks being the largest and
principal city of the northern half of
the state it is made dumping ground
for a large part of the northern part
of the state. 1t is a very frequent oc-
currence for persons who are injured
or Ill and without means to be shipped
from other portions Of the state into
the city OF Grand Forks. and when
landed here it is for the resident com
to exercise his best Judgment
and do the best possible In caring for
them and at the same time protect the
county. Such unfortunates cannot be
left to starve or to suffer without aid.
All OF this takes great deal of time
and considerable expense; and yet
with more than one-third of the popu-
lation. with practically all of the poor,
with the labor entailed because of the
facts just related. with the travel from
this city on the extreme eastern edge
of the county in the discharge of duties
and particularly with respect to the
large amount of bridge building that
has been carried on. the expense of the
commissioner from the Second district
has been but little more than one
third of the commissioners expense
of the county.
An inspection of the figures and the
records in the auditors Office disclose
that the increased cost attached to the
Office from the Second
district has not been at all out of pro-
portion with the increased cost attach
ed to the other districts and the en-
tire increase has been only proper
tionate with the increase of business.
AS matter of fact the increase in the
Second district has not kept the ex-
pense up to the same proportion that
1t was some years ago. For instance,
in 1889 the cost of the Second district
commissioner was $54S.30; total cost
for county $1,498.30. The Second dis
trict amounting to 1865 per cent. In
1890 cost of Second district $486.S5:
total cost $r,48S.95; cost of Second
district being 1877 per cent Of entire
cost. In 1903 the cost of the Second
district was 1,210.60; entire cost $4,-
O72.65; the Second district costing 1913
OF the entire cost. In 1904 the cost of
the Second district was $1,217.95; to-
tai cost $4,400.S5; the Second costing
27.6 of the total cost. While last year
the cost of the Second district was ST.
248.25; the total costs being $4,444.S0,
the Second district costing only %
per cent of the entire cost, while as
before stated, the value of property,
the population and the amount of time
and labor required is far in excess of
one-third Of the entire county. 1t can
also be seen by comparison of these
figures that with the exception of the
time when Mr.. Lander was away from
home the cost of the Second distric.
commissioners Office has been proper
tionately less under my administration
than under his. 1t must not be for
gotten that since I was first elected az