La Junta tribune., 1908-09-19


IFS office which will be located In
the second story. On the first floor
the county commissioners will BE- in
stalled In the present quarters OF the
county treasurer while the county
commissioners room and the office
Of the county clerk will be thrown
into one and utilized by the latter
official. This would give that off.
cial plenty Of room for years TO come
and also permit OF installing xddi-
tional vault room. The west side Of
the first story will provide quarters
exclusively for the county treasurer
and assessor. she county court room.
county judges chambers and office
Of the county superintendent OF
schools being removed TO the sec
ond story.
The west side of the second story
will provide quarters for the county
court room. with chambers for the
county Judge and an office for the
clerk of the county court. On the
east side OF the second story Will be
located the offices OF the sheriff.
district attorney. county jury room,
county surveyor and superintendent
Of schools. All OF the stairways In
the present building are to be cut
out and an elevator. surrounded by
stairway. installed in the tower. !"
that Is located at the southwest cor
ner OF the building. The estimat-
ed cost OF making the proposed
change is $4,000
Plans for eniarging the county Jail
have, been prepared by Architect
Gwynn, and provide for a stone ad-
dition on the south end OF the pres
ent jail building 26xs4 feet in dimen-
sions. 1t provides for installing four
new cages with corridor between.
each cage having four hunks. and two
cages for sick ward provided with
four hunks each. The plans also
on the west, Iixls feet In dimensi-
ons. A heating plant. for both the
old and the new sections. will be To-
Gated In the rev addition, with a
laundry. coal bunkers. etc. The
estimated cost of making the pro-
posed improvements at the jail Is
$4,000 The present jail is entire
ly inadequate. and 1t has been nee
essary on numerous occasions In the
past to take prisoners to Pueblo for
safe keeping while awaiting trial
Otero county can wei afford to
make the improvements contem:
plated In both the court house and
county jail. and We hope the county
commissioners will take the neces-
sary steps to authorize bond is
sue OF $32. 900 at the coming Novem-
ber election.
The interest on bond issue Of
81. 1000, At six per cent interest would
amount to 1890 per annum. The
sssssssd valuation at otsro county
Is over $500. 900. and levy Of one
fourth Of one mill would yield susfi-
cent revenue to pay the interest each
year. A property owner who pays
taxes on IN assessed valuation Of
s, 900. would find the burden Of his
taxation increased to the extent Of
twenty-five cents each year. just
this much and no more.
The corner stone of the present
court house was laid May !. 1897. and
another distinguished event of that
day was the arrival of the editor of
the great fam.i. journal in La Junta
lin an airship. We remember the
occasion very distinctly. The coun-
ty officials moved into the court
house late in the fall of that year.
and in ten short years it has out
grown its usefulness 1t cost 49,
600, and is one of the cheapest pub
lie buildings ever erected In the
state. The county has nearly doubled
In population in ten years, and yet
the county officials are still doing
business in the quarters that were
none to large whine the building was
first occupied.
The number of tax schedules in
Otero county in 1888. was 2935. and
IN 1905. ten years later. the total
number OF tax schedules Is $500
over double. The Increase In the
number of tax schedules during the
past two years has been phenomenal
In 1906 Otero county had s.07s tax
schedules. and in 1908 a total of s.
603. showing an increase in two years
OF i.525.