Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1909-05-07
AUDITOR .o'PR0-
PR|ATtD FEES
County Commissioners Have Asked
Auditor to Return Fees Which
He Has Been Pocketing

A very interesting matter came
before the board of county COM
misssioners at Medora last Satur-
day. 1t seems that chapter 70 of
J the laws Of 1907 fixing the salaries
Of the county auditors, has been
violated in Billings county by
Auditor McGregor. All fees re-
ceived for certifing to deeds, etc.,
should be turned over to the county
treasurer. The auditor in this
county does not seem satisfied with
his salary Of $l33. 80 a month and
has appropriated these fees and re-
fused to turn them over to the
county treasurer.
Some time ago Senator Martin
became aware that the auditor
was unlawfu]ly taking the tax
payers money and he wrote to the
county commissioners asking that
they put stop to the auditor TAX
ing these fees which should be
turned over to the treasurer. The
matter was taken up by the board
last Saturday. The commissioners
called in States Attorney Keohane
who gave the opinion that the fees
were the property of the county and
should not go to the auditor, and
Mr.. Keohane was backed by an
opinion Of the attorney general at
Bismarck.
Although the law is as plain as
possible to made it in the English
language, Mr.. McGregor we under
stand, has refused to turn over his
illegal gotten fees, and the county
will no doubt be forced to go to the
expense and trouble of going to
court to make Mr.. McGregor dis
gorge to the amount Of several
hundred dollars.
The auditors salary is fixed ac-
cording to the assessed valuation
Of property in the county. The
assessed valuation in Billings coun-
ty is between three and four mill
lion dollars, and the auditor in this
county is entitled to salary of
81, 600, and all fees collected over
this amount should be turned over
to the county treasurer.
Here is the law as it applies to
Billings county:
''The salary of the county
auditor shall be regulated by
the value of the property in his
county as fixed by the state
board of equalization for the
preceding year: Provided.
that no county auditor shall
receive more than one thous-
and six hundred dollars in
counties where the assessed val
uation exceeds more than three
million dollars, but does not
exceed more than four million
dollars; and all moneys re-
ceived as fees for certifying
to abstracts or deeds in excess
of the salary as limited by
this article shall be paid
by the county auditor at the
end Of each month into the re
venue fund of the county,"
1t will be seen by the official
proceedings on another page that
the commissioners have ordered
the auditor to reimburse the
county for fees taken illegally,
but as yet he has made no move
to disgorge.
Attorneys Jos seph Denoyer
and G o. Purchase are now
nicely located in the Office rooms
over the Dickinson & Power store,
formerly occupied by DR.. McClin-
took. The old office formerly used
by Mr.. Puchase was not large
enough to accommodate MIR. Den
oyer's large library Of law books.
which is probably the largest in
Billings county. Mr.. Denoyer
has had a nice practice since COM
ing to Beach and now that he and
Mr.. Purchase are located in more
roomy quarters they will be in
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