The Bemidji daily pioneer., 1909-08-09

county have not yet been proved up
and are not taxable; neither are the
owners paying any taxes; that the
assessed valuation of the county is
l$7,00O,O00..
Mr.. Wright alleged that the pres
ent bond issue will take up the out
standing indebtedness and that
those who now have homesteaded in
the county will in the fifteen years
(the time which these bonds run)
pay their porportionate share of the
improvements of Beltrami county
for it's public buildings, roads and
bridges. He denied that the board
exceeded its authority on expendi-
lures on the road and bridge fund,
and the amount used was a trife
less than the appropriation.
Answering the third charge Mr..
Wright states that the board did not
examine the accounts and vouchers
of the auditor and treasurer and
make written statment required by
law, but alleges further that the re-
cords in the auditors office, back to
the organization of the county, show
no such reports to have ever been
made or filed by the county board;
that no loss or injury to the county
or the people therein has BEEN
shown by such failure or neglect of
the county board.
County Auditor Wilmann was
called as the first witness on behalf
of the commissioners and stated that
the revenue fund January 1, 1908,
was overdrawn $11O,122.27; that
during that year there was collected
from all sources and placed to the
credit of the revenue fund $3,4O8.21;
that on December 81 of that year
the outstanding warrants issued
against the revenue fund amounted
to $131,O36.9O; that at their meet
in July, 1907, the commissioners
levied for use of the revenue fund
$41, 400; that owing to the 5-mill
levy limit but $30,194.O1 of this
amount was actually extended and
placed on the tax list.
E. E. Mcdonald, attorney for A..
w. Danaher, imposed an objection
to any testimony being taken on
this count, for the reason that, owing
to the number of appropriations
fixed by law and over which the
commissioners had no control what
ever, it was utterly impossible for
the commissioners to comply with
this statute, and the fact that the
funds were overdrawn on this show
ing, the charge did not state the
fact sufficient to constitute NAL
feasance in office on the part of the
commissioners.
Mr.. Russell, on behalf of Mr..
Wright and Mr.. .Sibley, imposed
further objection and stated that
they were charged with spending
the 1908 tax levy, which in fact,
should have been in 1907.
The commissioner overruled this
objection.
Mr.. Wilmann again took the stand
and stated that the collections of
back taxes during the year of 1908
amounted to $1559.87.
Saturday afternoon the state,
together with the respondents, made
careful examination of the 1898
financial statement and found that
of $53, 3,547.9O expended out of the
revenue fund $44,479.28 was fees,
salaries and expeditures fixed by law
and over which the board had nc
control whatever, leaving the small
sum of $9,O68.62 worth of claims
which the board were required tc
pass upon, the several items being
as follows:
Miscellaneous justice court ex-
penses, S1O8.4O.
Books, blanks and stationery,
$38O7.99.
Court house and Jail (material and
repairs), $273.52.
Telephones, $26O.30.
| Sundry miscellaneous expenses
$2149.61.
m ~