Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-05-06
DEBATE Income TAX ATTHE COUNTY SEAT
COUNTY BOARD SCANS COURT
HOUSE PLAN AND LOOKS WISE.
Not Enough Money TO Pay Running
Expenses, Much Less Build Court
Houses, Says Commissioner Davis.
y FearfuIIy and Wonderfully Con-
StruCted Financial System.

~ Su' suuy duu WOuVCTIutby NOU-
StruCted Financial System.
MONTESANO, May 5.-The board
of county commissioners spent Mor-
day and Tuesday examining plans, n
a style that suggested the majority
of the board were about to make
dealing in courthouses a permanent
business. There were four compet-
ing architects, with plans calling
for buildings costing from $4,000
to $15O,0O0. The architects are, w.
P. White, and Wilson & Loveless, of
Seattle, Baker & Kennedy, of Ever
EFT, and Newton C. Gaunt, of North
Yakima.
The commissioners are giving
nothing out as to their choice, but
the general opinion mere is that
Architect Gaunt has the "pull. This
is the architect, it will be remem-
| bered, who was drawing plans for
a Chehalis County courthouse dur
ing the campaign of 190S-while
commissioners Arland and Davis
were travelling over the county op-
posing county seat removal, with the
argument that the present court
house was good enough for twenty
years. Those plans were paid for
with public money and are still pre-
sumed to be on hand, but, as they
only call for building costing about
$4,000, they are considered too
! cheap.
Speaking of cheapness, if Commits
sioner Davis is correct, and the fig
ures seem to bear him out, the county
treasury is in condition that would
bespeak some bargain hunting in
| court-houses-or anything else this
county buys-unless the screws be
turned a little tighter on the patient
taxpayer. Commissioner Davis saye
the county treasury is depleted, with
scarcely enough money on hand to
pay the running expenses this year,
and that:
''The road fund is overdrawn about
$4,000, or will be when the out
standing warrants are paid, and
there is hardly a cent in the road
and bridge fund.
'The amount of cash on hand in
the treasury is only about $3S4,O0O
and this will not meet the running
expenses for the year. That is the
condition I find the finances of the
county after careful perusal of the
report of Treasurer Taylor.
"Before the two court houses can
be erected bonds to the amount of
100000 or more must be floated
and at this time the matter hardly
seems advisable.
The following is the report of
County Treasurer Taylor:
Total cash on hand. 1884, $40
Amount to be remitted to the diff
ferent cities:
| Aberdeen .$l ,lbl 20
Hoquiam .............. 12,769.59
Montesano ............ 3,O27.S5
Elma 1,527.76
Road fund ............ 51,463.52
Road and bridge fund =. 39,137.O6
School fund ........... 75,202.66
Special school fund ..... 1O,S51.93
Amount of taxes received for the
first quarter of. 1908 up to the pres
ent date $314,21S. 0S.
The special road fund is said to be
$4,000 over drawn. There remains
surplus of $4,000 in district
number one, the outstanding war
rants will take -the balance on
hand in district number two while
the third district is over drawn
about $4,000. The road and
bridge fund is depleted, there being
outstanding warrants to cover the
amount of cash in the treasury.
Just what kind of financiering it
is that carries idle road and bridge
funds of about 100000, when war
rants are out at per cent against
it your correspondent saith not. The
interest on those warrants amounts
to 5000 a month, in fact the system
of finance that prevails here would
throw any private concern into the
| hands Of n receiver in short order
1t may be that the statute requires
the treasurer to keep certain funds
intact regardless of the general con-
dition of the treasury, but it cer-
tainly is not good business to carry
$3S4,55404 of idle cash on hand Gas
shown by this report) and at the
same time to be paying per cent
interest on outstanding warrants.