The Richfield recorder. (Richfield, Idaho) 1909-1931, 1910-08-18

were SIG, 6,34S.59, but the records sh
that $500 was paid for court hous
plans and that $4,000 was spent IL
some way or another towards tn,
erection of court house So We
can say the current expenses of the
county government for that year
were about $4,000.
ith the settlement and Development
of the great irrigation projects in
WLineoln county, the expense ol
county government grew by leaps
and bounds, until last year we find
it cost the enormous sum of $41,-
! 743.04 to met the current expenses
OF local government in Lincoln coun-
ty; or more than five times as
much as it cost to met the current
expense in the year 1896 and about
thre and one-half times as much
as it cost us to maintain our geov-
ernment in 1899, when the salaries
paid to our officers were the high-
est in the history of our county.
have shown you very clearly tn
when Lincoln county was small sa
far as settlement goes, it was oper-
ated with economy to the taxpayers
of the county. Now let us see what
Lincoln county costs when it has
grown to be an empire, with three
times as many miles OF railroad as
any other county in the state; with
three times as many miles OF bitches
and twice as many acres of land un
der water as there is in the famous
South Side Twin Falls project.
Why the time is coming, fellow citi-
zens, when we will be divided into
half a dozen counties, and it will be
economy to make the division, the
same as it is today, for we are a
real empire within ourselves. Ly-
ing between Lincoln, Twin Fails and
Cassia counties along the Snake riv-
sites than can be found any other
er we have more natural power
place on earth. These will all en-
ter into and bring a high state of
developmnt some day for Lincoln
county.
Now let me tell you what it cost
you to run Lincoln county in 1909:
Your tax levy was $3.15 on each
$500. If the levy had been 1881
it would have been up to the max
imum amount allowed by law.
Let us see what levies would be
affected by county division:
First, we have tn setate levy of
66 cents on $1OO. You will agree
with me that this cannot be chang
ed by county division.
Next you have a levy of 65 cents
for school purposes. This is the
maximum amount that can be lev
led for this purpose in any county
in the state. With our new condi-
tions l am inclined to think that
we shall have to continue to levy
the full amount for our schools. /
County division could not affect this
levy.
l>ext we come to the levy of 20
cents on the 500 for roads and
bridges. Again this is the maxi /
mum amount that this or any 9TH
er county can levy for this purpose
[ have had the proud distinction to
be road supervisor in my district
'or the past two years--in which
must confess that | have not done
my full duty--and it is my exper-
ence that not ten cents on the dol
ar of the average road money is
ipent in the county economically.
There is only a short time in Idaho
when we can work on roads, when
he soil is in a proepr condition to
,e worked l believe we have the
poorest road laws in Idaho of any
tate in the Union They should
IL be changed, and l hope somethin
will be done at the next session of
he legislature to reach this burn
ng question. l find the roads of
lincoln county as well as of every I
ther county in the state, are s
hame and disgrace to the common {
realth If money were expended |
we could have better roads {
han we have today for ten per cent i
the money that is paid out each t
ear outside of the money that is '
aid out for the construction of new i
ridges and keeping our bridges in G
spair. With the increase of busi- I
ess in Lincoln county this year, | S
N confident that our county commi
oners will have to put this levy a
D to the dollar mark this year, c
ON all indications. e
Now let us analyze the use of the
4 cents per $100 levied for current v
1penses in Lincoln county last year y
First, we will take the sheriff's d
'fice, and what do we find? We t