Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-03-07
STATE HAVING LESS DIFFICULTY
IN COLLECTING AMOUNTS
DUE.
SUPPORT OF COUNTY WARDS
AMOUNTS TO PRETTY SUMS
Penalties Attached by Recent Law
Brings Counties to Time-Disposition
Of Hunters License Fees Still Mat
ter of ontroversy-supreme Court
Cenvenes Tuesday.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines, March THE accounts
of the state of Iowa with the various
counties anent the support of the coun-
ty wards a, various state institutions
have seldom been in such excellent
condition as now. Only a few dollars
were due the first of the month and
Joe Wall, state bookkeeper in the Of
Ace of Auditor Bleakly, sent out last
week the bills for all collections.
On Jan. 1 collections were so nearly
up 10 date that there was remaining
unpaid just s69T, and on Jan. that
sum was received and the state was
absolutely square with the counties
for the first time.
For a long time II was found i'm
possible for the state TO make the
counties pay promptly and as a result
in some of the MESA ges of the COVER
nors will be found references to the
deiinquencies of the counties and sug-
gestions of legislative action to COM
pei an accounting. A few years ago a
progressive legislature and governor,
as part of general plan for put
ting state finances on the best posi-
BILE basis, made some radical changes
in the law. Instead of undertaking to
make it a nisdemeanor for county
officer to fail to remit. penalties were
attached just like the penalties the
taxpayer finds against him when he is
delinquent in his tax payments.
The first year after the new system
went into effect the state received over
$4,000 in penalties. The next year only
500 was received. The last two years
the penalties have not been SIS
year.
When the reform legislation went
.nto effect the state was shy something
like $4,000. Jan. , last the last red
figures were taken from the balance
sheet.
The disposition of the funds of the
state which were derived from the
hunters licenses is still a matter of
controversy. All sorts of schemes have
been suggested for getting this money
out of the state treasury and into the
hands of individuals There is much
urging on the part of some of the
hunters and fishermen of the state that
new game warden be named and that
1t shall be one who will inaugurate a
very extensive movement for patrolling
the rivers, placing fish, building dams
and fishways, and otherwise expending
the money. The fund is largely in the
control of the game warden, but the
state executive council has string
on the same and is not disposed to
permit extravaganza. The plan for a
game preserve meets with the approval
Of some of the members of the coun-
Oi1 1N,14 n ha1
any right to appropriate money for the
purpose.
The Iowa supreme court reconvenes
tomorrow for the third period of the
so-called January term. The cases
on the docket are from the Thirteenth
to Sixteenth districts inclusive. A num-
Der of lawyers will ask the court for
rehearings, and among these will be the
case from Woodbury. county involving
the duty of a county treasurer to make
an assessment of property at the in
stance of the tax ferrets.
The prohibitory amendment people
are quite confident that they will have
an excellent convention here this week
and that they will start a movement
that will have to be reckoned with
They realize that they are not working
in harmony with the anti-saloon
league. the law enforcement league and
similar organizations, but they dc
claim that they are the only simon
pure prohibitionists. Recently other in
terests have shown disposition to get
into the game and money is being
spent for space in the big daily news
papers with view to heading off the
temperance movement. The amend
naent people believe that officials high
in the service of the state and nation
are active in putting dampener or
their movement but they say that they
will make big showing just the same
State Mine Inspector Sweeney In
charge Of the coal inspection in the
district surrounding Des Moines has
had one problem on his hands which
has not been easy of solution, 1t has
come to be the practice with the coal
mines along the river that the drifts
are run under the Des Moines river
and coal is mined on the other side
from the shaft. In one recent case OF
this kind it was found that the tunnel
run for nearly a mile. passing under
the river, but there was no air shaft
on the other side of the river where the
men were at work. Obviously there
was great danger in such a situation
A shaft was ordered, but the men a
work did not want to stop, so a COM
promise was effected by placing PAID
watchman to inspect the tunnel ever,
day A great many similar cases have
received attention, and it is largely be-
cause of the extreme vigilance of the
mine inspectors and the general CO.
operation of the mine bosses and fore
men that Iowa has been comparatively
free from serious mine calamities.