Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-03-04
To w. N. Larabee, County Clerk

Dear Editor:
In the last issue of the Wa-Keeney
papers for January, 1911, appears an
article written by County Clerk Lar
abee in which he attempts to explain
the increase of taxes for Trego county
for the last four or five years over
previous years. I use the word AT
TEMPTS advisedly.) For he does
not answer the ITEM from the Voda
Correspondent, to which he refers in
his article and wholly fails to account
for the increase, and gives no reason
for the increased expenditures, and
utterly ignores any little leaks that
may have crept into the expenditures
within the last few years-not even
accounting for the two dollars he
himself unlawfully takes each time
a jury is drawn. Now this is unfair
to the CITIZENS and TAXPAYERS
and, might add, unfair to the Voda
Correspondent.
1t is certainly very kind of Mr..
Larabee to give US the per cent OF
increase of taxes raised from time to
time of recent years, but not so kind
of him in emitting facts in regard to
the expenditures of recent years; that
is, that the increase of expenditures
of recent years has been still greater
than the increase of taxes which, if
properly managed, should not and
would not be the case Too much
extravaganza; too many leaks.
Only few years ago, qS98) there
was plenty of funds on hand in the
County General Fund to pay all
claims, all debts, and meet all obliga-
tionS and money to loan, and actually
out of this fund at that time was
loaned to the Court House Bond
Fund, 1000; and during those same
years was paid out of this same
County General Fund each year about
81, 800 for rabbit scalps; but, in 1902,
this expenditure was cut off, but our
taxes were NOT decreased and, as a
matter of fact, have been on the in
crease ever since: and, in addition to
this INCREASE, in order to defray
the running expenses of the county,
money has been taken from the other
funds for the County General Fund
till this fund, on September 30, 1910,
was indebted to the other funds in
the sum of S14, 1887; and this is
quite different from the time the
loan of So, 900 was made, for then the
County General Fund contained S12,
154. .43-just little difference of $780,
591. 40; but the County General Fund
was improved some Qittle) after the
November and December taxes were
paid into the County Treasury, for
this fund was indebted to the other
funds on December 31st, 1910, only
the small sum of S5,015.21; and |
would like to know where the County
General Fund, going at the same rate
of speed, will land on September,
30, 1911?
The condition of the county and
of the County General Fund could be
improved little, building bridges
only where actually and necessarily
needed and by cutting out the Pom
toons, and when a bridge is built,
have it done by contract as provided
by law, and will here say, that from
the data given by Mr.. Larabee, there
has been more within the last two
years paid out for bridges and Pom
toens than allowed by law. Stop
paying expenses, not authorized by
law, of officials and let them pay
their own expenses when attending
social functions and conventions.
Stop paying officials while engaged in