Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-08-14
Million Dollars in County Pa
per Said to Be Out in
State.
RAP COUNTY TREASURERS
Prosecutions May Result Un-
less Attorney General Acts
to Patch Up Affairs

OLYMPIA, Aug. 12.-More than
81 100000 of county warrants are out
standing in Washington, which were
issued in direct violation of the law.
Treasurers of a number of counties
have cashed others of these same war
rants and may be subjected to GRIMM
al prosecutions with possibility of
Imprisonment in the state peniten-
tiary. There have been many confer
ences at the state house recently be-
tween representatives of the attorney
generals office, the tax commission
and the bureau of inspection to deter
mine just what course to pursue. ALL
admit the gravity of the situation and
the necessity that prompt action be
taken.
The tangled situation grows out of
the demand of the people throughout
the state for better highways and from
the ignorance of the county officials
with respect to the laws covering the
expenditures of the road and bridge
funds. a
In 1909 the legislature enacted a
law providing that county commits
sioners should publish estimates of
proposed expenditures prior to maxi
ing tax levies for the current year.
Bar Contracting Debts.
There are other provisions of the
law which prohibit the commissioners
from contracting debts. -.l
In many counties the commissioners
paid absolutely no attention to the
published estimates and spent on road
and bridge work sums vastly in excess
of those provided for in the levies.
The result was that warrants were
issued to an amount greatly exceeding
the revenues.
Then when the next year came
around and new estimates were made
instead of making special estimate
and providing special levy to meet
the outstanding debt, the commission
ers simply made current year es.
innate. Later, when the money came
in on taxes on the levy based thereon,
the treasurer deposited the money in
the current road and bridge fund, and
In many counties the cash was all
used to retire portion of the old debt
leaving nothing to carry on the work
for the year for which the estimate
was made.
Say Action is illegal.
The legal authorities of the state
say that this diversion is illegal and
further, that all warrants issued for
expenditures made in excess of the
estimates are void.
Recently in Snohomish county. an
proximate.y 100000 such warrants
were held void by Judge Bell, and II
other counties of the state are said
to be in similar condition.
1t has been practically determined
that county expenditures in excess of
estimates must be stopped and that
the money raised on estimates for one
years uses must be used for that pur-
pose and can not be diverted to pay
old debts.
To accomplish this end with the
least possible injury, in view of the
fact that these over.expenditures have
all been for the public good and large
ly made through ignorance, it will
probably be decided that the proceed
ure to be followed will be to enjoin
county treasurers from paying any Of
the old outstanding warrants of past
years except as taxes from those past
years come into the treasury.
Will Leave Warrant Debt.
This procedure will, of course leave
many of the counties with large
warrant debt and the next legislature
will be asked to enact a law which
will permit the counties to validate
the old warrants so that ultimately
there will be no loss to the warrant
holders.
is LARGE CONCERN.
The magnitude of the plants and