The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1911-01-20
COUNTY DIVISION DATA
Figures That Ought to Make
Taxpayers Sit Up and
Take Notice.

To the residents and taxpayers of nor
thern Okanogan County:
In asking your support in the move
ment on foot for the division of Okla
hogan county on an east and west line
with the object of forming new
county made up of the northern tiers
of townships, those who are active in
advocating the measure have no desire
to mislead, distort, exaggerate, resort
to chicanery or misrepresentation
play upon prejudices, or indulge in fa-
lacious reasoning, but wish to appeal
to your intelligence and better judg-
ment. They have entered upon the
campaign firm in the belief that a di-
vision such as proposed will be ad-
vantageous to the people of the north
end of the county, and equally as ad-
vantageoOus to the residents of that
part of the old county remaining after
dismemberment. They look upon this
move for separation purely from a
DuSlutoS punt vi view, DclltNlHS JIldl
it will reduce the expense of county
administration, and at the same time
give the people who contribute the
funds through the medium of taxation
some tangible and material returns
and benefits in the way of permanent
public improvements They have no
personal, or selfish, ends in view, but
are moved in the step they are taking
by what they believe to be the right
eousness of their cause.
In movement of this kind and mag
nitude there had to be some organized
head to formulate and carry out plans
by which the people could be reached
with petitions and necessary data bear
ing upon the subject gathered togeth
er and placed before the legiS-
lature. 1t is an undertaking too large
for the individual to shoulder, no matt
ter how earnest and enthusiastic he
might be, and hence the citizens of
Oroville met together to formulate
ways and means to get the question
before the people of the north end, So
licit their support in the undertaking,
and finally to lay before the legisla-
ture the petitions and such informa-
ton as was deemed necessary in the
premises. Local advocates of division
and that means the consolidated pop
ulatiOn of the town and immediate
surrounding country, not only cheer
fully accepted the work they were to
perform, but contributed literally to
meet such legitimate expenses as
might arise.
In order to have authentic, convinc-
ing and undisputable facts and figures
to work upon, an expert accountant
was employed to go through the cOun-
ty records and secure data bearing up
on the expense of running the county
under present conditions, the proper
tion contributed by the section that
the residents thereof are desirous to
set aside as new county, and to give
an approximate cost of maintaining a
county in the classification that the
new county would have to take. The
research was thorough, painstaking,
and exhaustive. The figures that are
given below are correct and authentic.
They are the public records. They can
be verified by anyone who will take
the trouble to investigate. The esti-
mate of running the new county is con-
Servative, in fact in every instance
the figures are placed above those
reached by calculation, giving lib
eral margin for any errors in calcula-
ton. These figures will be Il revela-
tiOn to the taxpayers, not only as eX-
posing the steady annual increase in
the expenses of running the old coun-
ty, but also as showing deficit, which
means steadily increasing debt, as reg
ularly as the years roll around. This
array of numerals and their purport
should answer all arguments against
division, and should emphasize in the
mind of every resident of the propos-
ed new county the necessity of secur-
ing division as soon as possible.
The receipts and expenditures for
1909 and 1910 are given in full as Ia
ken largely from the auditors report
One can see at a glance what great
increase there was both in the money
received nd the money paid out in the
year 1910 over the previous year. The
tax payments and receipts from other
sources, will be greater in 1911 than
in 1910, and the disbursements will
increase correspondingly. That is
strong incentive in itself for wishing
to organize a new county. Then in
showing the comparative amount OF
the total taxes paid in contributed by
the north tier of townships that are
designed as the territory constituting
tne new county, IL VIII pc seen ludl
for 1909 and 1910 those townships paid
over so per cent of the taxes levied
in the whole county. That per cent
promises to fall off slightly this year
Then, as counter balancing this eX-
hibit, is the estimated cost of running
a county of the class the proposed new
county would take, which would be
the twentieth, as the territory to be
SET side nv the most conservative eS
innate, contains $500 penple. The re
port shows that the new county coult
be run on the revenue derived from