Williams news., 1912-02-17
THE BENEFITS OF
 COUNTY DIVISION

UY uiViulDS the county ms IS 8 natural question frequently asked. and is one that deserves serioue consideration and frank answer In as few words as possible we now desire to enumerate some of the ad. yantages which, in our judgment, county division would secure.
 1. In the first place. it IS a self evident proposition that, if sub division of a large area of territory possesses the requisite population and assessable valuations to con stitute governing unit, that sub division can be cheaper adminis- tered by itself under home rule than by attachment to the larger area. If this is not true, what is the value or use of county govern. ment at all?
 It is an easily demonstrated fact that the proposed new county would have larger assessed property val uation than 20 per cent of the pres ent counties of Arizona. Therefore. it's affairs could be more economic, laliy administered by itself than it | is done under present conditions. Last year Coconino county spent $10 924 43 for it's health depart ment; $16.962 IS for it's sheriff's loffice; $950 for water for the court house; $465 35 for lights for the court house, and $233.9O for tele- phones for. the court house. What proportion of these amounts would 1 the new county be called upon to lspend2 We venture 'he assertion and upon it we challenge contra diction-that for but little more than the county of Coconino spent ilast year on the health department alone. the new county could and would provide for all these items. 2 The taxes paid by the west end of the county would go to keep up lthat end of the county. In other words. county divisi ,n would keep our own money at home, where il would be ex pended by our own peo. ple to i'm mproye our own conditions.
 3. County division would result in home rule, of which nothing ever has been or ever will be dearer to the average oitizen. No matter how enlightened, how wise, or how good two communities widely sep l srated and of cnmparativelv equal importance may he, when one oi ihese communities is permitted to sit in judgment upon the other, to control theif mutual fna noes, ano to act as arbiter of the others des- tiny, conditions surely arise which sooner or later. become unpleasant irksome and intolerable. Such has been the history of the world, and such it will ever be.
 I 4 The convenience to the large popu 'ation in the western end ol 4 a .
 the county in having county sea- close at hand is by no means the least of county division's benefits 4 The records of the county would be at all times readily accessible, and 1 the inconvenience and expense of a "trip to Flagstaff every time we wish to consultthem would be obviated | 5 County division would i'm ll prove the business condition o l Williams, add to it's prestige, in. crease its population and property
 values,< improve is social condi
 tions, and inspire local pride te
 make tlie couLty seat better town l It shall not be the purpose of this column 10 criticise the different county officials of Coconino county
 when, in the future. we shall neces
 sarily make comparison of our owr l with other. counties. We believt
 that local conditions. especially the
 vast size of Coconino county, ac
 count for most of the difference ir the cost of county administrations
 and our purpose in making these
 comparisons will be to emphasize
 the fact that we need county divis