Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-02-03
He Has aPlan
for Building
Court House

That the present Marion county
court house today is totally made
quate; that its dilapidated condition
on the interior is an eye-sore to the
general public and that a new one
could be erected without a dollar Of
expense to the taxpayers of the coun-
ty, was the statement made this
morning by County Clerk Max Gehlhar
when asked his opinion as to whether
or not the many condemnatory reports
made by the various grand juries were
founded upon facts.
For the past 10 years the different
grand juries have investigated the
condition Of the court house here, and
reports containing vigorous protest
against the building in general were
handed to the county clerks. The
county Jail is in a dilapidated oondi-
ton, say all the reports, and the coun-
ty records are not safe in any of the
offices. There has been considerable
agitation regarding the amount of
ground space not utilized by the ooun-
ty in Salem, and the county court and
commissioners have been besieged
with inquiries concerning the matter
for the past two years.
County Clerk Gehlhar, in an inter
view today said:
Speaking Of building new court
house and businesslike economy in the
management of the county's affairs,
Marion county is wasting $1,000 a
month on purely a matter Of senti-
ment The court house dandelion lawn
turned into capital instead Of costing
hundreds Of dollars a year, can be
turned into an income proposition.
The people of Marion county are en-
titled to have businesslike use made
of their county property.
"A new court house suitable to the
needs of the county and of an outside
appearance commensurate with the
dignity Of the second county in this
state will cost upwards of a quarter
million dollars. A neat, useful, busi-
nessIike court house, built on bust
ness basis, like that of Multnomah
county, can be built on one Of the
East corners of the block for half that
amount, Suitable foundations an be
laid, and plans made to build at any
time in the future, as the county's
business demands, making the whole
building always one complete struc-
ture.
THE balance of the ground not
needed for immediate court house pur-
poses is conservatively valued at over
a quarter Of u million. The balance of
this ground can easily be rented for
business purposes, in strips Is to so
feet frontage, at a very low estimate
OF a minimum rental of $1,000 per
month, or $4,000 per annum. This
sum- together with the fees received in
the office Of the county clerk and re-
corder will easily pay the salaries OF
all the county officers, and all their
deputies, and all the current expenses
+ OF conducting these offices, besides
This will turn our dandellon lawn in.
to source Of income, instead of a
source of expense.
"All the ground could be very read
lily leased for a period Of 25 years on
an Increasing rent scale, with the pro.
vision that at the expiration Of the
lease the county retains the possession
of all buildings. Restrictions can be
made as to the character OF buildings
that may be erected, and when the
county gets possession Of the build.
ings, at the end of % years, It is i'm
possible to estimate the immense rev,
enuc the county will receive, Judging
Increases in the rents of all these
buildings in the next 25 years from
Increases In Salem In the mast 1C
years
~ court house may he built without
a dollar Of cost to the taxpayCr.'
"By requiring that portion, per.
haps the rentals for half the period be
paid in advance, enough money could
be secured to practically complete q
structure like the United tates Nation.
al Bank A court house Of the size
Of the U. S, National, and built along
the same busInessliko lines would be
ample for county purposes for years
to come There Is absolutely no com.
Iparison between the available space
and convenience Of said building and
the present court house. In some oI
the rooms in the court house the cell.
ings are high enough for three rooms
land although they have floor space
enough to conduct n quarter million,
dollar bank, yet they have not the
convcnicnces Of the average farmers
COW barn. This waste Of space and
money and cost Of outside appearance
will have to he duplicated II courr
house is built In the center Of Tho
block Less than 20 people are per
mancntly employed in the offices a
thp ppurt hNuun la tho ,tk,t, Iii.