The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1914-01-30
anyone taking reports as now provided|e


|of conclusions as to the receipts. andl
of the county during thel
|time for which the report is made.
The first essential necessary in the re
duction of cost is to know what we are
paying for the things of which we wish
20 reduce the cost. From. the present.
orm~ of our reports this Is impossible
Expenditures are never made by
.yell organized corporations except up-|
n good business principles and gem
rally along some general line of pol
cy. Our county funds are not ex-
ended along such lines. Our expen-
| itures, outside of our county fixed
harges imposed by law, are made pri-
| larily upon petition to the county
commissioners who have no organized
we'll defined general plan in mind
Dur public purse Is sort of grab bag
nth each community of the district
ondeavoring to grab as much as posi-
lole. We elect county commissioners to-
handle the business of the county and
eXpend approximately one-quarter OF
Ia million dollars year and this they
lido in four sessions year of about two
IWOChO CoSAs OAuCi Jul plcocut al
arrangement the business of the county
lis incidental and secondary to the reg
lular business of the commissioners,
They have no great amount of time
for formulating or constructing any
general plan for the expenditure of the
|county's funds and any action on Their
part along good business lines is prob
|ably prevented by statute. Thus the
committee is of the opinion that little
lean be done along the line of decreas-
ling the expenditure made from the
general expense fund without new leg
|islation. When we consider the money
d depended from the road fund which
represents approximately 25 per cent
lof all the money which we nay III
taxes, approximately 100000 per an.
num, we are inclined to the opinion
!, THAT something can be done in the
r lway of getting more for our money
Than we have in the past. At the pres
e|ant time we believe that our roads
ire an investment OF from two to three
E million dollars; that it, We have a
9 least paid that much for them in labo
4 md in taxes. The roads of The count.
: he an asset and have a great physiea
:, yalue. If we would but look upon on
= Dads in the same manner the railrOa,
- ofpanies look upon their right DIVA
is md handle and maintain them in tn
- anne manner as the railroad com
a anies, we believe that the time woul
:, ot be far distant when we would hay
NJ great deal better roads than we hay
y oday. If we would lay out and con
A. truct our roads on the same theor
> the railroad companies; that is, tina
>, he roads are for traffic and for tn
:, urpose of earning dividends, W
;. iouid be more careful with our roa
;. und, invest more intelligently and
]. reater advantage. Be believe that W
az re not receiving full value for tn
as honey that Is being spent upon GU
= Dads, not because of dishonesty of tn
=, commissioners or our road over-seer
!, ut owing to the lack of technics
- nowledge on the part of those we en-
:, 10Y to build and maintain said road
- load building Is a science and require
= echnical knowledge. 1t is the belle
>, VI the committee that great savin
, ould be made by this county and be-
;, err roads obtained if they would en-
=, )loy a man to take charge of all roa
VI, obstruction for the purpose of built
>. ling up a road system throughout tn
y bounty which would consist of sewers
y lmain arteries and branches necessaI
MO provide service for all the peopl
. If the county. We believe there
=, Nothing in the statute that would PR
8. vent our county commissioners frol
i; employing such man. Five per Gel
I l)f the money annually expended in tt
In county for road purposes would amp
o. lcompensate highway engineer.
cbl We have asked the engineering d.
to take up tn study of til
of roads and to tell us s
ntIfar as it is possible what our roa(
are costing us; and we have also pl
atlit up to them in this way: 1--WE al
1t spending so much on our roads toda
n. Can you give us better roads than "
M now have and how much can you say
x. lus?" At some future date we hoI
ld|that the engineering department wi
in be able to submit report of intere
yeland suggest some general plan whiC
relwould be desirable for the counties
ur|adopt.
ty We have considered the matter
al schools and the possibility of reducir