The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1914-10-09

three county division and bringing
county government closer to the peo-
pie and taxpayers.
The matter of establishing the coun-
ty government of the new counties of
Jackson and HaakoD are matters also
to be taken into consideration in this
division question, and the cost of
traHscribing the records from Stanley
county and the cost of the court
houses needed for the new counties
should also be considered. A few
days ago we heard the remark made
that it would cost Jackson county
about twenty thousand dollars to
transcribe the records from old Stan
ley county-but upon inquiries into
the matter we found tkat this was
only predjudiced belief and that no
attempt had been made by the party
making the statement to verify his
figures-and from all records avail
able his statement could not be veri-
fed. Taking records of other counties
the only way that comparisons or es-
Inmates can be made-it is shown that
at the highest the cost of transcrib-
ing the records and holding the spe-
cial elections in Haakon and Jackson
counties would not cost at the highest
figures to exceed two thousand dollars
an amount so small in comparison
with the great conyeniences that it
would not be noticeable. County Au-
ditor Ralph K. Smith, of Corson coun-
ty says that the cost of new books
and transcriblng the records for that
county when they were set off by
division sis very uncertain, but not
enough to be noticeable;" The coun-
ty auditor of Perkins county, another
county set off by county division writ
ing from the county seat at Bison,
under date ot September Is says Il
have looked up old bills which were
presented for transcribing the records
from Butte county and fl d that il
cost Perkins county a thousand dol
lars for this work; while the records
Of Trip county show it cost them but
eighteen hundred dollars to transcribe
their records and hold their special
election" 1t certainly stands to rea-
son that what these other new coun-
ties have done in the way of trans
cribing their records and holding
their elections can be duplicated in
the new counties of Jackson and
Haakon. The counties referred TO
above are all larger than Jackson
county and about the same size as
Haakon county, and it does not seem
to us that it could possibly cost more
to transcribe the records in these pro-
posed counties than it did in the
counties above referred too. In this
regard the eastern part of the county
or that portion which will remain a,
old Stanley county would be at no
expense whatever as the present re-
cords would remain their property
and the county officials chosen b, the
election this fall will remain as their
officials until another general elec-
tion two years from now.
In the matter of the costs of court
houses we touch question which is
entirely up TO the voters to decide.
Of course it is well known fact that
at the special election called immed-
lately after the division carries a
temporary county seat is selected for
period of two years-or until the
next general election when the voters
express their desire for permanent
county seat. No court house can be
built at the temporary county seat
which means that court house could
not be built in the town selected at
the special election as temporary
county seat. Two years later the