Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1915-05-15

cord are of necessity piled about the
floors of the little vault which affords
poor protection and 1t Is often neces-
5ary to lift and move whole stacks of
theml in order to find the one re-
luired. The great books of the
relsurer's office are carried the full
length of the block each night to be
cred In this vault and back again
n the morning,
The court room has no single point
its savor. 1t IS lacking in every
IS ntial that pertains to a room o.
his character. 1t is dark, ill-shaped,
Lily ventilated, Locrly heated, un
equal to the accommodation of the
)eople ON the most ordinary occasion
There are no jury rooms, making it
ne2es airy to hire quarters at the
hotels for such us when required.
The probate judge is crowded into
a little room which is utterly unfit
for the business of his court and the
ass or, in an adjoining stall, is sadly
hampered in his important work by
lack of room and of anything that re.
sembles modern facilities. Ii Cit
zen goss in to inspect or exam -
the records of this office, as all c.t4-
zeGs have a right to do, at least a
portion of the work of the office must
stop While he is being accommodated
There is NO office accommodation
for the prosecuting attorney and the
county is compelled to rent on the
outs de for his use.
The division walls between the
several offices are so thin that no
conversation can be carried ON in the
ordinary voice in one without being
distinctly heard Elm the adjoining Off
ceS.
Bad as these conditions are-incon-
venient, unsanitary, and unsightly-
probably the gravest menace is the
eVer-present danger of the destruc-
ton of all our valuable county records
by fire which once started would wipe
out the whole business in a few
minutes. The cost of establishing
title through process of law would
cost our taxpayers many times the
price of new and suitable county
building.
Possibly some may say that 'Times
are too hard for us to build a court
house now" If the taxpayers were
obliged to go down into their pockets
at tn s time to do the work, that would
be true. But such Is not the case.
Every one knows that work may be
done during dull times at less cost
than when times are good and there
is a demand for labor and materials.
Lumber, structural iron, steel, glass,
etc, are cheaper now than they have
been for years, and certainly cheaper
than they will be after the close OF
the great war, when all Europe will
have to rebuild. Then, too, during
hard times is the very time to bring
in and spend foreign money. Recog
nlzlng this principle, the last legis
lature OF this state passed law where
by county commissioners are author
lied to provide employment for those
out of work during time of depression
(Men do not have to look for county
work when times are good)
At the present valuation, should
the entire fifty thousand dollars be
expended, it win cost the taxpayer
25 cents on each thousand dollars Oh
his valuation to meet the per annun
interest charge for this fund, and tc
meet the entire interest and principa
will cost but A cents per annum
Our county valuation Is increasing
each year, which will reduce ever
this small amount, Over twenty-five
thousand acres of taxable land is add
ed to the assessed valuation Of the
county this year by reason of govern
ment homestead lands, and this will
h continue for many years to come.
u AS to the plan to be adopted, the
commissioners desire that repre-
sentative citizen from each precinc
be chosen to meet and consult will
them as to the plans to be selected
from those presented by the vari
ous architects who compete for thi'
work.
Summing 1t all up, there seems Il
be not single reason why the bonds
! should not carry. The need for ,
new county building is imperative
There will never be more opportun
( time 10 build. The cost will not b.
. Jurdensome to anyone and ever.
section of the county is invited t
: lake a part in the selection of th
: plans and specifications. Their
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