New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1916-04-05
PLAY FAYORITBS in
. STATE FUND DlYYY !
MINIMUM COUNTIES WILL NOT
RECEIVE AMOUNTS allotted
BY LAW.
COMMISSION FAILS TO DEDUCT
COST OF HANDLING FROM
-: APPROPRIATION.

Several of the counties of the state
which were allotted the minimum amount
by the state highway commission in the
apportionment of the state fund of
81, 100000 are beginning to look around
and see where they are going to land
when the final distribution is made, as
some of the men who have looked more
closely into the figures and the law seem
to be of the opinion that these counties
will not be paid the full amount to which
they are entitled under the law.
According to the newspaper stories
there are 27 counties on the preferred
lst-counties that will receive more than
the minimum. No objection is made
to the fact that these counties receive
more, but it now seems that there will
not be enough money left in the state
fund to make up the minimum appropria-
lions because the commission failed to
subtract the cost of handling the fund
from the entire amount. Last year
the cost of handling the fund was S IL
per cent and those who are familiar
with the workings of the commission
are of the opinion that the cost will not
be any less this year. This would amount
to $82,5OO
When the division was made by the
commission those counties which were
to receive larger appropriation were
taken into consideration first and only
enough set aside to pay the other coun-
ties the minimum Those who object
to the division are of the opinion that
the cost of handling the state fund
should first have been deducted from
the entire amount; the minimum coun-
ties taken next into consideration and
the balance divided among those coun-
ties which were entitled to more. Should
the favored counties receive their full
amounts first the minimum counties
would be deprived of $3.50 each and
would get $14,05O instead of $4,000,
the amount they are entitled to under
the law.
Brown county is on the list of those
to receive the minimum and if the an
preparation is made according to the re-
cent division announced by the COM
mission, it will be $3.50 short of what it
expected to get. The q counties on the
favored list and the respective amounts
they are to receive are as follows: Henne-
pin, Ramsey and St. Louis counties each
$4,000; Winona, 100000; Itasca, ST.
600; Blue Earth, $4,000; Beltrami,
$4,000; Cass $22,5O0; Dakota, $4,000;
Stearns, $4,000; Pine, $4,000; Polk,
$40, 900; Koochiching, SIS, 900; Olmstead,
$4,000; Aitkin, ST., 500; Lyon, SIT 900;
Anoka, $4,000; Renville, $4,000; Of
tertail, $4,000; Yellow Medicine, ST.
900; Rice, $4,000; Redwood, $17 900;
Washington, $17,500. All of the other
SO counties are supposed to receive the
minimum provided for under the law.
The statute places the maximum to be
allotted to any one county at three per
cent OF the total fund, the minimum to
be one per cent. In the above allotment
the first three named counties are given
z l-3 percent. This is probably owing
to the fact that the cities of Minneapolis,
st. Paul and Duluth contribute a very
large portion of the state highway fund.
In Wlnona county the commission made
a generous allotment on the ground
that that county was spending $4,000
this year on it's roads and the commission
felt it only right that the state should
assist.