Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1917-07-26
,rrrNBACH AND SONS COMPILE
srATISTICS FROM COUNTY RE-
CORDSLFINANCIAL CON-
DITION GOOD.

- the Board of Commissioners has been
tompleted and filed. The work was
home BIZ the accounting firm of Byron
befepbach and Sons, of Lewiston, and
Contains 70 pages of typewritten mat
a. and tabulated Statistics. 1t covers
neriod of six and one fourth years.
| The work begins, for the purpose of
{aying a foundation, by detailing the
Financial condition of Idaho County on
January /, 1911. On that date there
kas in the county treasury the sum of
k34 90. The sources of receipt of
honey during the succeeding years is
khown in great detail, as are the pur-
hoses for which the money was used.
rhe total amount of money handled
Buring the period was $1,60O,000 in
bound numbers, and Mr.. Defenbach GER
|ifies that proper record has been kept
N all cash in the treasurer s office
Auring the entire period, and that the
kmount in the treasury at the close of
Ris check is the correct one, it being
t38, 1875.
Tn the matter of taxable wealth the
bounty has not increased as rapidly as
ome, the valuation in 1911 having been
10 millions and in 1916 nearly 13 mil.
ions
The lowest state and county levy of
&he years was 10 mills in 1914, and the
highest was IA mills in 1915.
Wherever in county affairs the ex
bression "current EXPENSE is used, it
efers to the cost of conducting the
bounty offices, exclusive of such ex-
nE h.rsI Isrnss
ind schools. The most expensive year
NJ the period was 1914, when the cur
Eent expense reached $71 10000; the
pwest expenditure was in 1911, $52,800
The current expense for 1916 was SOL.
10000, about the average of thesperiod.
4 On the other hand, the cost of schools
bas steadily and rapidly increased from
kS5. 10000 in 1911 to $117 10000 in
H9l6. Road and bridge expenditures
lave also grown, from $41 100000 in 1911
b $6l, 100000 in 1916.
u Mr.. Defenbach comments on the fact
$bat everywhere in the state the rapidly
growing cost of our school system is the
outstanding feature of the taxation pro-
lem. Schools are costing more on
kvery basis, more per dollar of wealth,
pore per pupil, and more per capita
population. He suggests that no one
PANTS anything done to retard the
development of our educational system,
put asks if the question of cost is re-
Eeiying the attention it deserves from
keaehers, school boards and others
kharged with the duty of conducting the
york.
The net indebtness of the county in
sll was $47 100000, this reached $64,-
10000 in 1912 and has been gradually
teduced to its present figure, $1,000.
he county has no bonded debt, and
nay be considered practically on a cash
basis.
The total amount paid the State of
daho has decreasd from $37 900 in 1911
70 $4,000 in 1916. The decrease has
een gradual and rather uniform, and
Jas resulted from the more rapid growth
taxable wealth of other portions of
he state.
The expense of conducting each
ounty office for each year is shown,
md the expense of 1916 compared with
ne average of the whole period. By
ms comparison it is shown that some
the offices cost q great deal above
ne average while others are lower.
hanges in law are said to make these
omparisons difficult and of doubtful
alue.
Having compared the affairs of 1916
TN previous years in Idaho county, the
eport proceeds to compare the various
cuvities of the county with the same
lem In a group of Idaho counties whose
dAabie wealth is about the same as
urs.
ms group begins with Kootenai
oanty, having taxable wealth of $18,,
W,ooo, running down through Bonner,
ez Perce, Idaho, Fremont, Benewah
nd Clearwater, the last named having
assessed valuation of $9,000,000
% alie Idaho county has net debt OF
$4,000.
me state and county levy in Idaho is
mills on the dollar; in Nez Perez it il
benewah l31a and in Bonner Is.
iaaho county spent in 1916 ON roads
10 bridges $4,000, Fremont $46,00G
"a Bonner $95, 900.
schools in Idaho county cost $11s,000
ser fremont $4,000 and in Nez Perez
current or courthouse expenses in
onher county were $4,000 in Nez
cree $4,000, Fremont $4,000, Bene
M $4,000, and in Idaho about pei
eat above the average, $4,000.
another phase of the tax question
neh is interesting if not alarming il
cost of caring for the poor. Ii
Aaho county in 1911 this was $2,250
s,easing Easing to $500; $4,150, $4,950
300, and in 1915 reaching $7.475 o.
early IL per cent of our entire cost o.
0aanty expense.
faoihpared with other counties the cos
sae sne poor and INDECENT was-Kootena
aa a,VoV Bonner $10,500, Neg Perce $11,
a., Idaho s7,475, Fremont $500
mTswha mha $4,000, and Clearwater $1,000
A. .e report is substantially bound, ant
e rseeelved the approval-of the Boar
county Commissioners.