The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-01-04
BUDGET MEET
DEBATES HOT.
VOTERS WANT PERMANENT STATION
Proposal to Cut Library Fund Fails
Session Characterized by Passage
Of Raillery and CenSure

for the indulgence in personalities was
no whit decreased by the session called
Thursday by the court for discussion of
the budget on the coming years appro-
priations. While suggestions of the
early morning we're limited principally
to members of committees from the
different district oranges, as the day
advanced the passage of badinage
and censure became general. Numer-
Gus colloquial battles between A. l..
Mason, one of the spokesmen for the
grange committees. and Roy D. Smith,
supervisor of the Barrett road district,
gave the citizens crowding the court
room thrills plenty. II
Ia the outset. the county court ad-
vised the budget committee, composed
Of DR.. j. D. Cutlery, A. c. Staten. A.
o. Adams, A. M. Curtis, F. G. Sher.
rieb and L. E. Clark, that the total of
the proposed appropriations, exceeding
$90, 600, would have to be pruned at
least IS. 000, in order to comply with
the recently adopted six per cent ini.
tiative limitation law. A further prun.
ing of $1,000 was made necessary,
when by almost unanimous vote the
court was instructed to raise the sum
of 81, 600, a fund not included in the
budget. to be used for the initial pay.
ment Of q tract proposed as site for
permanent home for q local branch Of
the Oregon Experiment station. This
action was taken on the part Of tax.
payers, following a talk by Z. W.
BirRe, who stated that the efficiency
Of the local station was hampersd be.
cause of the lack of permanency. He
stated that every other of the seven
branch experiment stations of the state
we're in permanent homes. 1t was fur.
ter stated that an effort would be made
to secure appropriations from the state
to permanently maintain the station.
after the county provided site.
The first attempt at an application
Of the pruning hook was directed at
the item of 81, $50 to be raised by the
county for the public library. II was
suggested that the library doors be
closed IL necessary to advance the pre-.
dominant fruit industry. The court
then advised that such action would re-
suit in the violation Of a contract ex.
isting between the city council and
county court. whereby the two agreed
to split in half the cost Of library
| maintenance.
An effort was then made to reduce
the fund of $42. 900 provided for roads
20 the extent Of 81, 900. but the move
ment was lost. After q rec0mmenda-
tion from citizens that the high school
tuition fund and other general school
funds be clipped by 1880 and a num-
ber of other small items had been
pruned slightly. the court and the
budget committee we're left to find y
way to reduce the county's expenses
the coming year by an approximate
$4,000.
A resolution of the grange commit.
tees. providing that the county road
| engineer, Z. M. Hurlburt, be appointed
roadmaster with full authority over
construction and maintenance of roads
and that the fund apportioned for his
estimated expenses be Increased from
81, 600 to at least $1,000 was carried
| by acclamation. BY inference. at
least. the court evidenced that this
| suggestion will not be carried out.
Members of the court declared that
under existing laws they themselves
are held responsible to taxpayers for
all road construction.
The road fund of the county. how
ever. the coming year may be tied up
by litigation. Thursday afternoon May.
or Dumble, after he had been informed
by the court that the entire sum of the
money collected in the city the csming
year for road work would be expended
outside of the city, characterized as a
subterfuge the action Of the court in
placing the levy under the heading OF
the general fund rather than under the
road fund, whereby, if the city had
been assessed. it could have called for
an apportionment of 20 per cent of the
| funds 90 raised for street work. Mayor
Dumble stated that he would protest
the move.
| Judge Stanton. replying to the may
or, asserted that the county courts &C.
tion was not one of retaliation agsinst
the city for the recent adoption OF
charter amendment excluding territory
including the steel bridge across HOOD
river and a strip of road on the East
Side grade. 1--WE have been contem,
plating the action for the past year,
said the county judge. While the rails.
ing OF road funds under the genera
II fund gives the county court the privi
ieRe OF expending the entire sum al
whatever point in the county they will,
all three members Of the court answer
ing direct questions of rural residents
went on record to the effect that the
districts would receive the 20 per cent
apportionment, as provided by Law
when the road money is raised undei
the heading of a roadsfund.
Milton 0dell. q member of the budget
committee, was unable to be present be
cause Of the funeral of bis relative, tht
late David A. Turner.
Judge Stanton, following the conven
ing Of the meeting, stated that tht
newly adopted limitation Law woult
work hardship. in that it limited tht
increase in taxes for any one year Il
six Der cent of the previous year
whereas the old law bad limited The
increase to six per cent Of the larger
of the total sum of taxes raised on ths
previous two years.
II e. W. Dunbar suggested that tht
legislature be asked to limit the annua
meetings of the circuit court Of Hoot
River to two sessions. Judge Santon
however, stated that Il would be bettel
to have more frequent terms of court
since the laws provided that prisoner
must first be indicted by grand jur,
before they could plead guilty:
The grange recommended that th,
persdiem salary and expenses Of th'
county court be decreased by the sun
Of $500. Further it was explained the
this recommendation was made, sinc'
the court would not have 10 attend th'
duties of road construction supervision
in case O roadmaster we're appointed.
A. !. Mason favored the recent rec
ommendation Of County Superintendent
Gibson, that the annual teachers insti
. tute be held at q time that would 20
; conflict with school work.
The members Of the grange commit