The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1920-10-09

the deputy, and their salaries could
be reduced in six months time if
wages were reduced generally.
1t was also stated by the COM
missioners that when the deputies
were hired, the assessor could not
foretell the returns on the crops and
determine whether or not the farmer.
would be able to stand the assess
ment given on the land.
T. C. Bell, speaking on the subject
of the deputies salaries, stated that
the county commissioners were sup
posed to be the brains of the county
and expected to know more than the
farmer in regard to conditions and
yet they allow the deputies to re-
ceive more a year than they, the
commissioners get. The commission
ers explained to Mr.. Bell that their
salaries were fixed by law, while the
salaries of the deputies were not.
Several times during the discussion
mention was made of the fact that
skilled labor is cheaper than common
labor. The men working on the road
for the county receive SO a day,
which is much more than the deputies
receive, and they occupy positions of
responsibility and render high
grade of service. Bruce Mcdonald
claimed that if next spring the COM
missioners were to reduce the wage
of road men to $3.50 or So a day
instead of SO, they would be able to
hire plenty of men to do the work,
as there were hundreds of men on
the streets of Spokane who would be
glad to get it.
One man claimed that the system
in use in the assessors office was
the poorest he had ever seen when
it came to placing correct value on
mans land, as adjoining lands of
equal value would be assessed at
widely different values, and other
land was assessed that an assessor
had never seen. ave want justice
and when we get double valuation
on our land, it stands us in hand to
look after it and see if we cannot
get some relief" was the statement
made by one man in this connection.
Other instances were given of this
variation in values placed by the
assessors. This was claimed to be
due to lack of funds to secure enough
qualified men as field deputies to
make the proper assessment. For
this purpose each year 35 to SO field
deputies are employed who work an
average of 20 to rs days. The bud
get last year called for $2100 to pay
these men and for the coming year
calls for $4,000. By an almost unani-
nous vote of the taxpayers present
it was decided that this figure should
stand.
Six officers in the court house have
automobiles purchased by the county
and for which the county pays the
bills for gas, oil and repairs and in
some cases storage. 1t was the SEN
timent of several present that these
officers could save the county money
by hiring car when one was need
ed. Commissioner Hunt claimed
that at 20 cents mile and rs cents
an hour waiting time, it was cheaper
for the men to have their car than
to hire one when needed. This
statement was based on personal ex-
perience. The prosecuting attorney
stated that he had driven his car
27,g00 miles on business for Stevens
county and if he had had to pay 20
cents a mile, the bill would have
amounted to $4,000, and upon several
occasions he has taken the sheriff
with him and saved mileage for the
sheriff. He also pointed out that the
sheriff's car had been in the brush a
good many nights when he was in
search of some man who had COM
mitted a crime, sometimes for
moonshiner, and the bill for this
standing time alone on the sheriff's