The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1921-11-25
WHATSOEVER A MAN
SOwETH.

y
harvest is true crop, imposing bur
dens that are impossible to be borne
Let us change the Scriptural meta
phor bit.
Legislatures, boards Of county com
missioners, members of city and vii
lage boards and school districts, work
ing independently of each other ant
having autocratic powers of levyinf
taxes, and each Little Jack Hornei
itself with hand up to the elbow In
the pie to pull out its plum, have
wrought the present mischief. There
are too many tax creating bodies in
this state, with no single body tc
check them in their mad career OF
ievying and spending.
Every sixtieth person in the state
of Idaho Is now a tax-eater living of
the sweat of other mems brows. This
is the figure given out by the state tax
commissioner, John ID. Robertson, q
man who is preaching frugality as
against present day prodigality in
public expenditures. Counting. famil-
les of five for each of the sixty tax
eaters there are in this state only
eleven families self-supporting where
there is the twelfth that the public
supports. These figures would be I'M
believable were it not for the fact
that they are verified right at home
amongst ourselves.
We do not have to go down to Boise
to see the ratio of hundreds of Off
Gals doing what score of them
might well perform and not sweat in
the operation. Here in Salmon we
have four officers of the municipality
engaged at high salaries doing what
many people believe one or two might
easily do and not over-exert them
selves. One or two of these officers
are not needed at all. Result sc per
cent tax increase.
Then take another tax creating
body right here at home, Independent
School district No. j, which runs the
Salmon schools. This body has
found il necessary to raise its own
ante so per cent in its tax levy. And
yet we have in these schools this year
one less teacher than there was last
Year.
The public knows very little about
whatever acts of commission or omis-
sion there are that may be RESPONSE
bic for this tax increase. The board
has not felt called upon to take the
taxpayers into its confidence on that
score by publishing its annual report
as contemplated and demanded in the
school laws, showing for what and 10
whom all its moneys are paid out.
The laws give a wide range to these
boards in Independent school districts
as to anyo redress against them for
certain wrongs committed but at the
same time ii holds them to certain
performances, among the most sol
emn being their duty to publish their
detailed financial report every year,
this being intended by the lawmakers
to shut off the letting of contracts of
any kind in which members of the
boards are CONCERNED DIRECTLY +
OR INDIRECTLY. If this report I
should be published as directed we
should know more about a good many I
things that we now know very little I
about, including the letting OF large I
contracts for supplies of fuel and 9th +
en- things wherein ut least one mem I
Der of said board may be DIRECTLY 4
OR INDIRECTLY CONCERNED.
The same wise laws provide that 4
even Tor coal IL such bin shall l
amount to as much as $500, bids for 4
supplying same shall be asked for by 4
No adequate annual report has ever 4
been published nor has any advertise Il
ment for coal supplies been given in
the public press from the office of
Independent School District No /, 4
neither has there been as required by 4
law an audit of the financial affairs of 4
this district at any time within the
past four years.
During the year among other items |
OF expenditure that have never been ]
published are the following:
For coal furnished by the Salmon
Fuel and Supply company
March Is, 1920 .................,.. .SgSS. 52 +
August 81, i920..................... 50S.5O
November 4, 1920. ...................... 5A4.6l I
December 20; l920................... 5S5.65
S2,627.3i
So far this year the same company
has drawn in one lump sum for the
same thing
August %. 1921 .......... 81 ,O83.t2
There Is not one item of this CON
siderable expenditure of taxes that .
could legally be paid without prev .
ious letting of contract after adver- .
Using, but there was no such adver- /
Using, in any instance. Only a little I.
while ago, however,, there was an adj I
yertisement for bids for supplying a
few cords of wood for kindling pur- 7
poses at the schools of this district,
the rsrnge OF the bids being from Sc
10 50 per cord and the lowest bidder
getting the contract.
For offenses no less grave than 4
these acts Of omission il was sought +
once upon a time to have ousted a I
whole board of county commissioners 4
of this county. I
Among other specifications of the
laws as to publications it is pro-
vided "that the report of any expen-
ditures shall contain the specific /
items, amounts, the names to whom
shall be made" etc, the .
same TO be published annually.
"It shall be unlawful for any school
a A. l. =.