Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1921-09-21
fewer OFFICES AND
SMALLER SALARIES
Needed In Kentucky, OwensborG
Farm Bureau Worker Tells
County Judges
(By Associated Press)

Greensboro. Sept Zl-Abolish
the many useless" Offices in the
state. do away with the fee sys-
TEN of paving county officers and
limit salaries in counties with
certain tax valuations to a maxi
mum of $1,000 year and make
the salary lower in counties with
lower valuations. Henry ). Berry,
of Owensboro, vice president OF
the Kentucky Farm Bureau Fed
Grafton. today told the annual
convention of the County Judges
OF the state. He advocated ap-
Dointment of commission OF
five persons-not politicians-to
decide what offices are unneccs-
sarv and urged amendment OF
the state constitution to do away
with the fee system.
Mr.. Berry reviewed the rise in
land value during the war and
the drop when values OF farm
products slumped afterward, as
sertine that taxes and the means
OF getting the money to pay them
was causing the farmers much
concern.
Among other things he advo-
Gated an effort made with eau
ton and wisdom. free from NAL
ice and spite" to list all property
in the state for taxation. He said
that he understood that the total
value of property in the state
was estimated at five billion dol
lars of which about half is not
listed for taxation.
The speaker said that he al
written to number of prOmi-
nent men and editors on the sub
ject and quoted Lieutenant Gov
ernor Ballard as saying that
personally, | absolutely agree
with you that in the state we
have entirely too many office
holders. all of whom get entirely
too much money. especially sol
where fees are allowed. | think
the whole administration system
Of the state and most states that
/ know of, is very bad indeed II
believe our cities all cost two or
three times as much to run as /
they should and | think our
streets cost a great deal more
than they should, and altogether
I think our cities and counties |
are very badly governed
I'VE have a handful of office
holders, comparatively speaking"
said Mr.. Berry, land hundreds of |
thousands o taxpayers. In the !
past this handful has dominated
the people of both political par
ties and have had the spending Of
the taxes. these hundreds of
thousands have had to dig up the !
taxes. Now l propose with your
help to have these thousands con-
troll the policies and expenditures i
and make these office-olders pub
lie servants to work under the
direction of the taXpayers.'
The constitution of Kentucky.
the speaker said, was made in
1891 to 1893 and fees for various
offices were fixed on the valua-
tons of that time. Since then. he
said, property values have in
creased 400 to 500 per cent. He
declared that the great number
OF men seeking public office were
not doing<so for patriotic motives
but because they could make
more than in private life.
He cited the Greensboro city
government as an economical
form. The city clerk, he said.
draws $1,000 a year and is assist
eddy number of young women
at moderate salaries and yet this
office keeps all books and &C
counts and collects nearly $780,
600 year in taxes. water and
light bills.
The law. he said, allows shcr-
ifs eight per cent on the first
$1,000 collected and four per cent
on the remainder. but in no case
more than $1,000 a year. but he
added. he was informed that the
Daviess county sheriff's Office is
worth $4,000 a year net andl
that while it is a violation of the
law. every sheriff in the state is
doing likewise and that there was
a trust of the sheriffs of the state
so strong that there was no pros
ecution to make sheriff refund.
The tax commissioners office
III Davies. county pays $500 a
year, he says, and 1T is said the
county clerk Office is now worth
around $4,000 per annum. The
circuit clerks Office is worth al
most as much" He added that II