Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-09-04
AND SILVER
BOW.

~ very great economy and etti-
cheney in county government IN
Silver Bow county. 1t has long
been notorious for extravaganza
and worse. The state examiner,
L. Q. Shelton, has recently been
looking with a critical eye at Sill
yer Bow county expenses, n as
he compares them with Cascade
county, greatly to u credit, the
figures may interest Tribune read
ers. 1t is a fact that Cascade
county government for the last
score of years has made a credit
able showing in comparison with
other counties. Our tax levy was
for some time the lowest in the
state. 1t is still n Of the lowest,
though growing recently. This is
the way the state examiner in his
report compares Silver Bow with
Cascade. He says:
There is no better method
known to the undersigned of arriv-
ing at what is reasonable, fair and
lust in administering government,
whether it is state, county or city,
than comparing one government
with another of about or nearly
the same kind. For the purpose OF
determining, we have prepared a
table of Statistics for the purpose
of comparing Silver Bow county,
which has a population of about
$4,000. with Cascade county, which
has a population of nearly 10000.
Each has a large, thrifty city as its
metropolis; each of these cities is
industrial in its activity, thus at
fording us, barring area, what
would seem to be about as good a
basis of comparison as could we'll
be selected in the state. Now, as
Stunning that human nature is about
the same under like, or under SINH
lar environment, we should expect
natural ratios to obtain in the ad-
ministering Of such items as coun-
ty buildings, elections, justice
courts, boards of health and SO on.
This assumption being true, it is
TO be observed, with some degree
of regret, that in almost every
point of comparison, Silver Bow
county suffers.
Thus, while Silver Bow county
government is taking care of the
needs of a population IL times as
great as the Cascade county gov,
eminent, though admittedly more
Heterogeneous, nevertheless, the
heating of the court house and jail
which is only twice as large as that
of Cascade county, costs the peo'
pie six times as much money fol
the year 1921. Again the repairs
to these same buildings for the
same year cost the people of Silver
Bow county six times as much a:
they did the people of Cascade
county. We feel that this ought
not to be, and will receive increas'
ing criticism.
"In both of these last compari'
sons based on the natural ratio
instead of the cost to the taxpayer
being six times as great in Silver
Bow, it should have been only IL
times as great, certainly not to ex
coed twice as great.
And still again, Silver Bow
county has but 1-3 times as many
registered voters as Cascade coun
ty; nevertheless, the taxpayers o.
Silver Bow county paid an average
of So extra deputies for registra
ton and election work during tn,
months of August, September ant
October, 1920, whereas CASCADE
county managed to get by witt
only one extra deputy for the sam
purposes, according to the records
Further, it is to be observes
that, although Silver Bow count.
has an area of only one-fifth tina
of Cascade county and but l l.
times as many registered voters t
be served and only seven more pre-
cincts provided to serve then
nevertheless, judges and clerks o
the election of 1920 cost Silve
Bow 2h times as much, printin
and stationery three times as much
rent and election of booths /
times as much, and registration
and election clerk hire 15k time
as much as it cost CASCADE count,
This again ought not to be and wi