The Delta independent., 1923-12-07

slickers. Honesty without business
knowledge is not enough.
And in the fifth place, we have got
to change a few laws so as to put
stricter better business methods. in
vogue in all our county and township
offices.
Let me discuss this last matter
minute: In our state we have a law
which reads that whenever the out
standing Indebtedness of any county
on the first day of January, April,
June, or September exceeds $4,000 the
board of supervisors, by a two-thirds
vote, may issue bonds of the county to
/ pay these debts.
Let me show what this means.
When a public movement is proposed,
the supervisors do not have to con-
slider whether OF not the money is on
hand to pay for it, or even if it will
be Forthcoming from next years taxes
The board votes to go ahead. War
rants are issued. exactly as If the
cash were in the treasury, and four
/ times year the board has the power
by a two-thirds vote, to issue bonds to
take up the warrants for which there
is no cash, provided these warrants
total $4,000 or more A budget
amounts to nothing, neither does a
tax levy, so long as the supervisors
can go ahead and order almost any,
thing they want done, money or no
money, and then issue bonds to pay
for it when the debts get too big. And
bear in mind that the law does not
say the people can vote on these
bonds, as they must when some big
project is proposed. Subject only to
the constitutional provision that no
county can go in debt beyond five
per cent of its property valuation, the
supervisors can go ahead issuing war
rants, without any money, and then
issuing bonds to pay for the warrants.
Why, the people could not vote down
a proposed bond issuance, and the
supervisors could go ahead with it,
issue warrants, and when the war
rants could not be paid, the super
visors could issue bonds, and thus de-
feat the will of the people as ex.
pressed at an election!
This is the reason why. in addition
to my taxes increasing five and six.
fold, in some counties of this state
the bonded and current indebtedness
has increased four-fold Briefly, we
have been spending four to six times
what we used to, in taxes, and are
running in debt four times more rapid
ly that we did only a few years ago.
The sooner we call halt the easier
will be the task of the deputy sheriff
who has to serve the foreclosure no
tees on us farmers. 1t is all very
well to have new court houses and
county hospitals and fine cement
bridges and consolidated schools, but
If we paid as we went our taxes
would be only about one-half OF what
they are now. Did you ever stop to
consider that $4,000 schoolhouse or
courthouse, paid for by issuing five
per cent bonds. running twenty years,
costs exactly s1OO, OO,00O?-for the in.
terest in the lifetime of the bonds ex-
actly equals the principal That's
poor business, I say. Pay as you go,
and don't hand constantly increasing
debts on to your children and child
ren's children.
Here in my township, and gener.
ally over the state, one tenth OF our
tax money goes for roads. Nothing is
more important, not even the schools.
Yet it is important that these roads
be where the farmer. who pays the
cost, can use them, and of such a
nature as TO be economically main.
| tanned. Too many of our authorities,
township, county, and state, are too
anxious TO leave cement monuments
to their memory in the form Of across
state or national highways. regardless
of whether the farmer who needs the
road is stuck in the mud OF not.
| There are too many junkets on the
| part of our road builders. who almost
always choose the kind of road and
the material advocated or sold by the
people who pay the expenses Of the
| junket l know of counties with ad-
mirable gravel supplies which build
roads Of material freighted hundreds
perhaps thousands, Of miles, largely
| because there was a pleasant junket
few cold bottles, and some midnight
entertainment that would not pass
muster in our local churches Our OF
| ficial representatives were honest,
sure they were; the roads are good,
sure; but we're paying the taxes aud
those taxes take altogether too many
bushels Of corn out of the crib. and
bushels of oats out OF the thresher
After all, however I guess that
economy and practically in our
school affairs are what we need mcst
In our state the money collected for
district school taxes was 100000
Gn round numbers) year ago. and
| S49 OOO OO0 1aat vaar nm fnoraasa 90