The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1924-03-27
How We Cut Our Local Taxes
BY H. L. KEEFE

good policy to talk There was nothing to prevent peo
pie kidding" another.
Say what about that diamond ring O. yours. you've
been Dragging much about" heard one Young fellow
be another. WELL you told me it was worth $780, and
amt nothln O. the sort Here's your own figures and
it's worth just $25"
But look at that hunting outfit O. yourn" the other
fellow replied THAT fine dog, your gun-you said the
gun alone cost $15Owhy the whole outfit to only
$25 Right there's your figures"
What do you suppose happened year or so later?
The actual returns of property increased the various
precincts from IL to 20 per cent notwithstanding that
IL was between years when everything supposed to
De gong down. This simply meant that the honest man
had ceased to be penazed for being honest in turning
IN his property.
There's one more chapter to our story.
mentioned to you that we were unfortunate enuogh
to have suffered clOudburst in 1920 which had
wiped out several score bridges in county Follow
ing countrywide nsstence replacement the commits
soners declared emergency levy for new bridges.
Here is where we saved around $4,000 and since have
caused other counties to scrunize matters of this
more carefully
After the bridge contract had been let and the bridges
were going in, there frequent allowing of county
warrants on the contracts in of funds on hand
and these warrants naturally registered at per
cent interest Finally these grew to an excess
of 100000 and people began to get little alarmed
1t appeared that there definite records avala-
bic which showed just how things stood. Some of the
county officials and taxpayers began to ask how an ac
counting might be secured
When the farm bureau took hold of the matter there
had been rather tentative settlement on sixty compile
eed bridges which the total cost appeared at $751;
89877. reduction of $8,226.92 had been made from
this amount and the amount of SOL 900 is
sued, leaving balance of $22,67185 unpaid on these
particular bridges.
The farm bureau appointed a committee of sixteen
taxpayers to Investigate the matter An engineer from
the state department secured During five days more
than eighty bridges visited Bolts washers and it
might even be said spikes and nails counted Then
the charges made by the bridge company were carefully
checked In some where the bridge company ap-
peared to have charged too little something was added
but in most deductions made Here the de-
ductlons exceeded what was added by $7665.50. Bear
in mind that were not finding any fault with the
bridges but only with the cost The bridge company
agreed to this reduction.
little later discovered statements for twenty in
complete bridges. We went through these in the same
way and here made a net reduction of. $612547
The bridge company again promptly agreed to having
this reduction. =
Then able to another reduction of S11
57608 because were able to show that the cost of
material had down since the first of the bridges
was built This made total of $33,593.97.
Since our bridge experience other counties in Nebras-
ka have been doing checking up and we have been
building some of orr bridges
Our experience shows think, that people in the coun-
ty should take something than merely perfuncory
interest in their tax affairs You determine your own
taxes If you check up to what you are spending
your money for, either you going admit that you
are satisfied you going to find a way to make a
reduction
The biggest thing that accomplished in our county
not the saving of than $4,000 on the bridges
the cuts in taxes in the various school districts
the resurrection of much hidden property The biggest
thing that the people found out that the question
of taxes rested with themselves
HOW YOUR TAXES ARE SPENT
Thurston County, Nebraska
Taxes paid 100000 actual valuation, in School
District No. 13-$3O2O.
STATE TAXES $3.50
$------------for State Capitol ---- SO22
$------------for State Government ----- "A
$------------for State Institutions -------- sc
$------------for State Roads, etc -------- .88
$------------for Education Neutrality-suspicious. 1 10
$----------- Total $3.50
COUNTY TAXES $3.50