Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1930-01-23
POOLING THE
PURCHASES
Savings to be Made by
Townships and Villages
Pointed Out.
Askov Farmer Suggests
Quantity Buying of
Machinery.

Machinery purchases by townships
and villages in the county runs into
thousands of dollars annually. If by
pooling the orders saving of from
1919 to $3.50 can be effected the eff
fort is well worth while and it will
spell economy. A suggestion along
this line is brought out in letter to
the American this week from Chris.
Frederiksen, chairman of the board
of supervisors of Partridge township.
Mr.. Frederiksen's letter follows:
''How are we. going to get taxes
lowered? The question is often asked
but it is hard to answer satisfactorily.
We can all agree that the local taxes
town, school and county-are what
mean most to us. So far it seems that
no organized effort has been put
forth, and if the problem of lowering
taxes is going to be solved twill most
those concerned.
Each township and village is fight
ing its own battle. Why not cooper
ate and help each other? We can
gain in more than one way if we unite
our townships and villages of the
county in some kind of an association
which can easily be done.
"All we need do is to have the viii
| lage mayors and township chairmen
have meeting once a year and at
| this meeting select committee to
have charge of matters which are of
common interest to the towns and
villages. At this meeting also eX-
periences and opinions could be eX-
changed and much information of
value could be obtained in this man
ner.
Matters of common interest are for
| example buying of road machinery,
repairs-like grader blades-culverts
and one more item most likely to be
bought by most townships in the near
| future-snOw fences. If the towns,
villages and county would pool their
orders and leave the buying power to
the selected committee who together
with some uninterested party. for in
stance the county engineer, who
knows more about quality of ma
chinery and culverts than most of the
supervisors do, we would be able to
save a good sum of money-all the
way from 1919 to $50 on our pur-
chases-and even more. The material
bought should be paid by the town or
village direct to the company from
which it is bought, and not through
the committee.
There are many other matters of
common interest to the rural pOpula-
ton, and if we, who constitute what is
called the foundation of our country,
do not unite our power in lettering
our conditions it will take mighty
long time before this will happen.
"At our board meetings here in Par
fridge we have talked about this pro-
posed association, and quite a number
of others have expressed the opinion
that such a consolidation would be
| feasible and profitable. Just how we
should go ahead in order to realize
| this idea / am not certain, but If there
is a will there is a way. If the tax
payers in general and the county.
town, and village officers especially
are interested in the project, express
your opinions in the Askov American
or send me a letter expressing your
ideas. Then ! will, with the editors
permission, publish condensed re-
port in this paper. Something worth
while can be accomplished Each
township can talk the matter over at
the annual meeting and thus every
body will get a chance to express their
opinions"