White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1931-09-10
Taxpayers Here
Want County
Agent Retained
FARMERS CAN NOT SEE HOW HIS
DISMISSAL is GOING TO
REDUCE TAXES

If the sentiment generally among
the farmers over the county is in any
way similar to that expressed at the
meeting of taxpayers held at the
White Bluffs high school Tuesday eve
ming, there is little doubt that the
county commissioners will be urged to
retain the county agent, county club
leader, and county nurse when they
meet in October to consider the county
budget.
The meeting was called by Edmund
Anderson, who with G. A. Whitney and
Ed Ponsat had been appointed as a
committee by the White Bluffs Grange
at its regular meeting Thursday even
ing of last week to look into the ques-
ton of tax reduction. The Grange
meeting was not very well attended
and the committee felt that it should
have more information and a more
general expression of opinion of the
farmers in the community before TAX
ing any definite stand.
After calling the meeting to order
and explaining it's general purpose, Mr..
Anderson was made chairman and L.
A. Codding secretary.
Following some general discussion,
John McFee got the floor and said
that, like everybody else, he would
like to have his taxes reduced provid-
ed it did not cripple the county gov
eminent but that he did not have suf-
ficient knowledge and information to
justify him in saying just where a
saving could be made and that mas
much as County Commissioner Ira
Hawley was in the audience he be
asked to explain, in general way, the
tax situation.
At the outset Mr.. Hawley said that
the budget published in the neWspa-
pers was only preliminary and would
not be acted upon by the board OF
county commissioners until the Octo-
Der meeting. He said that some of the
items in tla., proposed budget were
higher than last year, but that in his
opinion there would be little difference
in the total of the budget when it was
adopted by the commissioners.
Mr. Hawley read from calculations
compiled in the county treasurer's Of
flee showing the taxable value of prop
erty in the county, amount of taxes
raised and how apportioned for the
various items.
These tabulations revealed that ap-
proxinately As per cent of all taxes
raised in the county are paid by the
railroads and other large corporations
another Is per cent by smaller bust
ness institutions and about 80 per cent
by farm property.
The county commissioners contro
the expenditure of only about Is pei
cent Of the tax money, Mr.. Hawley ex-
planned, the law making it mandatory
on the board for the providing of funds
for the other rs per cent. The salaries
of the various county officials are
fixed by law and are not subject tx
regulation of the county commission
ers and there are number of othel
items that come under the same gen.
eral head.
After Mr. Hawley had answered {
number of questions, the meeting go
down to the big question, which was
Do we want to retain the county agen
and county nurse? The preliminary
budget showed that the county wa'
asked to appropriate approximately
$500 for the county agent and count,
club leader and to get closer to thu
meat in the nut, nearly everybody
present wanted to know just how much
this would amount to, to the individ
ual taxpayer.
L. A. Codding answered the question
by saying that he had figured it ou
with Mr.. Hawley and that it woult
amount to ST out of every $685. II
other words, if an individuals tax bill
was $135, he could figure that 81 O
it would go to the county agent; i
his taxes were half of $135, fifty cent
went to the agent and if his total ia.
was between $50 and $685. the count.
agent would get about two-bits.
This cleared the atmosphere VI
considerably and number of stron,
talks were made for the retention o
the county agent. Among those VIII
spoke were l.. A. Codding, R. j. Rob
erts John McFee, s. v. Tanning, San
Continued on page ~
THIS VALLEYS BALL CLUB
WINS ANOTHER GAM