Milford chronicle., 1932-01-08
COUNTY EXPENSES SHOW
INCREASE EACH YEAR
University Of Delaware Experiment Station
Completes Interesting Surrey; Neu Castle
Kent And Sussex Vary On Many Expendi-
lures.

W
cultural Experiment Station has Just
issued booklet on studies of cOun-
ty governments in Delaware which
has been made by M. M. Daugherty
An exhaustive study Of receipts and
expenditures for the past ten years
has been made and this result il Civ
en- to the public without comment
and without recommendation as to
no wthe expense may be lowered.
The failure to draw conclusions is
explained by the statement that such
would be improper because a state
commission named by the governor
is already making such study.
County Expenses Not Uniform
Attention is called in the report
to the fact that while all depart
ments i'm all the counties show an
increase in expenses these increases
vary and are not uniform through
out the State. Attention is also call
ed to the big increase in the amounts
paid the hospitals in the three coun-
ties, but it is explained that it has
only been a few years since the low
er counties began making apprOpria-
tiOns to hospitals whic haccounts for
the big increase.
In New Castle county for a num-
Der of years $4,000 was apprcpriat-
ed for the purpose, but the growing
needs have caused the amount in
9 this county to be increased to $75.-
900 year. The report says in part:
New Castle county in 1880 spent
$1,66O,O15 for all purposes here con-
sidered, $396,073 of which was for
general government. The $396,073
amounted to 1886 per cent of all the
expenditures. OF each dollar spent
by New Castle county i'm 1880, 1886
cents was for general government,
One-tenth of one cent for elections,
almost siX-tenths of a cent for pro-
lection to person and property, 44.23
cents for highway purposes, 1892
cents for charities, hospitals, and
corrections, 5.6S cents for interest,
nine-tenhs of one cent for retire
ment of bonds, and one cent for mis-
cellaneOus purposes.
Levy Court Costs
THE levy court is the pOlicy-de-
termining body of the counties. In
New Castle county it consists of
seven members elected by districts
and each receives $500 per year. In
Kent county there are three men,
bers elected by districts who receive
an annual salary of $500 per year,
but in Sussex county, in accordance
with the law passed in 1915 the three
members are elected on a county
wide basis and receive $1,000 per
In, N 1f
members alect one of their own
members as president. In New Cas-
tie county a clerk, stenographer and
an attorney are employed by the
court, and the travelling expense of
the court amounting to about $4,000
per year has been borne by the
county. The levy court of Kent
county employees from time to time
an attorney and he is not paid on an
annual basis.
On the judiciary the report says:
THE expenditures for New Castle
county have averaged $35,062 for this !
period, and they have increased On
the average of $S16 ner year.
The expenditures for Kent county
display two trends: From 1922 to
1927 they averaged $5,371 per year
and increased at the rate 1852 per
year. From 1927 to 1880 they aver
aged $5,S25 and decreased at the rate
of 1892 per year. !
The trend of the expenditures for ,
Sussex county, like Kent. shows two |
trends, but unlike Kent. they de-
creased during the first period from
1922. to 1926 at the rate of $3.50 per .
year. (The average for that period
was S5,4S3). They increased from
1926 to 1880 at the rate Of $50 per
year. The average during the later
period was $7,279.
OF the cost of cOronerS the report
says:
"The expenditures of New Castle =
county have averaged $7,912 per
year and have increased at the rate
of $48 per year. Those in Kent
county have averaged $1314 and in
creased at the rate of $35 per year,
and Sussex county has spent $133S
on the average and increased its rate
of expenditures $45 per year" II
Justices of the peace and cOnsta-
bles show these expenditures:
1.-The expenditures for this activity
have not displayed the same ten I
dency in all three counties. In New {
Castle county there is not a distinct {
of II md in expenditures dur !
ing the period under consideration.
The average expenditure has been
$15,443, and it has increased at the
rate of $665 per year. In Kent cOun-
ty from 1922 to 1926 the average ex- {
penditure was $500 per year and the I
tendency was downward at the rate I
Of $93 per year But from 1926 to {
1880 the average expenditure was c
S12S7 an dthe tendency was upward a
ut the rate of $459 per year. t
"In SusseXx county the eXpendi- t
lures show an average of 1872 for O
he first three years, with a slight
downward tendency to the extent Of
521 per year, but during the period n
rom 1924 to 1880 the average is over 0
wo times the average of the first +
period and the upward tendency has v
to 1922 per year" 0
Health and Records o
An examination of executive S
lealth and public records reveals g
hat the expenditures of all three Il
counties have an upward tendency, b
hose of New Castle county going S
inward at greater rate of increase Il
ha nthose of either Kent or Sussex. ii
During the years 1922 and 1925 New il
,astle county spent an average of II
: M 100 rho iucraqcad nvnapditura a,