The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1933-10-05
Libby Club
.FaYOrS New
Court House
Discuss Possibility of Loan
From Public Works
Administration.
COMMITTEE NAMED
TO INVESTIGATE

AT a meeting of the Libby CONNER
clal club held Monday night at Turne
, Tavern, committee was appointed t
investigate further into the advisahilit
OF Lincoln county securing an appro
priation from the public works admin
istration for the building of new
courthouse The committee named b,
Z. f. Jacqueth, president, is composer
of l. S. Welch, chairman, r. R. Yield.
man and Chas. D. Rowe.
After the serving of dinner, Pres
ident Jacqueth stated the meeting wa.
called hurriedly, with word gotten K
as many as could be reached. He said
the chief purpose of the meeting wa.
to discuss the advisability and posi-
bility of building a court house and
| getting loan from the federal nd
ministration in line with their public
works program. He said County At
torney Blackboard had had some cor
| respondence with the Montana advis-
DRY board and asked the county at
torney to state what he had learned
Mr.. Blackboard stated he had gone in
to the matter in response to general
discussion of the question. He said he
had written to the state advisory board
regarding a new court house. naming
$4,000 as probable sum to be loaned
to the county for that purpose Some
what later news item appeared in
the papers to the effect that Lincoln
county had filed application for S35 600
for the new court house Mr.. Blackboard
said that report was wholly wrong as
no application, whatever, had been
made, the inquiry simply being for the
purpose Of gaining information.
A Gift Of 80 Per Cent.
Mr. Blackboard stated that the new
act provides that 30 per cent of what
ever sum is loaned shall be an out
right gift and that 10 per cent shall
be repaid over a period of years, the
loan drawing per cent interest. Es-
tinating that -aboue 900 would b. |
sufficient for local cburt house, it /
would mean that the county would re-
ceive gift of $10,500, leaving S24,5OO
that would have to be repaid. To make
this loan bond election would be nee
essaFy and under present Montana law,
only taxpayers would have the right
to vote at such al election. He felt
very doubtful if such an election would
carry.
The chairman then called on r. r.
Veldman, who as Libby's city clerk.
had studied the matter extensively in
with the city's application
tor loan for CITY hall Mr.. Veldman
said the city would file an application
Tor an appropriation of s15O41 for a
new city hall. He also said the reg
iiatlons governing such loan would
be the same for court house.
Mr. Veldman further stated his study
# the act had disclosed that buildings
under the public works program
IAN be financed in either of two
ways The usual one would be through
loan covered by bond issue. The I
'ther one would be on q lease and
ale basis. In some instances, where
ne borrower is not in position to float
bond issue. the government would
'rovide funds for the building and the
government would own the structure
when completed 1t would then be
eased to the municipality where erect
q on yearly rental basis for sum !
t money that would pay for the build
ng over term of 20 to 30 years. AT !
hat time title would revert to the mu- !
licipality and the municipality would !
wn the building. He said the city had !
ecided to attmept to secure the money !
or city hall under the lease and sale
revision
Mr.. Veldman said the city hall was {
a great demand for public meetings
nd that such meetings are held there J
early every week. He further said the
oof, although frequently repaired, is
such poor condition that it is almost .
impossible to use the council chamber !.
urinR rainy weather He cited the fact !.
nat the city is badly in need of :
lodern city hall
Advances Many Cogcnt Arguments G
L. S. Welch was the third person !
allied on by the chairman. Mr.. Welch 2
poke at length and was given hearty
pplause when he finished. He said he G
lvored not only new city hall for !
ibDy but new court house for the
ounty. MIR. Welch argued that outsid-
- will not have much regard for a J
If the people of a conmun-
do not have enough pride and ener-
Y to provide adequate public build
lgs and other public improvements.
e said he felt our lack in this regard :,
ad even worked against us in obtain
g appropriations for highways and
milar projects The community would il
ave better standing if its public r
lildings' showed more progressiveness,
: said
Other arguments favoring construc-
on of new court house, said Mr.
'elch, were those of safety Of public
cords, which was highly important
everyone in the county; the matter
civic pride, which also applied to all D
e county; and stability and perma-
sncy as affected by good county
lildings A further favoring factor
I'D Mr.. Welch. was that Of patriotism.
this connection he arorted that the