The Bismarck tribune., 1933-01-03
survey COMMISSION
SUGGESTS ABOLITION
Of n. D. TOWNSHIPS
Also Would Limit Pay For Com.
missioners and Consoli.
date Poor Relief
AIM TO CUT TAX BURDEN
Tremendous Increase in Poor
Relief Expenses Seen as
Pressing Problem

Abontl0n OF the township; c0nS0l.
dalton Of some counties, and some
offices; limitation Of pay for county
commissioners and making them sub
ject to recall: fixing OF office hours
for county offices and q definite plan
for administration Of poor relief are
included in the score or more OF rec
concentrations made by the govern
mental survey commission covering
township, city and county govern
ment.
The recommendations to tho gov
ernor in the report now In his hands
are made with q view Of aiding the
state government In finding solu-
ton to the present problem Of re-
ueving the tax burden.
The problem Of poor relief, with
its "unscientific and wasteful" meth
dds Of administration, Is regarded
with alarm. Attention Is called to
the fact that while only $163. .6329l
was spent in the fiscal year Of 1912
1913, the amount appropriated for
relief for the fiscal year Of l93l.32
was 81 1884, ,245.00, or an increase OF
more than million dollars in q Pc
Rod of 20 years. The commission EN-
phasizes the need Of Capitalization Of
relief agencies, and uniform meth.
Cd Of poor relief administration.
Charity, like disease" warns the
commission, "is contagious, and or
ganized efforts ate required to ad-
minister 1t properly in order that
the evils OF the dole system, which
are SO apparent elsewhere. may oe
avoided"
Burden with state
The commission deplores the 'con-
stantly increasing" burden Of poor
relief to transients in those cities To-
Gated on trunk railroads and high
ways and suggests that such an OBJ
legation should rest primarily with
the state" where it says the burden
rightfully belongs.
The present economic depression
naturally has aggravated the situa-
tion, the commission explains, but
for many years there has been q
constant increase In the demands on
poor funds.
Explaining further the need Of CEN
tralizatipn, the commission says that
administration by 1,454 township
boards necessarily means that there
is no uniformity in the methods used
nor in the results obtained"
10 relieve these conditions the
commission suggests: That the coun-
ty be made the smallest unit for the
administration Of poor relief: that
provision be made whereby two or
more counties might jointly employ
q trained person to carry out the
work under the supervision Of the
county boards; that the cost Of ad-
ministration Of poor relief be borne
by the counties with possibly the ex-
ception Of relief to transients: that
the present poor relief laws now in
q chaotic state" should be clarified:
and that the mothers pension law
should be changed so that "the max
imum allowance per child be reduced
to conform to present living costs,
possibly to maximum Of $l2 to .
mother with but one child, $20 for
two children. and Is for each addi-
tional child"
Would Abolish Township
In It's analysis Of the township,
leading to the recommendation for
abolition Of that unit Of government,
the commission points out that the
office Of justice Of the peace Is OBJ
solete, that the township In most In
stances is financially unable to build
roads and bridges because Of the tire
mendous cost Of modern equipment.
Continued on page eight