The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1940-01-04
Taxpayers / o Study
County Home Matter
At Armory Meeting
C. o. GILFILLAN WILL
HELP CITY FINANCE
RENT FOR SCHOOL

While Redwood County
Taxpayers association Off
Gals prepared for a big turn
out at a meeting in the arm
DRY here Friday afternoon,
other developments in the
county home - NYA school
controversy came thick and
fast.
w. R. Werring, Morgan at
torney who has been promin-
ent in the fight against clos
ing the county home, appear
ed before the board of county
commissioners Tuesday with
the advice that Charles O.
Gilfllan is interested in the
matter and prepared to do two
things which may save the school
for Redwood county and throw
further light on the question of
closing the home.
Convinced that the NYA girls
school project has real merit, Mr.
Gilfillan is prepared to cooper
ate with the city of Redwood Falls
in providing quarters, Mr.. Wer-,
ring said. He would not only pay
any reasonable amount of rent
above the $50 per month pledged
by the city for any residence in
the city acceptable for the school,
but would assume the entire lease,
for such building if it develops
that the county home should be
made available for the school and
arrangements are made to trans
fer the project there.
Mr.. Werring further stated that
Mr.. Gilfillan is willing to finance
a careful investigation into coun-
ty welfare needs and practices, to
aid in determining whether the
county still has use for the home
as such without an undue burden
on the taxpayers of the county,
and whether the home might be
turned to some good use of ma
-ture mere permanent than the
NYA school, in case it is no long
er feasible to maintain it as a
home for the aged poor.
Commissioners took no action
on the proposal but individually,
expressed willingness to cooper
ate in the survey Meanwhile city
officials planned to enter into ne
gotiationS to lease one of several
large dwellings in the city which
would provide sufficient space for
an NYA school with an enroll
ment of about 80 girls. NYA of
ficials had planned a school for
60 girls at the county home but
are interested also in the new pro-,
poSal.
Another visitor at the session
of the county board was d. L.
Crimmins, president of the tax
payers association, who invited
board members to attend the pub
lie meeting for discussion of the
matter tomorrow.
Mr.. CrimminS urges all taxpay-
ers interested in seeing the county
save $4,000 annually to attend the
countrywide meeting which will
start at 1870 p. m.
Built when the 'poorhouse"
plan of taking care of aged people
with no means of support was the
only one known, the county home
system is as out of date today as
the horse and buggy, Mr.. Grim
minis contends. Today the pension
system not only makes it possible
for old people to enjoy their de-
Ginning years in their home en-
vironment, but is cheaper than the
poor house system, he said.
1t is considerably cheaper for
the county, since only one-sixt!l
of the pension is paid by the
county, the rest coming from the
state and federal government.
When the county maintains
person eligible for a pension at
the county home, it is losing
nearly $50 per month on the
basis of this years per capita
cost of operating the home, he
said in calling the meeting.
Population at the home 5has
been falling steadily since the
pension plan came in, Mr.. Grim
Minis pointed out, and the per
capita cost has been rising proper
tionately. The handful of people
now living there who cannot be
given pensions because they are
under age IS can be maintained
in private homes at a saving of at
least $4,000 and perhaps 5000 or
even $1,000 per year, he said.
Believing that many taxpayers
are misinformed on the subject
and do not fully understand the
pension system, Mr.. Crimmins
called the meeting to bring the
matter to their attention. Dozens
OF other counties are making a
saving in this way, he said, why
not Redwood corrpfv1 go.