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Show THE COUNTY FINANCES. ' The report of the County Auditor for the 3'car 1907, made public yesterday yes-terday morning, really covers but ten months; bceaufic Commissioner Cos-griff, Cos-griff, early in November, called attention atten-tion to the fact that the county resources re-sources for the year were exhausted, and it would be impossible to make further appropriations during the "year 1907. .;. . Tho report shows that the receipts from the gen.eral expense fund were $420,964.70; appropriations from the same fund were $415,807.20; leaving a credit excesa of $5157.50. Tho warrant account agrees with this, the cash account ac-count showing a balance on hand December Decem-ber 31, 1907, in the general expense fund, of .$19,397.25; warrants outstanding1 $14,039.73; leaving, as above, a bal-" ance of $5157.50 to the good. In these computations, of course, the special funds are not included, because the3' cut no figure in tho county revenue. rev-enue. The county handles them, lo be sure, and is I he agency through which tho funds pass, but tho county derives no benefit from them in tho way of adding add-ing lo its genoral revenue. The appropriations for the ten months included in the report amounted amount-ed to $415,807.20, an average of upward up-ward of $40,000 a month. Applying the same average to tho two months' expenses not appropriated for in. 1907, we find that the county is in arrears in its accounts $88,161.44; deducting from this the $5357.50 on hand it is seen that the county is in the hole on account of unpaid bills to the amount of $78,003.94, This is a pretty bad showing for a county which started the year 1907 with such an 'ample balance on hand. The explanations given for the reasons rea-sons why euch enormous expenditures wore made do not suffice to explain, Vory little was done out of the ordinary ordi-nary routine. The county is unquestionably unques-tionably in ba.d financial shape; made so by the reckless extra vagancc of the muchiiK! politicians who are in cou- ! trol. This showing nnd others tha), j will appear from time to time 'will make excellent r.anipuign inarcriiil for j the county election next fall. j |
