A Few Figures

It seems proper at the present time to cali the attention of our citizena, and ospecially of tax payers, to the ccoooinical administration of the couiity clerk's office during the past two years. Mr. Clark has conducted the affaira of his office upon the same principies that a good, careful business man would his own private business. The result has been a considerable caving, and shows that honesty, fidolity and experienoe are a good investment for the taxpaying portion of the community. For the purpose of laying before our readers some of the facts which go to sustain the above retnarks, we paid a visit to the office of the county clerk a few days ago. And we want to say right hcre that a more obliging man never held offioe in this county than the present county clerk. At the meeting of the supervisors in January, 1879, the board ordered the county clerk and judge of probate to arrange the files and records in their respective offices. This neoessitated the purchase of about 20,000 file covers. Mr. Clark sent samples of the file covers desired to several large houses dealing in that class of goods fur the purpose of getting bids for furnishing the same. The result was a great saving as will be seen by an inspección of the figures: There has been purchased to date 19,391 file covers at a cost of $247.16. Previous to Mr. Clark's time, and under the former mauner of doing business, the same goods have cost the oounty $30 por thousand, which would amount to $581.73, a net saving of $334.57 in favor of the present way of doing business, this, too, notwithstanding paper producís have been unusually dear for the last eighteen months. The arranging of the files necessitated the purchase of several hundred pigeonhole tin boxes, and 570 boxes at 26 cents each, cost $148. Formerly the county paid nine shillings each for the the boxes which would amount to $641.25. It will be seen that the sutn of $493.25 was taved in this one item. Until last winter, wood had been used for heating the court house. A ycar ago last summer, Mr. Clark gut bids from several dealers in coal, and made a contract by which 89 tons were delivered in the bin at $4.30 per ton, costing in all $384.85. There was also used in starting lires, etc, wood to the amount of $229.60. By careful experiment it has been estimated by several qualified persons that the wood nccessary to heat the court house for the same period would have oost the suiu of $1,125, the saving by using ooal being $510.55 for the past year alone. This year, owing to the much higher price of coal, the saving only amounted to $320. It was of his own motion t hut Mr. Clark substituted coal for wood, and he is therefore entitled to the credit of saving the county $830.55 for the two years in the matter of fuel.