The Empire County argus., 1855-01-27
mR. KEENE,s SUPERVISOR BILL.

Mft. N AEtfNE'S SUPERttSOt
Senator Keene has favored us with copy of hii
Bill "to create a Board of Supervisors in the Coun
ties in this State where no such Board now exists
&c." introduced in the Senate January Is. (Sen
ate Bill No. 10.) The bill provides for Board Of
five Supervisors to be elected in February next and
defines their powers, the members of the board tc
receive ten dollars per day and twenty-five cents
per miles each way travel fees and limits their pei
diem to one thousand dollars per annum The
county clerk to be o6cio clerk of the board and
his compensation not to exceed one thousand dol.
lars per snnum. 4"s,
Section third provides for monthly meetings oi
the board of supervisors Thisi unnecessary Semi
annual meetings, quarterly at most, is all that is
required If quarterly, no hardship can possibly
occur all county officers being in receipt from day
to day of their fees for civil business will be glad to
have their accounts against the county adjusted
quarterly in order to save the county the ruinous
expense of monthly meetings. Ten days in each
quarter will be ample time for the transaction of
oil business, except at the first meeting of the
Board With an arrangement of this kind the sal
ary of each member of the board may he limited
quent meetings will involve the county in the pay
ment of large sum of travelling fees and per diem
consumed in travelling for which there is no neces-
sity. We believe semi-annual meetings would an
swer every purpose, and we hope the Senator will
so amend his bill as not to require more than quar-
terly meetings.
Section fourth, providing for special meetings of
A. elo lo IL
law be definite, with no room left for shutting and
boxing Of the compass among parties desiring to
relieve the treasury of any funds that may have
accumulated. r
Section seventeenth should provide an Office for
the Assessor and County Surveyor as well as for
other officers at the discretion of the Board of Su-
pervisors. A provision should also be inserted in
the bill prohibiting the election of than one
supervisor from single township. Without
guard of this kind two or more may be selected
from one locality to the detrment of other portions
of the county.
This bill Of Senator Keene's is important and we
hope he will modify it and press its passage. Some
thing of the kind is required especially in view of
the great doubt hanging over the powers of the
Court of Sessions. Indeed it is almost certain that
this Court is nonentity so far as civil business is
concerned. At the same time economy should be
studied so as not to introduce more expensive ma.
chinery than the bungling arrangements at present
existing.
With Board of Supervisors to adjust the ac-
counts and affairs of the County, orders on the
Treasurer should be signed by the President of the
Board and countersigned by its Clerk. Therefore
let the Office af Recorder be abolished as unncces-
sary and transfer the recording of deeds &c. to the
Clerks Office. Let the "Act for the protection of
Foreign Miners be so amended as to require the
State Treasurer to issue Foreign Miners licenses
to the CLERK of the Board of Supervisors of the
to the Sheriff. as now done by the Recorder, the
Sheriff being required to make returns to the clerk
as now done to the recorder. The three per cent
now allowed to the recorder should be added to the
general fund of the county. Jury fees and allow
ances to INDECENT witnesses may be paid by the
treasurer upon the order of the presiding Judge,
this order being a voucher for the treasurer in his
settlement with the board Of supervisors.
With few amendments to existing laws and the
establishment of boards of supervisors the Office of
recorder will become unnecessary and business be
smplifed by abolishing it. The fewer officers the
better. Those we have should be literally reward.
ed for their services and nothing more.
Supervisors through their clerk should be requir-
ed to furnish full and explicit statement of the
financial condition of county affairs at the adjourn
ment of every meeting to every newspaper pub
lished in the county for publication, and no COM
pensation be allowed for such publication. Papers
will be glad to publish such statements as news
Senator Keene having taken hold of this work,
we hope he will lay his axe at the root of existing
evils We shall look with interest to see the Sem
ator very make strong demonstration for the
reduction of fees in office. In this good work he
will be, no doubt, supported by the entire FL Do
RADIO delegation and certainly by his constituents.
Our Town this week has been sorely afflicted
and cursed with the usual amount of San Francis
co abortions Hard times and the threat to sus-
pend free lunches has started swarms of cap-trap
theatrical grinders out in the mines, who can only
murder the Kings English in every effort they
make, and even in this their superative laziness
sticks out at every point. Two eyenings this week
cur people have been called to respond to the calls
of these theatrical paupers. Our people would be
pleased to see good performance or even hear a
Ill e..