The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-08-24

l3l Pierre Landry, {. +" /" So OF
l8g Ghas. F. Smith, April s. 1872, 100 O
3l4 ii. L. Brown, :. $50 8.
Bag Hillary Rice, June 8, g 900 OF
343 Leom Dominique :. s. 80 $50 OF
Total amt unlawful warrants, ,707 4!
The above numbered warrants were issued
under the following circumstances: Nos
IL, '4S, 10Y, l23, l25 3l4, 342 and 343 were is
sued to certain persons called :! Road Mas
tiers, y an office which appears to have been
created by the members of the late Police
Jury solely with "a view to their own private
emolument. Two out of the three were cleo
ted from among themselves, ana we are III
formed that no duties were ever performed
as such, by them. Nos. and 1S9 were is
sued to the parish Tax Collector by virtue OF
resolutions OF the Police Jury appropriating
those amounts to him g for making q parish
assessment roll" We are of opinion that the
Tax Collector is not entitled to eompensa-
ton for performing that duty, and that those
resolutions are mere utilities. Nos. 80, 100
and l3l represent fraudulent claims of the
Chlef Constable fors services never performed.
No. ., To e. w. Mason for travelling expenses
to Baton Rouge. We are of opinion that the
Police Jury are not justified in assuming to
detray the expenses of Mr.. Mason on Il self
imposed excursion to that city. No. ia, to
| Il. w. Mason, Parish Judge, for his fees i'll
terminal proceedings The law, we arc in
formed, provides salary for that officer and
fees i'll specified ciciI eases only. We there
| fore conclude that the appropriation of three
| hundred dollars i'll favor of Judge Mason was
was without consideration and unlawful
Your committee would respectfully recon-
mend that a resolution be adopted by your
honorable body prohibiting the Tax Collee-
tor and the Parish Treasurer from receiving
any OF the above numbered warrants in paw
mcnt OF any parish tax, license or other dues,
and that the public be notified and warned
against trading for the same.
! SecOHd-We recommend the repeal of the
following resolutions of the Police Jury, viz:
Fnst-The resolution adopted -, 1877,
| allowing annually to the Sheriff one hundred
dollars for cleaning the Courthouse
Second-The resolution odopted -, 1872,
allowing twenty-five dollars per month to
Rodolph Braud as additional compensation
for performing the duties of Auditor
Ihlrd-Ihe resolution adopted March 1lth
1873, appropriating five hundred dollars to
{. Smith for the parish assessment roll.
The two first resolutions involve unneees-
Safy expenditures, inconsistent with an eco
nonical administration, and the third was an
appropriation purely gratuitous, unwarrant-
ed by any existing law.
Ihid-With reference to the ''Consolida-
ted debt" OF the parish, represented by the
ooiittc tii1bNC stI u0lttlu, we
respectfully call the attention of your honor
able body TO resolution adopted by the late
Police Jury, prohibiting the Parish Tax Col
leetor and the Parish Treasurer from receiy-
ing said bonds i'll payment of parish taxes
We would also remark that since said bonds
were issued repeated decisions have been
rendered by the Supreme Court of the State
declaring obligations OF that character, is
sued without legitimate sanction, to be lille
gal and not binding. There exists now no
law, and none existed at that time, author
izing the Police Jury OF Ascension to issue
bonds Tor any purpose whatever In view OF
these circumstances, We deem it our duty to
state that, in our opinion, the bonds in CUES
ton do not constitute part of the existing
valid indebtedness of this parish.
F0nU-At page Of this report it will be
seen that the total debt OF the parish inclutI-
ing the bonds and unregistered claims, ex-
elusive of interest on the bonds, amounts to
S30,6l3 29s. Dedueting therefrom the amount
of the bonds, say $3.50 800, and the amount 1
OF unlawful warrants, S4,7U4 49, the amount
of the legal debt would be S22, l75 Al twenty
two Thousand one hundred and seyenty-tiye
4l-lO0 dollars.
Ffh-We deem it proper to inform your
honorable body that ON the of -, 1871, /
i'll accordance with resolution of the Police
Jury, Il committee was appointed to direct
and superintend the improvement of the
public highway commonly known as the
. New River Road" and bonds of the parish
10 the amount of two thousand five hundred
dollars bearing interest at eight per cent
per annIIm from date, were issued by the |
president of the Police Jury for the purpose
of meeting the cost of the work. A portion
OF said bonds, amounting to fifteen hundred
dollars, were delivered to Mr.. Welsh. the |
contractor for the work, and the remainder
of the bonds, amounting to one thousand dol
lars, were subsequently delivered by the |
chairman of the New River Road committee, |
Mr. Dulnini Leblanc, in whose hands they |
then were, to Mr.. Sam'l FL. Fields, as your |
committee is informed. in accordance with |
Il resolution adopted by the Police Jury at |
Its session of --, 49,. We have further !
to state that, SO far we are informed by |
the records of the parish, no account has /
ever been rendered to the Police jury of the |
manner in which the latter mentioned bonds I
have been disposed of. We have found up |
on examining the books ofthe Parish Treas |
urer, that these bonds were delivered to the |
Treasurer by c. f. Smith! Parish Tax Col
lector, i'll settlement of parish taxes collected |
by him; they are now i'll the possession Of
the Treasurer. We did not consider ourselves I
authorized to go further into an investigation /
of this matter, and therefore have not com
with Mr.. Fields relative thereto.
We would respectfully recommend that IA
of the Police Jury and the Parish
Attorney. be appointed with instructions to
ascertain what disposition was made of said
bonds, for the benefit of the parish, and, if
through what channel they passed
into the hands OF the Parish Tax Collector.
Sirth-An examination of the bills of par
ish officers for criminal expenses shows the
necessity of reducing the fee bill for mileage
as now fixed by law. Your committee, beley-
ing the same may be materially reduced, and
those officers still adequately remunerated
for theis services, would recommend the fol
lowing tariff of fees, viz: That the Sheriff
and Constable shall be entitled to demand
and receive, in all criminal eases, six and
quarter cents for every mile they may actu-
ally and necessarily travel in going to and
from the service of any process,
but this shall be construed so as to allow
mileage only to and from the place where the
process was actually served to the seat of the
court from whence such process may have
issued, and i'll no case shall mileage be allow
I'd for a greater distance than the place of
residence Of the person upon whom the pro-
,ess was served. That where there are more
I II