New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-10-15
QUARANTINE FEES.
The following letter explains itself:
MISSISSIPPI QUARANTINE STATION,

An Explanation from DR.. Soathworth.
The following letter explains itself:
MISSISSIPPI QUARANTINE STATION.
October S, 1876.
Dr.. 7. B. LeMonnier, Secretary of the Board Of
Health, New Orleans:
DEAR SIR-Your communication of the
fourth instant, in which you complain that
from me, and state that ''none but the
treasurer of the Board of Health has q
right to collect the funds of the board"
etc is received. The drafts sent by me to
YOU are made by me payable to your order,
and can not be collected without your in
dorsement, and you can not mean that the
treasurer, residing in New Orleans, must
collect the quarantine fees of this station.
: I I respectfully suggest that you misunder-
first let me premise by sssting that it is
we'll known to you and the Board OF
Health that my hg Al right to first pay from
collections made here the necessary en-
penses of the station, - has been the Gus.
tom, and send only satisfactory vouchers
and balances to the board, IL in process of
amicable litigation, and that tho decision
will soon be rendered by the Supreme
Court, and will DO obeyed.
Section 3O42, Revised Statutes, saye: 1.-THE
resident physician shall require for each
certificate thus furnished the following
feee," from the various vessels-not in
"drafta," but in cash; and - cash the resi-
dent physician must receive, and account to
the Board of Health for, all Quarantine
fees" which, according to the law, only he
or his assistant is required to or can collect.
Long since the Board of Health detel-
mined that to accommodate vessels having
etc 3, the resident physician might, in certain
cases, at his and their discretion, receive for
fees drafts on sxents in New Orleans in lieu
Of cash, and sgyeed that they would receive
the same from him - cash; but, spart from
this copcess sion, it IL uDquesfionable that the
law requires, and that the Board of Health
has required, and deee st0sc REQUIRE the resi-
dent physician to account for all fees col
lected by him as 80 much cash. OF course
NO ONO will question, and you know. that all
collections made by nae, in whatever form,
that have not been sent to you, have thus
been accounted for to the Board of Health.
Legally and necessarily quarantine fees
are paid to me, and not to the treasurer OF
the board" and if in some cases | receive
said fees in drafts instead OF cash they
should properly be to my order and col
lected BY me, and the board has no right
over or bu-iuess with said draft, except
those sent by me to it in accordance with
its agreement herein referred tc; for the
quarantine law knows nothing about
drafts" and as cash must receive and
account to you for tlen
With my Endorsement they are legally
transferable and collectlble by the holder;
and those not sent to you are paid to EN-
ployes and officers as cash, and ut the time
Of their collection in New Orleans they be
long neither to the quarantine physician
to whose order they are drawn, nor to ,hs
Board of Health, but to the creditors who
have received and receipted for them. and
who are generally paid partly in cash and
partly in these drafts; but whether in cash
or drafts. is certainly immaterial to the
State. These have been the facts and thit
the custom much of the time for fifteen
years, sin 90 drafts were frat taken at thie
station. and l am surprised that you should
not understand the matter, especially ae
for the drafts to which you refer, you had OF
file in your office receipted pay rolls at tn
very time of your complaint Surely, Thu
is no loss, but an evident advantage to thu
State, as it saves you the trouble and ex
pense Of collection.
Very respectfully. your obedient servant
NJ. A. SOUTHWORTH, M. D.,
Resident Ply stefan.