The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1885-05-23
Repor1 OF Grand Jlury.
STATE OF LOUISIANA,
PARISH OF CALcAsIEr.


1 l4th Juniciai BiEfflct:
: The Grand Jury Of the parish o.
Caleasien, duly empaneled and sRorI
on Monday, the 9th day of April
e 1885, present this, their general re
port, to your Honorable Court as the
8 result of their labOrs:
Owing to several causes there has
been no Jlry term of Court IN this
parish since APril-May. 1884, and in
. consequence, great many cases have ac-
cnmulated for onr consideration, some
of them of the gravest nature. We
have found thirty true bills, thirty not
true bills, and for cause turned over
to the District Attorney several minor
cases for future action. Many cases
of n trivial and malicious character
have been handed to us, some of which
were referred to us from Magistrates
Courts; when their proper character
was ascertaiHed we promptly dismissed
them. Nevertheless, they unnecessarily
consumed much of our time, and they
entail on the parish much expense.
This evil could be avoided by proper
discretion on the part of the Justices
of the Peace.
We have investigated the condition
of the different offices Of the parish,
and made demand on the incumbents
for written reports, in our endearors
to ascertain the financial condition of
the parish. From the written and
verbal statements furnished to us by
the former tax collector, David Ii.
Lyons, and the present incumbent,
David J. Reid, also by VIM. L. Hutch
ins, Parish Treasurer, we have ascer-
tanned that the finances of the parish
are in a good condition, and that with
the exception of debt of s., 500, for
balance on the Jail, due September LIST,
1885, and still unprovided for, there
was little or no Indebtedness due by
the parish prior to the present session
of Court We have called before our
body for exchange of views and opin-
ions the members of the Police Jury,
now in town, with the object to asccr-
tain if the rate of parish tax of 0 mills !
on the dollar could not be lowered |
without detriment to the public treas
my. We arc of opinion that with a
strict and rigid compliance with the |
laws regulating the approving and
paying of bills for criminal and other
expenses, (Section l,042 OF Revised
Statutes aud act No. I6 of 1854 } the
current expenses of the parish could
be materially curtailed and the rate of .
taxation reduced to seven or eight
mills on the dollar, without injury to
the credit of the parish,
Last year, and for several wears pre-
yious, the Police Jury has failed to
comply with the provisions of Section
2,T45 of the Revised Statutes of 1870,
which requires ''that before it shall
fix and decide on the amount of taxes
to be assessed for the current year, it
shall cause to be made ont and pub
lished for at least thirty days previous,
an estimate exhibiting the varions
items of expenditures"
BY referring 10 the proceedings Of
the Police Jury we find thai the
Parish Treasurer made a report to
that body in July, 1888, and another
in July, 1884, and none since. We
think that his reports ought to be
made more frequently, and in form
more detailed and comprehensive. His
official bond is only $1,000, and as his
disbursements are over $4,000 per
year, we think his bond onght TO be
considerably augmented
We have examined into the snffi-
cheney of the bonds of the different
parish officers and we find their sure
ties solvent.
In regard to the collection of taxes
We find that the receipts have been
very good on the part of both the
former and present incumbents. Their
several statements are annexed here
with-Marked A and B.
In regard TO the assessment rolls for
1888 and 1884, we find that the com
putatiOns and recapitnlations are cor
rect, but there are many errors in the
assessments that could have been Oh
waited with proper diligence, 1t has
been the cause of much eomnlaint
The rolls are uselessIy bnrdened viii
several hundred names that conld he
well eliminated from them without
iniury to the revennc
We have been furnished with the
report of the Secretary Of the Scbnol
Board The Parish Treasurer has no.
ceiyed during the years 1889 1884
and up 10 Anril 40 1884 s6ioo 10
for the school fund uis d,sbnrsments
during the same neriod wore saea8 az
leaving balance ON hand of s89ss 40
to which is 70 Lr aided a snm ~
seOs Io-Tressnrer,s ranort marr,od
sou We male here liz remarI ,ha,
a., T-.a.,,..,. ,.-, , ~.