San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-12-14
THEIR REPORTS.
The County Judge and the County Fl
nances.

superintendent OF the poor house submitted
their annual reports TO the commissioners,
who after hearing them read adopted them and
ordered them filed. The reports are given be-
low as follows:
consideration my annual report of the receipts
and expenditures of BeNar county for the
year commencing November 10Th, 1885, and
ending November 10th, 1856, as well as "A short
resume of what has been done during the
year This report cannot show each and every
item of receipts and expenditures, flor this i
refer you to the quarterly reports) but Is sim
ply Il consolidated showing OF the principal
items.
Our receipts from all sources ad valorem.
poll and Scense taxes less commissions TO
assessor and collector and deductions for de-
/ nquents and insolvents), fines and forfeit
ures, convict hire, did not exceed the sum of
$jO,OU. Out OF this the county had to meet
the following expenses: Jury, jury commits
siOners, grand jury, bailihs, Jail, poor house,
paupers, roads and bridges, convict camp, sal.
AIRY OF officers, interest on courthouse and
Mexican railroad bonds, insurance of court
house and repairs, fuel and light for court
house, jail and poor-house, purchase OF land
for newly opened roads, elections and luna
tics.
MANUAL LABOR POOR HOUSE AND HOSPITAL,
The amounts paid out for the support OF this
institution were about 5000 with an average
of % inmates, including employees. This in
Cludes payments of every description, salaries
included-a very creditable showing for the
superintendent, Mr.. Smith. For moro teH-
mite report | refer you to the report of the
superintendent herewith submitted.
BRIDGES.
During the year five bridges have been built
by the county court, one iron bridge over San
Antonio river at BOTegO crossing, one iron
bridge over San Antonio river below Mission
Conception, one wooden bridge over Zavala
creek, one wooden bridge over Rocky creek,
between Missions San Jose and Espada and
one wooden and rock bridge over a branch
near Selma. All of said bridges were given
out under bids to the lowest responsible bid
der, and are In good travelling condition. The
total amount pad out for such bridges was
SLICE ".
ROADS.
| am of the opinion that our county roads
have been materially improved, but much
more is needed to put our roads In good con-
ditiUn; but with the small amount at our dis
pOsal and by the very inefficient work done by
the road hands under road overseers fear
we will not accomplish much, unless during
the next session of the legislature, material
We have paid out during the year on account
of land purchased for neS roads opened
Sl,T2S; for repairs of bridges, etc, and work
on old roads 81, 60S0S besides the labor of the
convicts during the year. must say this has
not been very profitable, but sand conyicts
had to be utilized in some way and II is about
said convict gang for salary of guards, proyi-
sious, forage, etc, amounted TO fully s2,5O TO
5000.
COUNTY JAIL.
The expenses of our Jail for the feeding of
prisoners, salary Of guards, fuel lights, bed
about $1,000. From this is to be deducted
amounts received for feeding, etc, of United
states and other county prisoners. | have no
certain data from which to give the average
daily number of prisoners, but believe IL to
have been about 10.
JURY AND BAILTFFs.
Our expenses under this head, particularly
for grand jury service, have been very heavy.
Total amount paid out on this account Is
about $500.
PAUPERS AND LUNATICs
Our expenses on account of lunatics and
outside paupers for cash allowances, clothing,
food, transportation, &c. has been very heavy,
considering that we have no special fund for
that purpose, and would recommend that in
the coming year special levy be made and
set aside for that purpose.
INTEREST ON BONDS.
The interest due on our court house, Mexi-
promptly paid. We have about $4,000 on
hand with the comptroller to meet interest on
the latter bonds for 1887, besides about 81 900
due and to be collected for 1885. This would
leave a large balance to be applied to the re-
demption of at least 10000 to 1900 of such
bonds. have made every effort TO have from
10000 to 1900 called in and redeemed. The
comptroller has informed me that he has
drawn and publicly notified holders that the
numbers could be redeemed and If not pre-.
scented, interest would cease on and after May,
1885. No report has been received from the
comptroller on this matter. If the bonds can
not be called in before maturity, would re-
commend that no levy, or only nominal one,
be made for next year Our money Is lying
idle in the state treasury when 1t would be
better in the pockets of our taxpayers.
In conclusion l am happy to say that all
claims on the county OF every kind and de-
scription have been promptly paid in cash.
We have no authority to borrow, and IL 10 well
we have not-with a TAX levy OF 70 cents on
$40 for general expenses, cents on SlC0 for
roads and bridges no great things can be &C
complished or expected. We levy 10 cents on
fl0O bond acceunts, such as court house, Mex
lean Gulf railroad company and Sunset bonds,
making total of Al cents on the 800 for all
purposes. am of the opinion that for the
year 1887 81 cents on the 500 may be sufficient,
taking into consideration the large surplus
we have on hand on account of Sunset bonds,
If, as l suppose, theosinking funds for said
bonds has been applied to the redemption of
sufficient bonds to comply with the law, no
levy for that purpose except for sinking fund
need be made for the coming year, and our
county taxes will be ample If we levy for gen.
eral purposes 20 cents, roads and bridges
cents and on bond accounts cents, total 81
cents, or about % per cent. reduction from
1886. c. WURzBACH,
County Judge.
Mr.. Smith, superintendent of the poorhouse,
handed in his report which was also adopted:
SAN ANTONIO, December 9, 1885
To the Honorable County Judge and County
Commissioners of Bexar County:
GESTLEMEN:--ln making out my annual re-
port OF the condition of the manual labor
poorhouse and hospital Of Bexar county from
i. ". VI.
leave to submit the following:
There were fifty-four 6H inmates, forty-one
al males and thirteen Q3 females on hand
December /. 1885. There have been one hum
dred and six lO6) admissions during the year,
lightweight (S8D males and eighteen Q8)
females. One hundred and one 00D inmates
have been cured and discharged during the
year. eighty (sO)7males and twenty-one C2D
females. OF these one hundred and one 0CD
discharges, eleven I'D were lunatcs which
have been conveyed to the state lunatic
asylum at Austin. There have been eighteen
l8 deaths for the year in this institu-
ton; eleven I'D died from consumption, three
81 from dropsy, two GU from typhoid fever,
one % from old age and one ID from cancer
of the stomach / have also buried sixteen
Q6) from the city, which have either met their
deaths by drowning, suiciding and various
other causes. Eighteen thousand seven hum
dred and fifty eight 1888 days rations have
were on hand November 30, 1855 PourteenG "a
of these are lunatics and idiots, eleven I'D
paupers and fifteen QD patients. The food
consists of the following for the main table.
three meals each day: For breakfast GOOD
coffee, light bread and beef; dinner, soup,
roast beef, bread and vegetables; supper tea,
hash or cold meats and bread Corn bread is
given once q day for dinner. The sick get such
as rice, oat meal, milk, jelies, cheese, dried
fruit, eggs and such dishes as the county ply
stefan orders. The inmates are all provided
with comfortable bedding. There are FIRE
places in all the rooms, and in cold weather
fire is allowed In all of them. Fire aud lights
are extingulshed at nine O'Clock %. m,
except In the hospital building, where
lunatic department is frame building, with
high board fence enclosure; in this the most
troublesome ones are kept There Is one
stove I'm this building with drum attached to
the stove pipe in the adjoining room. Fire Is
kept in this stove on cold nights. aud are at
tended to by the night Waterman, and by
close attention we manage to keep them from
suffering. cannot, however, say that they
Qra hos will H..