Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1890-12-03

: 4N ktAEt-
 We find that the accounts, papers.
 records, books, etc, of the office are
 kept in very neat and accurate man.
 her by the clerk Of the board, E.. F.. Horne, whose care and painstsking, as shown by his work, reflect credit alike
 on the clerk and the office.
 We find that under construction placed upon the law governing the compensation Of Supervisors by one of the judges in the southern district in
 this Territory, the members of the pres ent Board have assumed the light to 8
 compensation greatly in excess of the
 limit which has prevailed in this county for many years--in fact, in the history
 of the county. While it is granted
 that the Board has a color Of right to this heavy increaseby reason of the ex- traordinary decision above alluded to,
 as well as the ambiguity of the Act passed by the Fifteenth Legislature purporting to fix the limit of compen.
 sation allowable to Supervisors, il is ! nevertheless well grounded eonyic- ton m the mind of this committee that no such rights as have been assumed
 by this Board were contemplated by the Legislature in framing the Act re- ierred to. It IS a rule we'll settled by
 legal authorities that the intent of the lawmakers shall govern in cases where
 the imperfect construction Of their Acts
 renders them susceptible of different deduy tions. The reason and intention Of the lawgiver will control the strict
 letter ot the law when the latter leads
 to paipable injustice and absurd,ty. If the rate which had prevailed in this
 county for many years previous to the enactment heretofore alluded to has any
 value as precedent in determining the 1 real intent of the lawmakers of the Fifteenth Legislature, it is clear that ! they never contemplate so gross sn
 injustice as the allowance ot $700 per quarter 10 each member of Boards of Supervisors in first-class counties, but this IS the construction which the pres ent Board Of this county have been pleased to place upon this law, and
 they have taken advantage of this be- l nihcent construction te an extent
 which has already added notieeably to the drain upon the Salary Fund of this county. The duties Of Supervi- sors are not 50 onerous, nor their re- responsibilities so ponderous, that they must needs be allowed by legislation compensation limited 10 sum nearly equaiing the salary paid to judge of the Supreme bench of this Territory. which observation in itselI is, we be- heve, sufficient to show the heinsuticiency of the grounds on which they base their night to the sums they have drawn in
 return for their services.
 We find that the Board has audited bills presented by the matron of the
 County Hospital to the amount of S5,-
 2T9.oS for the r months ending octo-
 bsr 1st. This sum appears excessive,
 and this committee recommends that
 more rigid check be kept by the Board
 upon the arrival and discharge of pa
 hents. The present lax methods ap
 pear to leave ample room for fhe prsc
 tice of imposition upon the county, and
 while this committee finds nc ground
 upon which to base such charge in
 the present instance, 1t would in our
 opinion be the part of wisdom to place
 such restraint upon the method Of con. dueting the hospital as would preclude
 the possibility of immoderate and un-
 iustiGable charges.
 We find that the official printer of
 the county has been allowed and paid $75 for extra printing; $50 of this amount was for printing the election proclamation, and $2j for publishing in the Prescott Courier letter reply ing to an article by Sheriff 0'Neiil, affecting county interests. Both of these items appear to be fully covered by the contract of the county with said printer, and have therefore been ille- gally paid and allowed The election proclamation Is required by law, and therefore comes under the provisions of
 the contract by Q direct specification. The other item should have been paid
 for by the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad Company of it's attorneys, rather than
 by this county. This committee holds
 that under no coloring oi the law can
 these charges be legalized; they have
 been paid in excess 0l tne contract GOV
 ering such printing. and are illegal.
 We therefore recommend that the Dis trict Attorney be directed to institute suit against the board and the contract or for the recovery to the county of the sums thus illegally and without just claim paid to the said contractor.
 We find that the accounts of the Probate Judge some cf which contain items strongly suggesting extravaganza and recklessness in the disbursement oi the school 'and, have been audited without question by the Board. While the Board is not responsible for the off, cial acts oE the Probate Judge, 1t has the authority to suspend any portion of his accounts which are msnifestly 1 irregular This is right and duty to hich this committee especially in- vlbes attention in the interest of the i school fund of this county.
 We further find that the Boaid has 1 allowed the official printer oi the coun- ty S62 fer printing a brief in the appeal | of the case of O'Neill vs. Yavapai | County. Under striet interpretation of the contract, this Is also an Illegal | charge, and appears to have been allowed without reference to the con tract or the interests ot the county. This is also a matter 10 which we be- iieye the attention of the District At torneY should be directed, and we rec