The herald., 1894-05-26


ton or decay.
In line with the above suggestions we
recommend:
be requested to enact an ordinance reg
ulsting the slaug htering OF all animals
used for food.
be permitted to carry on q business
without first procuring a license from
the board OF supervisors.
Third-That no slaughter house shall
be licensed to do business until suit
able building is constructed in strictly
sanitary manner, with cement floors,
30 feet from the slsughtering room said
cooling room to be screened to prevent
contamination by flies.
Fourth-That all useless offal be Gre
mated, and that perfect system of
drainage be constructed which shall
carry all waste water and liquid matter
away from the slaughtering house.
Fifth-That all slaughter houses now
being operated shall b, required to COM
ply with the provisions OF such ordi-
nance within six months, and that no
slaughter house shall be permitted to
Auh hiboI July leb WibuOub llCoub6s
Sixth-That the health officer of each
district be made responsible for the
enforcing of this ordinance; that he be
required to personally inspect the
slaughter houses in his district and re-
port once a month to the board of super
visors; and that for such services he be
paid So per diem and 10 cents per mile
for every mile travelled.
70
per snnum, except for slaughter houses
killing less than three animals per week,
which fee shall be So pc. annum.
ROADS.
The examination made of the public
roads and bridges in this county shows
that the expenditures on these have
been large and that the results are un-
satisfactory.
Culverts have often been put in with
out tamping and have consequently
been washed out. Those made of wood
soon rot and break down, injuring the
fill they should protect.
Bridges have been constructed with
out due regard to the strength of piers
and safety OF approaches, and without
proper calculation of the height and
force of winter floods. From this cause
the county has lost heavlly ON its bridges
in food years. On some roads in the
last flood year every bridge and culvert
was destroyed. In many cases to this
day nothing but the fragment of an
abutment remains to show whore tor-
merly stood an expensive bridge.
Much work is done on the roads which
is of no real benefit and ia frittering
away OF public funds.
Large sums are spent on tools and
machinery for the roads. At the same
time we found no record OF this prop
erty, no brand or stamp ON any of it
by which the county property could be
identified, and no means OF ascertaining
what tools or machinery the county
owns except by an arduous examina-
ton of the filed demands. In the
course of our search for the property
shown by these demands to have been
bought. we have been obliged to send
out to the road officers several times for
corrected inventories, and only after
two months effort have we been able to
make the property bought and that on
hand even approximately tally. This
difficulty is nearly all due to an entire
absence of proper business methods.
The old system of elective road over
seers was go bad that 1t was superseded
by a new law placing the entire man
agsment OF the roads in the hands of
the supervisors. Thus far the super.
visors have failed to use their large
power for improvement. To all intents
and purposes the old system is still in
force and the old elected overseers are
still generally in office. AS before, so do
they still do useless work, have no time
books to show where labor was ex-
pended. no record OF material used and
no account of tools bought. The road
work is still without system and with
out harmony of action. 1t is still both
expensive and inefficient.
We recommend that the road work be
systematized, and suggest the following
points:
First-That each road ovsrseer or fore
man keep book for the record of all
labor performed and where it is done,
of all material used and of all tools
owned by the county.
Second-That all county property be
branded before being delivered to any
foreman or road overseer, and receipt
be required for the same, and that such
property be charged to such person, in
a general road book to be kept fol the
purpose.
Third-That general plans and speci-
fcations be made for all important road
work, and that the road work be done
according to such plans. In this way
the money expended will make good
roads as lar as it goes, and not be vast
ed, as is now too often the case.
Fourth-That the same policy be
adopted az to bridges, and that no bridge
be built until it can be built on proper
plans and in such way that it will be
likely to be a permanent improve ment.
Fifth-That the policy OF sprinkling
the roads be extended as fast as practice
able. This is the only way of keeping
the roads in good condition during the
dry season. No matter what expense
may be put on our country rosds, they
never can be made attractive and com
Portable without sprinkling, nor do we
think there is any cheaper method OF
keeping them in good repair.
HORTICULTURAL COMMISSIONER.
In this Office we found the books I'M
posted since December, 1898. The large
amounts expended through this official
for supplies and labor, and the large
amounts due from fruit men for flu mi
eating and other official work, make
this neglect prejudicial to the public
service.
None OF the supplies seem ever to have
been purchased through advertisement
and bids. OF these supplies. cyanide OF
potassium figures for some $4,000 in 1898,
and $1,000 for tents not advertised for.
We believe the cost of this material m