The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-31
WANTS A FEE SYSTEM
SENATOR CRANOR ADVOCATES FEES
FOR COUNTY OFFICERS.
Basis Can BE Framed which Will
BE Equitable for Two Years.

1t has cropped out within the last few
days that number of members of the leg
islative committees OH fees and salaries
have developed a leaning toward return
to the fee system as the true theory upon
which county officers should be compen-
stated. A representative of the Journal yes
terday asked Senator Cranor chairman of
the Senate committee, what was the senti-
ment of his committee this subject. Sem
ator Cranor frankly admitted that he had
about been converted to the fee system. n
number of the other members of the com
mittee, he stated, had come to take the
same view of il. and without wishing to
commit any of the other members to his
view of the case he believed that ma
jority of the committee were come to be-
lieve he did. Senator Cranor said that
his study of the question had convinced
him that fee system was the only way to
provide uniform system of compensa-
ton for county officers.
A system of salaries, based on popula-
ton, he said, would be unfair for the rea-
son that counties of the same population
could be cited where the officers of one
would do twice the amount of work that
was done in the other. There were other
counties, he said, where the work in one or
two offices was away out of proportion to
WHAT IL was IN the other offices of the
same county. The unit of population, Sem
ator Cranor also stated, was quantity
that was continually shifting and each sue
ceeding Legislature would be compelled to
amend the fee and salary law or pass a new
one. Senator Cranor stated that he was
confident that it was impossible to frame a
law basing salaries population that
would be fair satisfactory. There were
many abuses under the old system said
he, which could be corrected by a lust
and reasonable fee bill. Under the old fee
Dill there We're many fees that were not
definitely fixed, and county clerks put their
own os.r construction on the law and robbed
senator Cranor stated that he was con-
Vlnced tnat there such a general de-
mand Tor salary system with the odious
zee feature entirely eliminated that the
need the demand and pass salary law
put this did not alter the fact that the only
fair basis of compensation was through the
collection by the officers of fees. He stated
the preparation of a fee schedule definitely
flxing the fee for every kind and quality of
service, and he will submit the schedule to
the fee and salary committee at an early
DAY. AS compared with the fees that were
formerly charged the schedule that he is
preparing VIII represent reduction of from
% to 80 per cent. He will also prepare a
fee schedule that might be made to operate
IN the other county Offices, and he believes
tnat 1t would be possible to devise q SyS-
tenn that would do exact justice to all and
provide compensation for all officers in ex-
act proportion to the services performed
A member of the House committee on fees
and salaries who was asked last night If
his committee would consider a proposition
TO return to the fee system replied most
emphatlcally that 1T would not.