The record-union., 1898-01-08
COUNTY EXPERT ELECTED.
SUPERVISORS CONSIDER IT A
MEASURE OF ECONOMY.
Joseph Hill Will Hereafter Exam
inc All Bills Presented to
the County.

yiSofS yesterday morning, all being
present, the opinion of the District At
torney was read to the effect that he
saw no legal objection to the passage Of
the proposed ordinance prohibiting the
placing of telegraph or telephone poles
on any public highway without having
first obtained permission from the Board
of Supervisors.
The ordinance was read, and Super
visor Mclaughlin moved it's adoption,
and the motion was carried.
Chairman Morrison called the atten-
ton of the board to the necessity of Gre
ating the office of County Expert, whose
duty would be to examine and pass upon
all claims. A man who could fulfill this
duty, he said, would save the county
much more than his salary. Members
of the board could not possibly find time
to look over all the prices and compare
them with the schedules when the bills
come uD before it.
An information had been filed against
the board on account of mistakes that
were found in some bills. 1t is utterly
impossible, with the amount of bills that
are presented to it, to examine them in
detail and see that they are right. The
=
for the county to examine the bills and
see that everything is right. AS the
law is it does not seem to- be the duty of
any one outside of the board to examine
into the correctness of bills. He had
asked the District Attorneys opinion
on the matter and been told the limit of
other officers duties. 1t is impossible
for the members Of the board to keep
track of all the bills and see that dupli-
Gates are not presented. One OF the
members had been accused by the
Grand Jury on account of the payment
of duplicate, and a number of dup1-
Gates have been presented at various
times He moved that an expert be
employed by the county at salary OF
S75 month to inspect the bills
In addition to this, the Grand Jury
now has to engage an expert each year
to expert the books of the county oft1-
GERS, and the employment of a county
expert, who could also do that work,
would result in a saving Of large ex-
pense to the county, the Grand Jury
expert not being needed. He considered
it a saving proposition in many ways,
and the board had an undoubted right
to create the position.
Supervisor Mclaughlin said he
thought that there were more officers
now than there is money to pay them
with. The board had always got along
in the past, and did when he was
member of it before.
Supervisor Morrison said that since
that time the form of the county gov
ernment had been changed, and the con-
ditions are different
Supervisor Curtis said he had favored
this movement for three years. The
board has been laboring for years under
d difficulties in this matter. He felt that
1t was necessary to have an expert, as
it is impossible for the members to
avoid making oversights and mistakes
regarding the bills.
The motion to elect an expert was car
ried, Supervisor Mclaughlin voting no.
and he changed his vote and gave notice
of a motion for reconsideration next
month.
Supervisor Curtis nominated Joseph
Hill for the position, and Supervisor
Morrison nominated George Ebert
Supervisor Curtis said that number
of members of the Grand Juries had
suggested that the board appoint an
expert.
Supervisor Morrison said that he had
at one time opposed this matter. and
the District Attorney had told him that
the board had a right to appoint an
expert, and that it should be done. He
believed it would be a saving to the
county.
Hill was elected by the votes OF Cur
tis. Jenkins and brennan, Mclaughlin
voting no and Morrison voting for
Ebert.
Supervisor Mclaughlin protested
against the election, claiming that his
notice of motion of reconsideration
stopped the matter until it is disposed
of. but the Chairman said If the motion
was reconsidered next month the office
would be vacant. Mclaughlin desired
his notice and protest to be entered IN
the minutes, and It was so ordered.
Thirty-one prisoners in the County
Jail were allowed credits, twenty-slx OF
them being vagrants and five petit lar
ceniStS.