The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-10-19

settlement for April 1898, which had al
ready been included in the previous month.
This was about the same time t5lat the
deficit of SIS occurred in his license colec-
tons.
This department is also in excellent shape
and l have no suggestions 10 make in ref
erenee to the management of It,
PolITax Coffee or. TxhibtK
There Is due the city on collections of 1895
$45, being receipts SS3 to 800 inclusive which
were collected in the office and not re-
ported, of which George Eustis ,recepted
for $40 and A. J. Camp receipted. for $50.
Stubs numbered 800 to 1000 Of the same
year are missing and only 81 receipts
amounting to $3.50 accounted for on the
auditors check In that series leaving 419
receipts unaccounted fef. In tsae absence
of the stubs ] could not ascertain whether
they had been used or not, but If they were
used the minimum amount due the city at
" each being delinquent taxes. would he
$685. There are 200 blank receipts for 1898
| tax missing which have not been counter
signed or turned over TO the poll tax col
lectcT. l have no suggestions TO make in
| reference to the management Of this de-
partment
In this connection I beg leave to submit
| exhibit J., giving a comparative statement
| of the collections made by the present
| license, poll and street tax collector, A. "A.
| Gambill, with the collections made before
he took charge:
Street tax. increase per annum. s13, 06l 10
| Poll tax, increase per annum ........ 4.32392
| Licenses, increase per annum. ....... q, 10201
Total increase per annum ......... SIS, iS' GS
| This is very credtable showing and
| speaks well for his efficiency.
Clerks of inferior fr,n'n'. .ur y. Won
NJ Tho city owes George d. Whatley Ss25,
being amount paid treasurer in excess of
amount received.
n. Amount of j. p. Carpenters shortage
according to the stub books shown IS $l2S 30.
Amount charged by him on his cash book
as received for which there are no stubs.
$f73.10. The fact that the stubs which are
shown to have been used during his incum-
beney in numerical order proves CON
[ elusively that he had OF more other
receipt books the stubs of which have not
been produced, and l could not ascertain
whether all of the collections represented
by them were accounted for.
o. The amount of S. NJ Mingea's short
age, as shown by the stubs OF his receipt
books and the treasurers books is 81 376. i6.
p. J. 7. Meade I find correct. he having
made proper returns for all moneys col
lected by him.
@. Appealed cases. There have been 324
cases appealed to the county cr'm inal court.
amounting to S. 1920. with the following
result:
J3 dismissed Tor want Oh prosecution
and various other reasons 81 .Ii32'
52 mol nrossed for various reasons.... 1S4t.S3 /
Go verdict of mot guilty ..........., 1@2 -
> aha ed by death of defendant... l'ael
% collected ........ $40. ...... 49,. lo.z'@
20 pending -. ........ .......... 5000 I
Total 1924 cases. amounting to.........$S152 9) |
Amount due w. NJ. Burgin. clerk. for
costs in cases where the city failed
TO CONVICT. 80. ...'.....'..''....$i- s-s 20
Total amount collected. ........... -. loI260 |
800
Loss to the city,. 80. ............$ SI6SS
The foregoing statement shows that CI't |
of 25t appealed cases which were disposed |
of involving $500 90 hut 81 .072eo was col |
lected, against which the city owes 81 .9ia as
COSTS. leaving s4.s30.90, the most of which |
has been lost for lack of attention ard tie |
seventy cases now pending, involving $3.50 |
will doubtless share the same fate unless |
something is done at once. The most. If |
not all of the convictions on the appealed |
cases were obtained by the county officers |
without any aid from the city. Tn num- |
Der of these cases the Judgment of the |
lower court was affirmed. the sheriff. levied |
execution, and made return mo property
found" and the judge dismissed the cases.
The amount involved in these cases was
81 7044S, all of which the city would have
collected had the bonds been good. Upon
examination of the doekets of both the
inferior and county court | found that
missed for want of prosecution This should
be corrected, and If it is not the duty of
the city attorney to prosecute these cases,
an attorney should be employed for that
purpose.
would suggest that all appeal bonds be
carefully examined by some one in author1-
ty and the practice of taking ."straw
bonds" which has been in vogue in this
court be stopped. contract was entered
into with s. NJ Mingea allowing him 25 per
ha inf
court in appealed cases. He collected 1916,
from which he deducted the % per cent
The work he performed was merely to go
to the court, collect the money and pay 1t
over. This came properly within the scope
of his regular duties, for which he was
paid salary, and he should not have re-
ceived any extra compensation. similar
contract made with e. A. Penn, but
he was entitled to his compensation. for he
went back over the old records and resur-
rected and collected amounts which had
been lost sight of. 1t was he who called
the attention of the board to the amount
due by Ex-Sheriff Joseph S. Smith,
1 would suggest that the clerk of the in
ferior criminal court be required to have
settlement with the clerk of the county
criminal court at the close of each term
on all appealed cases disposed of during
.,tat term nave no further suggesti ms to
make in reference to the present system, as
1t is, correct and the check on the clerk
perfect and properly kept up.
Market Clerk. Exhibit
This department checked up apparently
correct with the stubs shown. Nos. 1101 to
1900 were missing but were charged on the
auditors miscellaneous check, except 1852
to 1872, which were unaccounted for. An
entry of 1925, paid by W. b. Grant in No
vember, 1897, in compromise of amount due
by him, indicates that he was short in his
account with the city, but as the missing
stubs are those used by him | could not |
verify it. Up to the time ]. j. Curran was
appointed market clerk, no returns were
made for rent of stalls for a shorter period
than one-half month, but since then S17925
has been paid in for such rent. I have no
suggestions to make about the management
of this department.
Pound Keeper. Fxh'b bit -
There were no stubs to check the receipts
from this department, as a system has only
recently been instituted.
l would suggest that the pound-keeper be
taken out of the hands of the chief of po-