The age-herald., 1899-01-22

Warrants drawn in favor of aims
 house........ .......... ........ ......So's59i9 To charity orders.... ...... ..... 2OoS'D
 Total. ..... ........ coco. .........s7,9l310
 For year ending September, 1898;
 Warrants drawn in favor of aims
 house.... ........ .....'.. ."'$l'4oi'ao Charity orders...... .... ........ l,693.so
 Total s6,14S.i0
 In these amounts are included the salary of the keeper and employees which averages about $174.50 per month. For the two years past the sheriff has been paid by the coun- ty an average of s25 month for board for insane paupers. At the almshouse there Is only accommodation for five of these unfor- tunates, and the commissioners have ar ranged with the sheriff to board those who are refused admission to the asylum at 50 cents each per day. From the testimony the average daily attendance at the alms- house is between forty-flve and fifty. Tak- ing the amounts drawn in favor of the almshouse Independent of charity orders for tho two years, and allowing an average of fifty attendance for the two years, It will be seen that the average cost is lit- tie more than $s.50 a month.
 ROADS
 The legislature, at It's session of 1S96-9T, passed the following law for Jefferson coun- ty: "That the commissioners court for Jefferson county Is hereby required to keep in their office, subject to inspection, DOCK of road record, in which shall be copied all bids of any kind of contract awarded; also all contracts for such bids, and the bonds for the same also tho monthly reports or the receivers of road funds as reported by
 the receivers of road funds in each pre-
 cinct; also the notices, petitions and view ers reports of all new roads applied Tor, granted or opened. There shall be audited in said book during each term of said court full and complete account of sums dis bursed in each respective district, naming the roads and number of miles of road upon which said funds have been expended. And it shall further show the length of all newly extended grades, macadamized or gravel roads, and, as nearly as possible. an accu- rate account of grades diminished by cuts, fills or otherwise. Said book shall be eX- amined by the grand jury first assembled | each year."
 l In compliance with this law the commis- | sioners had a substantial book prepared, | containing all the necessary blanks to meet | the provisions of this law With the excep- | tion of filling up nine of the blanks with | petitions for changes or new roads, the l book is still blank.
 This law is dead letter upon the statute | book so far as the observing of it's requlre- ments are concerned. The commissioners utterly ignore it, and hundreds of dollars are extravagantly expended every month' and no account report kept. l ascer- tained from the treasurer that 45,9S2b2 was collected the last tax year for road pur- poses and with the amount annually ex- pended on roads, 1t does seem that almost every road in the county should be macada- | mixed from end to end. It is very rare | thing that any written contracts are made | with the parties who receive these large | sums for working roads.
 1 From an examination of a large number | of vouchers passed upon and pah for these | road services, many of them are made out | by the commissioners themselves for the l employees in their respective districts, and | simply read Work on roads," in certain | precinct tho amount being given in gross. This is particularly so in the district pre- sided over by Mir. Lacey. I have also as- certained that large contracts have been given out to his relatives.
 The vouchers will show that his relatives have received about 5000 in the lest two years The evidence and vouchers snow also that the relatives of MT. Morrow have received about s650 for road contracts. From the evidence before me the commissioners, in letting out this work, as a general thing, verbal contracts only are made Sometimes the work is inspected after 1t has been fln-
 (Contnued on 18th Page)