The record-union., 1899-08-11
MORE CROSS PURPOSES.
BUT SUPERVISORS HAVE
BURIED THE RATCHET.
J. w. Houston's Claims Were AL
lowed and He Went Home.
Happy.

AT yesterdays meeting Of the Board
OF supervisors, Supervisor ellis, after
the minutes had been read, said he saw
no errors in them, but that he had seen
an error in the report published in the
Record-Union'' respecting the road
claims presented by J. w. Houston. He
SAID the bills under consideration were
not those presented by Houston alone,
out a large batch Of bills passed over
10 him by Supervisor Jenkins, and by
MIN passed on to Supervisor McLaugh-
lin.
Supervisor Jenkins was out when
ellis statement was made, but Chair
man Curtis said his recollection of the
matter was that only the bills present
ed by Major Houston were mentioned
Supervisor Jenkins returned at this
point, and said that the report pub
lished in the Record Union" was cor
rect to the letter: that he had men
toned no claims except those presented
by Mr.. Houston, and that those claims
and those only were responsible for
the contention.
Supervisor ellis said not another
any other report.
LEASE APPROVED.
The lease made by John and Jennie
Riordan of two and one-half acres of
land on the M-street road. near Nc
Keever's land, to the county, on which
to maintain a water tank and pumping
plant for road sprinkling purposes, was
read. filed and approved, and ordered
recorded. The lease will hold good for
ten years.
EXPORTING CLAIMS.
Chairman Curtis said that the claims
against the several funds as presented
to the board each month by County
Expert Ahern were not satisfactory.
The members, he said, had no time to
foot up the several bills and strike d
balance between the aggregate and the
Auditors report of the amount on hand
for the several funds. He accordingly
moved that the expert be instructed to
furnish each month a statement of the
aggregate amount of the claims against
each fund.
Supervisor Jenkins seconded the mo-
ton He said the expert was expected
to advise the board regarding the le-
gality and business of the claims pre-
sented, while as a matter of fact the
claims as handed to the board bore
only the stamp Examined" and the
signature of Expert Ahern. The stamp
told nothing as to the legality, correct
ness or business Of the claim-only that
it had been examined, and that it did
not even show the funds on which the
claims were a lien.
men signed a claim a few minutes ago
in favor of P. H. Murphy for sol. Do
you know what it was for?"
''Sprinkling," spoke up ellis and Nc
Laughlin.
No, sir" said Jenkins. 'T guess you
didn't read the bill. 1t contained two
items; one for $3.50 for sprinkling;
another for $3.50 for road work done
in June. That means that the item for
road work in June came out of the
general instead of the road fund. and
Murphy has drawn his money and gone
home
You handed that claim to me for
my signature" said ellis. land I sup
posed it was all right and signed it"
Jenkins said he had done nothing of
the kind-that he had handed the claim
to Curtis.
ellis and Mclaughlin said it was
evident that Jenkins knew the two
items We're inserted in the two claims,
and Jenkins did not deny the state
ment.
Then" said Mclaughlin to Jenkins,
''why did you sign it?'
II signed it, replied Jenkins, "be-
cause you did,
"Oh. no, you didn't" returned Nc
Laughln, you don't like me we'll
enough for that
jenkins said in his opinion the gen
eral fund was not contributing enough
for the road funds, and that he thought
it only right that it should do it's part
I'm not he said "a id bit afraid
of my bondsmen. But if you tspeaking
to ellis and Mclaughlin want to be
technical, Til be with you"
eve been technical before and not
after claims have been approved" said
Gillis but hereafter I will look on the
inside of claims before I sign them
THAT would be a better plan" re-
torted Jenkins, than to sit here and
read newspapers"
Curtis motion to instruct the County
Expert was CdTT1eu ny d uHduiIilOuo
vote of the board. but in the mean
time P. H. Murphy was going to his
home with SO 80 for road work done in
June in his inside pocket. the same
having been paid out of the general
and not the road fund. Mr.. Murphy
probably didn't care where it came
from so long as he had it.
SUNDAY SPRINKLING.
Jenkins found a claim for sprinking
in the Fourth Supervisor District which
included demands for Sunday sprink-
E ling. He said the Secretary of the
Grand Jury recently called on him for
road claims. and when he returned
them two items for sprinkling on Sun
day had been stricken out and a mot"
in red ink inserted: This is a legal
holiday" He hardly thought it right,
in the face of such a condition that
the board allow such items.
Curtis said he thought the Grand