Middletown transcript., 1899-10-07
COUNTY FINANCES.
Some Useless Expenditures
Pointed 0ut.


Castle comfy lax layels An exchange
points out some ne.aless exlenditules as
follows:
To sevin " i:h an uncalled for expense is
shown in tins disbursements of $500 for
Court lIeu>e j4nitt.r. az appended facts will
prove II may seem like drawing the line
Of &c ,nomy too close when IL Is said that .
Court House janitur Is an unnecessary ap-
pendage to a county pay roll. But one is
in this chse. Janitor Scott, according to
the report. was paid $500 last year for ser
vice rendered. Just what this service was
other than keeping chair warm. is un-
known to the average-minded man, every
official In the Court House declaring that
they pay 50 each and every month to q
man other than the buildings janitor for
keeping their Office c'ean. The report does
not set out in plain terms at least, that this
extra expenditure is met by the county.
But not ouly does this '.janitor" receive
$500 annually. He is down in the report
under sundry heads. For instance be was
allowed $12. $40 and second $40 for s"me-
thing Messrs Rossell and Dandy knew
not of, or at least their report does not in
form us of the fact. Again we find that
be was allowed $3.50 under the head of"re-
pairs and improvements. "etc." Just what
the "ete" means is not known but it GER
tainly covers a multitude Of extras in JAM
itor Scott's case. The total figures show
that he was paid 1892, 5000 Of which
amount was paid him for doing work the
officials of the building were paid for. Who
would not be county Court House janitor.
The paying of witness fees to state de-
tectives while on court duty is another one
Of those unnecessary expenses which the
report sets out. True these men received
little last year. in fact such a small amount
that mention of the matter is hardly
worth space. but it serves to prove that
there is no telling how large bill the
county may have to pay for this paticular
item. The men holding these positions are
each paid 81 900 annually, and are allowed
expenses, while serving subponeas out of
the state, but in addition to their salary
the state pays them, they come in for
divy Of the county's funds as the report
shows. For witnessing before the grand in
quest last year Walter Witsil received $40;
Bernard McVey received 81.
The report also shows that the position
Of Chief Of Police OF Wilmington is o pay
ing one. Chief Dolan is paid 81 200 by the
city. In addition to this salary he was al
lowed $1S last year for appearing before
the grand jury. But this was not all he
got under the head of the magistrate aud
constables fees, the report shows that the
chief was psid $650.9o.
Returning to the court house expendit-
ures we take up the position and pay Of
firemanship. John F. Campbell Is the hold
er Of this position and an industrious man
he is. For performing his duty as fireman
of the building Mr.. Campbell receives an
annual salary of $500 but the public has
right to demand that payment of county
funds to him shall stop when this amount
has been reached. But the report does not
show this to have been the case last year.
Under the head Of miscellaneous" he re-
received $44, while for ''repairs' improve
ments etc" he received $3.50, increasing
his annual salary to $726.50.
And now for that hardest Of Court House
positions-Clock regulator. Horace v.
First is the man who holds the position
and the report shows that he received SIS
as salary. A small salary il is true but the
extras" nave made this position one of
great profit as the. clocks in the tower at
tests. Just what repairs and improvements,
etc., Mr.. First could bave done the report
does not show but it does show that he was
paid $47. He therefore got 1922 for labor
ing under the title Of County Clock regu-
lator" last year. All of this extra expendi-
ture Of county funds we insist is uncalled
for and an evidence that those four officials
at least are being rewarded for some per
formed political duty perhaps at the exr
pense of the public treasury.
But not only does the report reveal a
loseness along the lines heretofore stated
but il also shows that the expenses of keep.
ing jail term prisoners ID such as to be q
veriiable load stone about the heads of the
tax payers of the county. The actual ex-
pense Of arresting and combining prisoners
is of course not objected too, but when the
tax payers are compelled to pay dozen
officials as many fees for services which de.
maud no monetary remuneration the sys-
tenn reveals a condition OF veritable rotten
ness. For instance when tramp is arrest.
ed if he is committed by q magistrate that
official and his constable are handsome.
ly rewarded out of the public funds. For
maintaining of prisoners, etc. alone the
the County spent S,S6S. 1t also paid S14,-
$500 for boarding prisoners; 1882 in
wardens salaries; $3.50 for commission
ersi $4OO for physicians; $4,370 for convict
labor and $780, II for water and light. It
therefore cost the county $s2, ,012.28 tp main
tain Newcastle County Jail during the year.
These figures do not include the cost of
committing prisoners to the institution.
The system of clothing the prisoners in
regulation garb is also shown TO be an ex-
pensive one. T. Fl. Pennock & Co. having
been paid $2,74l .65 for clothing furnished.
From these figures one would suppose that
100 long term prisoners at the jail are toy
ged out in evening dress and the fiuest
shirts and etc., as several cells at the insti-
tuition are iammed full of prison garb.
Numerous other evidences of poor manage
ment Of finances on the part Of the Demo-
cratic Levy Court are evidenced by the re-
port, and perusal of the volume certainly
convinces the public that Messrs Rossel
and Dandy are correct in their deduction
that the system of county accounting par
ticulariIy as regards the entry of fees and
''etc" is imperfect and misleading. The
sooner q remedy is applied the better for
the tax payers Of the county.
Arrest
diceace hx, Aha <s,na1,, $50 ~