The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-04-27

AT a special session OF the New Han
over county commissioners held yes
terSaay forenoon, Mr.. d. AcEachern
was elected chairman to succeed the
late Colonel Roger Moore and a COM
mittee was appointed To draft suita-
BILE resolutions regarding the death Of
the late chairman All three members
Of the board. d. M~cEachern. w F. Al
and and Gabriel Holmes. were In
attendance ami Chairman McEachern
first appointed Commissioners Holmes
and Alexander as the committee 10
draft the resolutions and by q vote OF
the other members. Mr..
was added TO the committee. The reSo-
luttons are TO be prepared by the next
regular meeting Of the board.
The only other business transacted
was the matter OF awarding a contract
for hauling Castle Haynes phosphate
rock from the 4. g. l. crossing. tust
beyond the city limits. to points On
the Castle Hayne county road. a. Ear
as the four-mile post, where 1t may be
needed for macadam purposes. Bids
were read from T. A. Watson. : J.
Davis and :. Hill Terry.
on motion OF Commissioner Holmes
Chairman McEachern was authorized
TO make a contract with t. A. atson
for the work. Mr.. Watson's bid was
to haul the rock for IS cents per ton.
The bid by Mr.. Davis was 5s cents per
ton and Mr.. Hill Terry's bid was 900
per tor
The contract with Mr.. Watson viii
make the rock cost the county I.21
per ton delivered on the county road.
the contract witht the Castle Haynes
Company FOR the rock delivered at the
railroad crossing named being Sl.e2 per
ton.
The Messenger was old yesterday
by Chairman McEachcrn that the work
OF placing the macadam on the Castle
Haynes road will begin either the last
Of this week or the first Of next. AS
rapid progress cannot be made in the
work just now as they would desire,
for the reason that the force Of CON
vict laborers is now very much de-
pleted. there being only seventeen con-
Sicts now in the Woodworking service.
This is due to the fact that no March
term of the criminal court was held.
so that now the convict force is very
limited and the county jail is crowded
with prisoners awaiting conviction and
sentence at the next term Of the court.
which will be held in June. Judge
Moore, the new appointee. presiding.
County Attorney w. Il. Mckoy was
in attendance upon the meeting Of the
commissioners yesterday and was ask
ed as to the power OF the board to fill
vacancies, and he expressed the opin-
ion hat the board has no such power.
Chapter asa of the acts OF 1899. was
sighted as the authority for this opin-
on. The act is entitled An act To re-
store good government to the counties
Of North Carolina"
The omission of a provision for the
filling of vacancies is understood TO
nave been an oversight in drafting 60
the bill. However. ii effectually bars
the election of commissioners To Ill
either the vacancy caused by the death
OF Colonel Moore, or that occasioned
by the resignation of Captain John
Barry several months ago when he
was elected to the position o. public
road superintendent.
1t is Of interest to note that. under
the present law, three mi ON
stitute a quorum OF the board and.
there being now only three commission
ers in all, if one of them were to die
the county would be without n board
and practically i~ncapacitated for
t~raHsacting business. This situation
can be relieved when the magistrates
Of the county meet in June. as the new
statute provides for the election Q,
commissioners by the magistrates.
They will, therefore. at that time fill
the vacancies and elect Il new board
to go into office on the first Monday In
December