The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-11-12
Mr.. PARKS SOL !. YES
PROBLEM |. |: N
His Substitute as 10 Supervisors
Adopted.
CONVENTION DOWN TO WORK,
Comfy Government Matter Nearly Complete.
To Hold Two Sessions To-Day,
Yesterdays Pro,
ceediags.
His Substitute as 10 Supervisors
CONVENTION DOWN TO WORK,

r'he constitutional Convention spent
two hours yesterday In the consideration
o. the report of the Committee on county
Government, and disposed of all but a
few minor sections. The body met at
noon and adjourned at. 2 ". NJ. until 10
O'CLOCK to-day.
There were seventy-four members pres
ent, and much progress was made with
the work before the body. After some
discussion OF the section relating to
boards o1i supervisors, q substitute was
offered by Captain Parks and adopted by
the Committee CO the Whole, requiring
that the boards shall meet at fixed pc
RODS, but leaving all their other duties
to be prescribed by the Legislature. a
motion was offered by Mr. Hunton and
adopted striking from the report any
provisions in reference to consabies, mag
istrates and overseers of the poor. The
convention will hold two sessions to-day.
THE DAY IN DETAIL.
The convention met at u o'clock, Presi-
dclr Goode presiding.
Prayer was offered by Rev. P. B. Price.
seventy-eight members answered to
the roll-cali,
Memorials in relation to the liquor IL
cerse were presented,
Announcement was made that the Com
mittee on Corporations would meet at
O'Clock T. n. and the Committee on the
Judiciary would meet at S o'clock P. N. &
!. The convention then went into Commit.
tee Of the Whole-hIr. Wise, in the char
to consider, the report Of the County Gov.
eminent.
The first business taken up was the
amendment offered by Mr.. Turnbull re-
curing Boards Of Supervisors to meet
once each month Ito publicly audit ac-'
counts and perform the fiscal duties per-
tanning to their office. Mr.. Turnbull again
addressed the Committee Of the Whole.
He said there were cighty-five members
or the convention who were not members
of the County Government Committee,
and he thought they at least should be
allowed to have voice in the settlement
of such questions as in their opinion
needed changing from the present Con-
SttutiOn. He accepted an amendment Of
.fered by Mr.. Boaz that the language
would allow the Legislature TO designate
the Tines the board should meet.
SHOULD BE PUBLIC.
He insisted that the law should re-
quire that these boards should meet in
public at regular stated periods, so that
all the citizens could attend and know
what was going on. He thought
they should meet once each
month, but was willing to leave it
flexible, and iet the Legislature decide
this, according to the needs of each coun-
ty. The regular, stated, public meetings
was the main thing.
Mr.. Turnbull contended that the expense
would not be q cent more for attendance
than under the present practice of boards
meeting anywhere, at.any time, and trans.
acting the business cof the county in pri-
vate rooms, without any notice to the
public of these meetings Mr.. Turnbul!
then discussed at some length the re!a-
ton of the Board of Supervisors with the
commissioner of revenue in assessing and
listing property for taxation, and .s~u
from the Code as to the duties Of the
two sets OF officers.
DUTIES NOT FIXED.
Mr.. Boaz said his amendment looked
to leaving out any fixing Of the duties
of the board, except that of auditing ac-
counts, and requiring the meetings once
a month. except as otherwise provided by
the Legislature. lie thought it best to
let thei Legislature fix the other duties
OF the board. IF the County Courts were
abolished, the Legislature could arrange
for: these meetings to be monthly or BIZ
monthly, according to the needs of each
county.
Major Anderson said he die not think a
monthly meeting was necessary once IN
three months would he sufficient and
once III Two HolllllS Was tiiHpie- lAc u1u
not object to the amendment requiring
the meetings to be at regular stated in
tervals and in public, but thought that
an excellent suggestion. He said the az
diting of accounts by the board Of Super
visGrs was the best system that could be
devised. and If lit was noticing satisfac-
torily dcne, it was because the boards
were not dcinsg their duty, not from any
defect OF the system.
ONCE EVERY TWO MONTHS.
Mr. Bcaz changed his amendment so as
to provide for public meetings once every
two months, unless otherwise provided by
the Legislature.
Mr.. Campbell. OF Amherst, spoke ear
Mostly in favor of requiring the board to
meet regularly once each month. He said,