Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-08-07

Lie payment 70 county Comptroller George
D. kelley and Receiver Of Taxes Horace G..
Rettew of money for clerk hire. He was
defeated, but he did not let slip the occasion
/ TO administer some hard raps TO n system
4 which permits the. allowance of additional
money 10 ofhceholders already well paid.
The subject came to the fore in the con-
sideratietl of the pay roll II contained an
item of $50 for CLERK nire for the county
4 comptroller ana of sS3.S3 for clerk hire for
the receiver Of taxes. The comp;Tolier's
salary il $500 a year, and under the law
the court may allow $50 month for clerk
hire, and tho receiver of taxes salary IL
1900 a year, and under the law the court
may allow him si,lp0 year additional for
4 clerk hire.
Mr.. EwaTt attacked the Two items. He
said that the court a short time ago had
4 passed resolution directing tax collectors
to complete their collections for years up 20
1870 by certain time or their bonds would
be held liable. One collector had appeared
before the court and pleaded for more time.
because he said tho farmers in his district
h we're poor and needed time in which to
raise the money due for taxes. And further,
poor parsons weie being sold out of their
homes in order to meet their county tax
bilis; Farmers we're having hard time to
4 pay their county obligations.
He cited an instance of farmer who
bought place in the neighborhood of
dockessin for si1u an acre, applied brains,
muscle and etOrgy 10 it, and after soiiie
Jeans sold it At the best price he could get,
4 which was SO an acre. When he took ii
n the saxes were so; when he sold IL they had
y risen 70 $40. That man. said Mr. Ewart,
could have hlled any office in tha Court
HOUSE. The matter of allowances to office
holders was one of tha things that had
caused that mans tax to rise from so to SIC.
Under all these circumstances, Mr.. Ewart
did not believe ii was just TO allow Messrs.
"A Rettew and Kelley any additional amounts.
n for they were already we'll paid. Although
4 admitting that the law allowed the payment
of additional money for clerk hire, yet he
n held that il was incumbent upon the men,
bers of tine court 10 be convinced that they
were actually entitled, legally and morally,
a TO the money before it should be paid them.
He moved to strike out the $50 allowed
Il Mr.. Kelley for clerk hire, but the motion
N was not seconded.
II Mr.. Mealey moved that the pay roll be
~ allowed, and Mr. Ewart moved to strike out
# the item for clerk hire for Mr.. Rettew but
u the motion was not seconded. The pay roll
ri was allowed by a vote of 8 TO 1, Mr.. Ewart
casting the dissenting vote.
IA Then Mr. Ewart moved that no further
81 allowance be made Mr.. Rettew for clerk
hire than TINT allowed by law. Ret,eS's
~ salary was 81 600; he was allowed $500
Il for clerk hire. and he now asks the court
4# for special allowance for clerk hire. In
II Mr.. EwaIt's view be certainly WIS getting
enough
President Willis stated that in committee
~
Il Mt. Retiew to employ an additional clerk
II for not more than three months at a saiary
II of not more than SIS week, it having been
4 :. considered that the extra work in connec-
H ion with old bills owing the court would be
\ Mnore valuable to the county than allowing
q the work TO 90 by default. Mr.. Willis
a thought the committee had acted properly in
The matter and that it would be unwiso to
81 undo that action.
But Mr.. Ewart did attack the action and
slar rad hat ola
n acted a member had 2 right to be heard In
Il opposition. He thought MIR. Rettew should
kesp up the work OF his Office and that he
II is expected to do so, and he did not believe
N that the court had any legal authority TO
IA grant him any more money. Neither did
IA he sbelieye Mr.. Kelley as comptroller had
III the right to approve oil such an allowance.
MI Why IL 1t, y he asked. THAT man who
~ gets 5000 comes to the public hopper and
III asks for moro? How many men in YOUR
fMr.willits') district and mine. with farms
81 worth $500 make a thousand dollars a
III year; and they work as hard as this man.
III tell you that this matter of public al
Alowances Is one OF the dangerous thingssin
Hthis Republican form of government.
Hlon't believe Hsttew or Kelley would refuse
N-elsction even If they did not get the adj
n Gttional allowances.
IN s'ChairInan Willis held that the court had
discretionary power 10 take action which
III sight ultimately save money to the county
nd the expenditure of S1s0 for the clerk
Il a.aire would, he believed save a great deal
& more than that amount. He knew that
w much work had been added to MIR. Rettew s
office because of the inadyertences of the
M former court.
&h Mr.. Rettew was given the privilege Of the
q .ifoor. He said that the county tax office
~ does as much work as the city tax Office ard
6-syet the city tax office has six clerks and two
HI aprincipals, and there is tho city treasurer
n and his clerk all connected in the tax col
hi leetionsi whereas in the county office two
~ man and boy do all the work. He could
understand why such q controversy
nshould be raised about such small matter,
snless there was something personal in it.
11The city clerks received $500 or 81 900 a
year.
Mr.. Armstrong asked ingeniously how
I much the city tax collectors received, which
&a paused smile among some of the auditors.
j Mr.. Mealey explained that they receive
Il 900 for collecting in July and August
y and per cent on the collections for the
X rest of the time, and Mr.. Rettew estimated
that they made 5000 or 5000 year.
HI Mr.. Ewart declared that the court was
going beyond its legal rights, and II the act
Il was not legal 1t could not be made so by the
u action OF majority of the court.
- MIR. -Ewart's motion TO limit Mr.. Rettew
70 the amounts allowed by law, namely his
IL SaAry and Sl,0O0 for clerk hire, had been
~ seconded by Mr.. Elliott, but the latter COM
III missioner said he understood that through
f}& the extra work Mr.. Reitew might be able
H& to collect $500 more on old accounts. Then
X he withdrew his second to tho motion. That
3& left nothing before the court on the al
III lowance question, and the action OF the
committed of the whole In authorizing SlE
III R-week for extra clerk hire stands.
mi Commissioner Chandler, armed with q
II newspaper and some notes, next addressed
HI The court in opposition 10 the resolution
III ldopted by the Trustees of the Poor con-
$1 ,erning the smallpox expenditures. He un.
~ ieIstood that the trustees objected to receiT-
ing Wilmington patients at the emergency
~ hospital and he argued that Wilmington paid
~ ailaFge share of the taxes and was entitled
IL TO have the county pay tila smallpox ex-
fa oenses, Wilmington had paid about 81, 00l
ri pn account of smallpox, WHICH amount, he
III held, should have been paid by the county.
~ Mr.. Willis defended the action of the
I II trustees on the ground that as large part
Hi VI the expense on account of smallpox came
III nom Wilmington cases, II was right for
II ~ Wilmington TO make an appropriation 70
fDu5 he Trustees OF the poor. He thought Will
kpp3 o,ington should pay the quarantine ex-
lssht eenses.
III Mr.. Chandler made the point that IL small
4 y box should strike Mlddletown, the county
NV kould be expected to bear the expense.
#f one hundred dollars was allowed Assessor
A 3! W. Handy of Brandywine hundred.
N lCommissionsr Armstrong was authorized
3} u get plans and specifications and fdvertisc
NIX pr bids for bridge at Woodwand's MIL
Hi Pencader hundred.
Nh Mr.. Megginson Presented check tol
MI ,nSd0 for goods sold from the OLD jail a.
Eq% New Castle.
|$a cIaiin Of Feter j .Ford's for sTs.40 over
[#s paid lax was referred TO the committee on
I$t overpnid tax. It was reported that prop
hi cry assessed at $1,000 had been entered a
NJ $1,000.