The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-15
COUNTY BOARD ASKS
LEGISLATURE FOR
RELIEF
Bills for Carriage Hire Are
Declared Illegal by As
sistant County Attorney
O'Neill and a Law Proyid-
ing for Such Disburse-
ments Is Requested.

Unless the legislature comes to the
relief of the county commissioners the
members will hereafter be compelled to
pay for all team hire out of their own
pockets, there being no legal way in
which such bills can be charged to the
county The bills of this kind amount
to several hundred dollars each year.
Assistant County Attoney O'Neill,
who now passes on the legality Of the
claims to be allowed by the board of
county commissioners, yesterday re-
turned to the board a number of claims
from members of the board for car
riege hire, all of which were marked
Illegal claims" These bills, in the ag-
gregate, amount to more than 500, and
will, according to the ruling of the
county attorneys Office, have to be paid
by the commissioners themselves.
The members of the board were very
much agitated over the ruling, and
declared that there must be some way
t. get around the law.
Need Carriages for Inspection!
Why how can we go out and in
spect the country roads unless we have
carriages 2" said one of the members.
we cannot afford to pay the livery
bills out of our own pockets, for it
would take more than our salaries
amount to. Unless there is relief Of
some kind. 1t is safe to say there will
be but few roads inspected during the
present year. The way the matter
stands now, it looks as if it was a case
of walk, or settle the bills ourselves,
and you can bet we will do neither If.
the roads fail to receive the attention
this year which has been given them
In the past, 1t will not be the fault Of
the county commissioners You can't
expect US to pay for carriages when
we are working for $1.90 per day
Bills for team hire for the county
commissioners have always, been al
lowed heretofore, but that was prior
to the time the claims which came be-
fore the board were submitted to the
county attorney for him to pass upon
their legality. Under the old system
the commissioners passed upon all
claims themselves, and their own
claims We're allowed without question.
The thousands of dollars which have
been paid out in this manner, accord
ing to Assistant County Attorney
0'Neill, have been disbursed Illegally,
and SO long as the bills. are audited by
the county attorney, ak such bills will
be rejected. This ruling leaves. the
commissioners in a queer predicament.
Il The roads throughout the county
must be repaired, and they must be
inspected by the commissioners, yet
the members of the board declare they
will not pay out their. own money for
carriage hire, and all of them are adj
Verse to walking. The legislative com
mltteee will prepare a bill and the pres
ent session of the legislature will be
asked to provide relief for the board.
sheriff's Bill Disallowed.
Other bills. which were disallowed by
the county attorney included a number
for carriage hire in connections with
Transporting insane patients from the
detention hospital to the probate court.
Sheriff JustuS has always hired q car
riage for this purpose, but the law
does not provide for carriages and the
bills We're turned down.
Sheriff Justus says. he will order no
more carriages, if he is to be held re-
sponsibIe, but he has not as yet solved
the problem as to how the patients
are to be brought from the hospital
to the court house
The county commissioners will meet
tomorrow morning to pass upon the
claims, at which time some action re-
garding the disallowed bills will be
taken.