The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-11-20
GRAND JURY SAYS
 LIE IS TOO CHEAP Recommends Salaries for Chief
 County Offices COUNTY JAIL VERY DIRTY Road Tax Not Being PaId-County Should Be Given Power to Redeem
 Scrip-Election Law Viola
 tons Investigated.
COUNTY JAIL VERY DIRTY

The grand jury submitted it's report yesterday to Judge Dan A. Greene. There are many interesting features in the re- port and it shows how thoroughly the work was done. It is likely that some one of the legislators from Jefferson county will take immediate steps to prepare bills covering the points suggested in the re- port.
 The list of indictments will not be known for some time, as many of the parties indicted have not been arrested nor made bond. The report states that crime is increasing in the county and that human life is held too cheaply by a certain element.
 The full report reads:
 Grand Jury's Report.
 Hon. D. A. Greene. Senior Judge of the | Criminal Court of Jefferson County, Alabama.
 We, the grand jury empaneled by your 1 honor on the Sd day of September, 1906 were in session from that date to the 22d day of September, 1906. By your permis- sion we recessed until November }, 50 | llldI aItef We 1ecOnNencu we cOulu l1NtS- i tigate certain alleged crimes, which had i been committed, and to further resume the duties for which we were organized 1 We have been in session twelve days since We reconveneG making q total of thirty days since we were first empaneled. We | respectfully ask to submit to your honor now our final report.
 We have docketed and investiga ted 45l l cases and have examined 129S witnesses l t..,t 1 of failure of witnesses to attend in a number of cases, list of which is hereto attached, we ask that these cases be con 1 tinued.
 It is shown by this report and from the number of cases investigated that crime is increasing in this county We regret to say that human life is valued too cheaply by a certain element of our citizens, as well as by a number of city, town and county officials. We recommend more speedy and rigorous enforcement of the law in applying extreme penalties.
 Regarding Road Tax.
 We have examined the records of county ] officers as required by law While our examinations have not been thorough, we l have complied with the law and the special instructions given us. In our | opinion the bonds of the various county officers are in proper form with good securities and for sufficient amounts Our 1 limited yn examining the fee docket did not reveal any unlawful charges made l by any officers. We find the county of 1 ficers efficient and their records neatly and correctly kept
 1 We have examined the docketS of the l justices of the peace throughout the county, and they have been approved by the solicitor or his assistant. We recom- mend that the dockets of every justice l of the peace in the county be audited | by the county auditor annually. Our | limited examination of the dockets of the | justices of the peace shows great falling | off in the amount of road tax collected by | them. While our population is rapidly increasing the revenue from this source | has greatly decreased.
 | We recommend that the acts pertaining to the collection of road tax be amended and then more rigidly enforced
 Jail Needs Cleaning.
 We have examined the county jail and we regret that we cannot make a more favorable report pertaining to it's condi- | ton. The range, or cooking stove is | worn out; the bedding is unclean and | insufficient; the hospital ward is poorly | furnished, poorly kept and unsanitary. In fact. this building needs thorough cleaning and scrubbing from bottom to top and the county officers, as well as | the sheriff whose duty it is to visit the | jail either monthly or bi-monthly should see that 1t is kept clean and in good | sanitary condition at all times.
 By referring to the auditors report it is shown that the fine and forfeiture fund | shows a debit of about s125.O00 The fine and forfeiture claims registered during the past two years will amount to ap- | proximately s32, 800 annually, which shows | an increase of about $750O annually over 1904.
 Pay Full Value.
 We recommend that the act prohibit ing the county from purchasing it's own county scrip at a higher price than 25 | cents on the dollar be repealed. The great majority of the people to whom county scrip is issued are poor and should be paid par value for their attendance when such vouchers are properly pre- scented to the county treasurer. We recommend that the county, through its | board of revenue. have proper legisla- tion enacted authorizing 1t to borrow sufficient funds to meet these obligations promptly. We recommend that the board of revenue build without delay fire proof vault in the treasurer's office sc that the valuable papers and books of that office can be better protected
 ltemized Accounts,
 The county treasurer reports to us that the total amount of cash on hand on No | vember 16, 1906, was $243,706. With this | amount of cash on hand, which we un- | derstand is about the average balance the board of revenue should not permit witnesses who attend our county courts to have to sell their scrip at about C cents on the dollar as they are now forced to do. If the laws are defective and will not allow them the use of the funds on hand 1t should have them amended when the legislature meets ir January, 1907.
 We recommend that for the better pro tection of the county funds that all claims, where the amounts are not fixed | by law should be itemized and verified by the county auditor and passed upon by the board of revenue before payment is made. We respectfully call the atten- ton of the members-elect to the 1egisla- ture from this county to this legisla tion and ask that they have such laws passed as are necessary to carry it into effect
 Salaries Recommended.
 Jefferson county, including the great city of Birmingham, has a population of more than 250,000 souls in it's boundaries with its metropolitan population-yet its facilities for administering and enforcing the laws are but little superior to those Of the smallest county in the state. Tho expenditures for the maintenance of thu higher courts of the county will cost ap proximately $1OO0OO for 1906. although the judges of these courts receive only nomi mai salaries.
 Some of the higher officials of tho county should be placed on salaries th' same as the solicitors office, which, il our opinon, is as we'll and efficiently