The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1907-06-21
GLARING INACCURACIES.

The News is not disposed to take
issue with its contemporary, the
Times Herald, when it states that
the bill introduced by its editor, Mr..
Mckenzie, in the late legislature,
aiming at the transfer of the money
in the county's fine and forfeiture
fund to the road fund, was definite
and very much to the point--there
was no mistake as to its purpose, for
it could not have been more specific
in it's declarations"
But definite" and as "much to the
point" as was this bill and notwith-
standing its specific declarations, ="
it was so obviously unconstitutional
in its provisions that the judiciary
committees of both the House and
Senate reported it unfavorably and
recommended that it 'do not pass"
Had it become law it would not
have had the value of the paper on
which it was so creditably typewrit-
ten.
The Times-Herald is mistaken in
quoting the bill which was made the
law of the state by Senator Grill.
The bill which the Times Herald
quotes is not the law Senator Grill
was instrumental in making. The
Grill law reads as follows:
IAN act to authorize the county
commissioners of any county in this
state to require and cause the county
treasurer to transfer to other county
funds the surplus money now in the
Fine and Forfeiture Fund, or that
may hereafter come into that fund
from the hire of state or county
convicts.
BE it enacted by the Legislature
of the state of Florida:
Sec. /. That when it shall appear
to the County Commissioners of any
county at the close of any year that
Forfeiture Fund, over and above the
same and not needed for the purpos-
es thereof, they shall have authority
to cause to be transferred by the
Forfeiture Fund such portion of the
fund as has been derived from the
hire of state or county convicts, to
the Road Fund for the purpose of
building good roads, or repairing the
same, or for the erection or repairing
of county buildings, or the county
School Fund, or to any other county
fund, or they may cause it to be
Far IN oil Hc
in the amounts they may deem best
and for the best interests of the
county.
Sec. 2. The county treasurer shall
not be allowed any commission for
transferring one fund to another.
Sec. B. All laws and parts OF
laws in conflict with this act are
hereby repealed"
The statement of the Times-H Herald
that "the sum received by Putnam
county from the hire of state and
county convicts will be small-so
very small in fact that we are fear
full that the greater part of the pres
ent Fine and Forfeiture Fnnd will
remain in the bank and the amount
turned into the Road Fund will be
so minute as to furnish little salts
faction or comfort to a long-suffering
though patient public" is absurd,
No law, however good, could
transfer more money from one ac-
count to another than is in the &C
count. And neither could such an
act increase the inflow of monies
from the hire of state and county
convicts.
On June LIST, according to the books
of the county treasurer, the Fine and
Forfeiture Fund of Putnam county
contained $7,0S7S4. OF this amount
the county commissioners would be
justified, under the Grill law, in
transferring about $4,000 to the Road
Fund.
During the three quarters which
have elapsed since the beginning of
the present fiscal year, there has
been received by the county from
the hire of state and county con-
victs, a total of $2,Sl205. At the
same ratio of income for the remain
ing quarter the receipts from this
source for the year would be $3,5l5,-
O6.
This amount would represent the
annual available road money the
county will receive from the hire of
cOnvicts, and it is exactly $3,5l5,O6
per year more than the county would
have received had Representative
McKenzie's bill been the law.
Ali monies in the Fine and For
fixture Fund which come into it
through fines, the forfeiture of
bonds or Oy special levy, consti-
tutes a constitutional fund, and as
such, it could not be turned into
another fund except by amending
the state constitution. The only
money in that fund that can be
transferred by statute, is that portion
which has accumulated or may
come into it from the hire of state
and county convicts.
The Grill law makes this money
available for roads, or schools, or
any other purpose which the county
commissioners may elect at the
close of the present fiscal year.
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