The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-02-23
CRlTlcSts sELECTmEN
Accused OF Drawing Pay Not According to
Right.

Night.
Editor OF the Banner m any OF the
voters OF Bennington suppose that the
pay provided b, Law OF ~ per day to
each Selectman for time employed 10
he performance OF bis duties covers
or should cover his services to the
town.
In going over the accounts OF the
town at the Town Clerks office, | find
that two n enbers OF the present Board
Of Selectmen have drawn pay in q
manner which II seems to me demands
some explanation. / have been unable
to secure access to the payrolls on
river work during the year 1905 but l
find that In the year 1905, +. M. Craw.
ford, one OF the present board and
then q seiectman, was carried on the
payrolls OF NJ. II. Moon, foreman, US
day laborer At s2 per day or 5 20 per
hour. In April, 1905 under order No.
10, be drew for so hours labor, 90.
During the week ending July 8, 1906
he drew for 80 hours labor or six full
days sl2, thus dra wing for every gay
10 the week as day laborer. During
the week ending July Is, 1905, under
order No. ITO he drew for 30 hours
labor, So. During the period from
Aug. IL TO Aug. 20, 1905, he drew for
90 hours labor, $40. During the week
ending Sept. 0, 1905 under order No.
pa he drew for three days pay &C.
During the week ending Sept. 10, 1906
he drew 90 hrs. pay or 9 days pay,
Sl0 No other man on the payroll ex-
copt NJ. II. Moon, foreman, drew a,
many hours pay this week. This pay.
rnsnt was covered by selectmen's order
| No. 229.
For work as laborer la September
1904, he drew for the week ending Sept
o, 4 days pay "; for the week ending
Sept. 10, 30 hrs. pay 50; for the week
ending Sept::23, 40 hours pay IS and
on October LIST he drew 20 hrs. pay e.
so.
10 1905 during the two weeks ending
June 4 and June II ho drew 40 hrs
pay ga covering Tor work as q das
laborer ut full time for every day dur
ing those two weeks. During the week
ending Sept. %. 03, 90 hrs. pay sl2
week ending Oct. J, 90 hrs. pay sl2
during the week ending May 20, O3 Il
hrs. paw sls and during the week cod
log Nov. 2. 80 hrs. pay SIC, so III
during this latter week he chaged .
hrs overtime as = day laborer.
This does not cover all payments
made ~ Mr. Crawford as a day labor
or but are some OF those fouud on III,
payroll. This Is In addition 10 hi
charge OF $50 as health officer arc
$50 rs selectman add does not cove
his services Is 4 member OF the Boar
OF Civil Authority or his service II
, coudemning dogs which payment 4
drawn from the dog fund.
IL 10 impossible for me TO state posi-
lively during this period that his char
ges ~ selectmsn or as health Office
cover exactly tho same days a. hl
work rs day laborer. UNFORTUNATELY
the selectmen have gotten Into VI
hsbi, OF Jumping 10 the day seryic'
they perform on behalf OF the town a
seventy five days for si50 wiihou
specifyi Ing the dates or service render
eli. This makes II impossible 10 a.
thvse dates but Mr. Craxford IL no
alone CD the Board Of Selecimen II
making charges OF this character.
, During the year 1916, Frank Gro
mack not only drew his pay as Select
!, mau out ~ foreman Of the river jo
for the week ending Sept. Ia. 1868
. hrs. pay $40; for the week ending Sept
. ., 1905 30 hrs. at ~; Tor the week cod
log Sept 20, 20 hrs. ti2; week endin
Oct. LIST, 60 hrs. a. sl2; Oct. lilh,
} hrs. SO; week ending Oct 81, 90 hr,
a. clio; week ending Oct. ., 20 hrs
sl2.
Many OF tho psyrolls bear the nan
Of Mr. Crawford rs day laborer an
bear the approval Of Mr. Crasford q
4 selectman aLd IL >, ems 10 me that q
/. these psyrolls are never made publ
but are simply dled in the town clerk
4 ofice with the other bills paid by u
d Town IL might be wise for the faces ,
. BE- made known and taa, an eIplanl
y too II any exists should be give
!, equal publicity. So far rs am avail
3 the custom Of carrying our selec,ms
. on payroils - day Iaborcrs Is one
: comparatively recent origin. We d
y not nod the names Of 4. J. TITAN
u. 7. Henry, Chas. ". Powers, A.
Richie, y. y. Chandler or other me
y OF their type appearing on the pa.
i rolls 10 this fashion. In fact 20 FAT
u ! have been through their accoun
: their record 10 absolutely clean az
= requires no esplsnatlon.
10 In my judgment IL would be vel
!. greatly 70 the advantage OF the to-
10 We could have . thoroughly bus
asss.iike admlnlsu alton Of the ios
!. ofices, II every Selectman or 9th
:, town officer should give no iiemix'
,. statement Of The days for which
Il charges. This should be true also
!, the charges Of the selectmen Is met
g bers OF the Board OF Health and /