The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-05-18
PLEDGE LEGISLATIVE CAN
DEDATES.

Insist on Their Promise to Place
County Officers on Salary
Instead Of the Antiquated Fee
Basis.
Progressive Farmer.
Farmers, you are about to Sc
lect your county officers and the
members OF the Legislature. We
want to say one more word about
having your county officers paid
upon a salary basis instead of
the antiquated fee basis. We
want to say it now, because if
you have the change made in the
next two years you must send
men to the Legislature who are in
favor Of making the change.
Why make the change to a
salary basis? First, because it |
is a better plan entirely apart !
from reasons of economy; and
! second, because your county will
save money by it.
Did you ever drop into the
office of your register Of deeds or
the clerk Of your Superior Court
and see some man come in and
have a paper executed or re-
corded that called for a fee of
twenty-five cents or dollar?
And did you see him, instead of
paying over the fee, settle down
to take an hour and a half, if nee
essary, to convince the officer
that you was about to lose out
at our box until | got among the
| fellers and told 'em it 'ud never
do? And maybe he got out
without paying the fee at all.
The fee system is Objectionable
from this and other like stand
points.
And it is Objectionable because
it is expensive. Ask your clerk
or register or sheriff what his
: office pays him. Right often the
. answer will be: Well, | don't
know exactly When you don't
: know and your officer doesn'l
= know how much Of the public
: money he is getting, il is time
somebody was finding out. Pay
him a salary ard then you viii
both know. No reflection is in
l.. tended upon any officers integri
, ty; it is possible that no compIet,
account Of fees was kept ant
that he actually doesn't know tn,
exact amount yielded by his Of
! flee. But in many cases you viii
y find the fees and commission
II paying from $4,000 to $1,000
:, year when the work of the offic,
could be efficiently done on a sal
- airy Of half these amounts, thu
~ saving the rest to the genera
! county fund to lesson your take
e or to improve your roads, school
= and bridges.
- There are few counties in tn
4 Progressive Farmers territor
- where a big saving would nc
- result from a change to the sals
~ basis. Why not make til
- change and make it now? TIL
- progressive towns of the Stat
Il have long ago let loose the hilton
y mss fee system of compensatin
4 their mayors and now pay ther
:, a salary and require all fees
- be converted into the treas
- urey without fear or favor
:; one Or two counties, Guilford i
the number, have adopted tn
- salary plan and it works vel
- and in the last Legislature an
+ other step forward in this d
- rection was made in the compen
sation Of several State officers
:, Investigate your fee system an
- if you find it Objectionable, IN
e business-like and expensive, sen,
y, somebody from your county t
= the next Legislature to have tn
o salary plan substituted for it. |
in this way you can save enough
+ money to add a month to you
school term every year Or t,
- build from two to five miles O.
r macadam roads annually yol
= ought to do 50. Try it, and try i
n right now. Pledge your candi
dates.