The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-14
Supervisor Sees Eight OVeTseers. Once a Month For One
 Day Each WORK AS THEY PLEASE AND SUBMIT PAYR0LLS Hill Tells Where Gangs Were At Work In December and Figures Show
 How Much Money
 They Drew.

Jefferson county's system of handling causes for slack conditions and muddy roads, now being generally noticed. When member of the board of revenue was asked who was responsible for the roads, he said, "the supervisor" Asked to whom the supe isor was responsible he said,
 fThe people by whom he was elected
 When the supervisor was asked who is responsible for the roads he said "The eight overseers." The members of the board of revenue are paid s125 each monthly, the county supervisor is paid Sl25, and each overseer is paid S75.
 According to Supervisor Joe Hills state ment, he visits each overseer in the county once a month, and never spends more than one day with him. So when it comes down to the last analysis, the eight oYerseers appear to be lords of their dis tricts, work when they please, and where they please, with nothing except their l. consciences, and one visit from the su- pervisor each month to make them earn their salaries.
 Work As They Please.
 Of course, they may be assigned to im- prove certain roads, but they can stretch out weeks work into month, without anyone being the wiser
 Each overseer has under him eight men, all white, and 43 mules are divided among
 them. The men are paid $1.50 a day.
 Suppose a corporation like the Tennes- see Coal, Iron and Railroad company were
 to have only 72 men in it's employ and should send them to the four quarters of the winds, saying "Here, do such and such work, and I will come to you in about month and see how you are get ting along.' Does any business enter
 prise put such a responsibility upon it's foremen?" is the question that arouses in- terest
 Foreman Hill says he cannot get to them but once a month. His other time, he says, is taken up with office work, and
 attending to the bridge work. The bridge
 work is done entirely by contract, and he has only to inspect it.
 Is the System Right? The question is whether the system is right. Some suggest that it would be bet ter to divide the unwieldy body into three instead of eight squads, so that the su- pervsor could really supervise the road
 work It might prove cheaper to use 100 men on the road and get through with it in week under careful supervision than to let eight men poke along for three months.
 In two of the districts there are no ,1r ferson county, are never touched during the winter months. During that time all the overseer has to do is to repair his
 bridges and draw his salary. Then comes the day called pay day. In spite of the fact that the supervisor has
 only been with the foreman and his gang
 once in a month, that supervisor is com potent to judge the correctness of the pay
 roll. and the bills for feed, blacksmithing.
 hardware, and other expenses, which the overseer may turn nj. The supervisor o. Ks it. Then the board of revenue,
 not a single member of which has seen
 the overseer, nor his men, nor their work within a month, undertakes to pass on that pay roll, after which the treasurer pays it out
 Of course, all of the overseers may be, and probably are, competent, conscien- tious men, but it is pointed out that such a slack method of governing them would
 generate a grafter here and there unless they were all angels.
 Payrolls For December The pay rolls drawn by the overseers last month show that A. A. Ross, of the
 first district drew s5S7. .75 Frank Putnam, of the second district, drew $425.50; A. J. Pitts of the third district, $2S6.50; W. G.
 Powell of the fourth district, $31725; J. D. Pinson of the fifth distrct,l $S94.77; R. l.. Ware of the sixth district, sSss5o; J. R. Taylor of the seventh district $200, and w. H. Goggans of the eighth district, $375.Sf Total, S29N.11
 MT. Hill states that two of these gangs