The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-12-09
BEDDING TOWN CLERK PAYS
 THOSE TAXES
Selectmen Close This Mat ter, Eut the Dog License Deficiency is Being In- veSt:gated.

VeSf.gated.
 ! Bedding, Dec. 9-It seems that a lapse of memory or rather a series of lapses caused Town Clerk Nickerson to be placed In the embarrassing position with reference to Mrs. Cornelia Moore's taxes. The first lapse was when he denied to Collector Sanford having been paid the taxes in ques- ton and proceeded to record a lien on her property as security for their payment. The next was at the meet l ing of the selectmen. Nov. 27. when on | being confronted by Mrs. Moore with | his receipt for these taxes he de- | clared that he had turned the money | over to the collector and held the lat ! ter's receipt therefor. Responsive to | this MT. Sanford declared that not | having been paid the money by the town clerk or anyone else he had given no receipt and If any paper purport- ing to be one should be produced 1t ! must necessarily be. a fabrication. This was n plain joining of Issues and ! an expectant public eagerly awaited further developments.
 | A day or two after the selectmen's s meeting MT. Sanford asked MT. Nick erson by telephone if he had yet found the receipt. The latter replied nega- lively. but subsequently, during the
 
 that he had found a stub in his check book which cleared up matters. He was prepared to explain and set tie and MT. Sanford made an appoint ment with him for that purpose at last Saturdays meeting of the selectmen. They met as appointed and the town clerk handed to the collector a check for s32-5S, the amount of the tax. He also showed MT. Sanford the former check book stub bearing on the case
 
 which Mrs. Moore paid him her taxes. and bore the memorandum entry, "Cornelia Moore's taxes" From MT. Sanford's superficial inspection the stub appeared to be all right and reg ular. MT. Nickerson said the check itself must have been swept away and lost after he had detached it and hence. with the blur of his memory as to the incident. had arisen the whole trouble. He returned to the select men his fees for recording the lien, which was thereupon released and thus for the present at least the incident is closed.
 The other matter involving the town clerks alleged withholding from the town of money he has received for dog licenses. remains in abeyance. The selectmen briefly considered the sub ject at last Saturdays meeting and appointed Third Selectman Pinkney a committee to further review the papers presented in the case at their previous meeting by former First Selectman Banks and report later on- In his talk with Tax Collector Sanford about the Mrs. Moore case. MT. Nickerson incidentally outlined his position as to his alleged delinquency in accounting for dog license receipts. He admitted there was due from him to the town the sum of SSS-that Is. he would owe that amount in January. although he did not now legally owe 1t and was therefore strictly correct in his con tention that he had already made full and proper accounting His re- fusal to show the license stubs. he said, was due to justifiable irritation over the disrespectful manner in which he had been treated by MT. Banks. This explanation by MT. Nickerson in regard to his retention of money because payment had not become legally obligatory upon him he did not make to the town meeting in the course of his defence. He did say he had paid all he owed. but not that there were additional sums in his pcs- session which would be turned over within the legal time limit The val idity Of this claim will of course be thoroughly weighed From Sheriff Banks with the documentary evidence in his possession, 1t p-ovokes a deri- sive smile. Mir. Bankz isn't saying much these days. but some of those who have denounced and belittled him wonder how many more bombs he has concealed about his person.
 Two bids for the building of the Put nam Park road extension were consid- cred by the selectmen at their meet ing last Saturday. but no award was made. the matter being deferred for further consideration at a meeting to be held on Saturday of this week One bid was from Second Selectman A H. Sanford and Lew Warner, jointly, the from First Selectmsn Charles Sanford at S575. The section to be built is 724 feet in length. The most expen- sive feature of it's construction Is a 200~feet- For the rest the work will consist of light grading and shaping up. although there are some good sized stones to be removed. Packing by roller is not called for and the filling material is close at hand. Some criti- cism in connection with the affair Is heard. based on claims that the pub lished notice inviting competition was too short and that two of the board offered bids. In reference to all this Charles Sanford said: Perhaps the notice as a little brief. but we were anxious to hurry up matters and felt ders the matter was pretty we'll un- derstood. I put in figures. not be- cause I wanted the job or would have been a party to awarding it to my self. but merely to indicate what I was willing to do the job for in case figures by other parties should be higher Aaron Sanford was virtually in the same position in respect to per sonal disinterestedness. as he explain ed that his name on the proposal rep resented his brother. We all agreed that both bids were too high and that the job should he done for S350 O., S4G0 at most. It was arranged to amend the plans by reducing the i'll from four to two feet If this doesn't in- duce proposals at a figure we regard as reasonable we will discuss what further action seems best for the towns interests"
 Weston Is having It's first land boom