The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1909-07-24

opinion OF the chief engineer, there |
IS any part of the 1evee that may
require watching at any other time
than the times of food or high wa
ter. that the engineer may, with the
assistance and advice of the board,
appoint such guards as may be nee
essary. and at such salary as may
be fixed by the board, TO guard such
parts OF the levee.
Resolved further: That all bills,
contracts or obligations Of the
board, OF every kind and character,
be referred to the finance committee
Of the Board; for approval before
the same arc paid, and that the
president Of the board be not au-
thorized TO approve any bill, con-
/ tract or obligation, or the secretary
to- pay the same, until such bill, con-
tract or obligation is O KID. by
majority OF the finance committee
Of the board.
And the whole matter was tempo
rarjly disposed of by the adoption
of a resolution offered by Commits
sioner Collins as follows:
+ Whereas a resolution offered by
Commissioner Crouch to reduce the
salary Of the cotton tax collector,
and the substitute therefor offered
by Commissioner Thomas. TO
change the guard system, and the
resolution to change the system OF
auditing ard paying the obligations
OF the board, ii adopted would cause
a radical change in the working OF
the board Therefore.
Resolved: That action on these
several matters be postponed until
a special meeting of the board to be
held when the tax payers of the dis
trict are invited to be present to ex-
press their opinion on the merits
Of the several questions involved.
1t seems to be difficult Tor the
= Board to decide that its duty is te
set about reforming the office q
cotton tax collector.
The situation seems to be that til,
. cotton tax collector is collecting ;
salary Of about $4,000 year-tw'
: cents per bale-without any authori
~ OF law whatever, as his salar,
has not been fixed by the board AM
p in return for this illegal and exhor
e bitant salary he is practically rem
I dering no service to the tax payers
it being understood that the Office i
:. a political sinecure in which little 0
r no labor is expected to be perform
h ed This would seem to be an ii
&c tolcrable condition, calling for in
y mediate action, but a resolutio
simple and easily understood, to ii
the salary of this officer at $50
year fails to commend itself
:, any way to the judgment of ii
- levee board 1t is met by a resol,
L. ton requiring the cotton tax to
collected at the gins throughout IL
u district. permitting the shipment I
., no cotton out OF the district by raj
roads or steamboats, until the t;
10 has been paid abo1ishing the exis
at ing arrangements for the collectic
" Of the tax. aud the payment there
y by the steamboats, and railroad
radical measures we'll known to
q impracticablc without aegislatioi
CT but it serves the purpose and pc
nc haps the only purpose of its authc
e, 10 postpone the reduction of t
cotton tax collector salary, and
he the same time it permits him
h pose before the people as being
he favor of retrenchment and refori
o. a mere playing at politics, serving
- tlelude the tax payers. and to bio
:, all efforts at retrenchment
on By the action of the Board
Dy adopting Commissioner Collins
- solution the matter is placed squa
h up to the taxpayers for their {
nts scision.
he Our interest in the matter
All not so great as that OF some oil