The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-04-28
TAX COLLECTORS APPARENT DEBT GROWS GREATER Bedding Selectmen Find Dis crepancieS in Books of
 Town Officers. COMMISSIONERS DISAGREE Newspaper War Between Com missioner Rockwell and
 and Mir. Burr.
COMMISSIONERS DISAGREE

Reading, April 28.-An inspection just made by the selectmen of Town Treasurer Hills books with reference to the credits entered therein for ta1 collections turned over to him by ex- Collector Gorhan complicates the sit uatton. instead of tending to clear il up. As has been explained in these columns MT. Gorham's books show credits made by himself for co1lec- tions amounting to 1,O96 more than the credits given him on the same books by the town treasurer and hence there apparently exists an indebted ness by MT. GOrham to the town o1 the sum mentioned. Notwithstanding this disparity of totals he has insist ed that he owes the town nothing, or at least nothing like the record bal ance against him, and so far his case rests on this assertion. Surmising that the credits on the treasurer's books might support his contention to some extent these books were examined. The credits they showed for cash recefv- ed from MT. Gorham should, total ex- MT. Hill in MT. GorhaIn's rate books On the contrary the two sets of figures showed, not entire correspondence, but differences which footed up about $4O0. And these differences were against MT. Gorham instead of being in his favor. In other words the trea- surer's accounts make it appear that he owes the town $1, ,496 instead of $1,- O96.
 These facts were presented d a spe- cial meeting of the se1ectmen held on Tuesday and consideration of them rather disnayed the members. Neither MT. Hill nor MT. Gorham was present. First Select1nan Sanford, who had made the examination of the treasur- fully discussed the matter with MT. Hill but that the latter claimed to have additional memoranda which would probably clear up some of the diS0rRfQ instance try of $65 on MT. H11l's books appear ed as $165 on MT. Gorham's books. This palpable error was an inadyer- might be others due to haste in mak- ing the entries. It was decided by the board that MT. Hill should be in- day to furnish such explanations and aid as he could towards strengthening out the tangle.
 It is evident that such straighten- treasurer as well as the former col lector is now placed on his defence and the apportionment Of the respon- sibility for the existing muddle is yet to be made. What tends to make more difficult a successful investiga- ton is the circumstance that during the period to which the events in question belong MT. Hill kept his pri- vate banking account and the town banking account together. Conse- quently a review of his bank deposits would not go far towards elucidating the subject. It would seem that the task before the selectmen could be best approached by working backward, through comparison that is, of the disbursements on town orders and the reported cash balances at the end of the year with the money received by the tax collector.
 The verbal fireworks expected at the monthly meeting of the Putnam Park commission held last Thursday did not occur owing probably to the non-at- of PraSi6anf w IT Westport. At the previous meeting Com I. N. Bartram sailed into' MT. Burr with true Litchfeld county viz or. Since then certain passages at arms in the newspapers between MT. Burr and Com. Rockwell. the latter being also treasurer of the board and park superintendent, gave promise of further conversational pyrotechnics when these two members came into personal contact. Only Messrs. Rock we'll Bartram and Hodge appeared at the park last Thursday, however, and being one short of a, quorum they ad- journed to the court house at Danbury where Com. w. H. Hill was doing jury service There the commission held a brief session at which bills were ap- proved and other routine business done.
 inactive and as most of the old timers have placed themselves on the retired list it looks as if there would be lit tie doing in the Way of the cbdo7 natioaa ef1
  vities. Last week the school team played two games being beaten on Wednesday by the Bethel Highs 6 to and on Saturday by the Bethel towns
 Charles Burr Todd has returned from Florida and with his mother, occupying the family residence. The farm has ben rented to George Will Hams.
 On returning from a trip to Bridge 1ox 1oc p San. ford discovered that the chimney of his house was fercely ablaze, a fact unknown to those inside. With a stream from a hose he put out the fire which had come through pipe hole in one room, doing trifling dam age burg recently paid brief visit to their son, A. G. Barnett, IT,, at the latter's house in hometown and upon leaving sailed 1, for 5ani,n1en+ Europe has baen erected in the John Todd plot in the Ridge cemetery.
 Mrs. Bishop has resigned as teach CT of the Center school on account of poor health.
 Work has been resumed on the pri- vate road which Commodore Luttgen is building from Sunset Hill to Dodgln- 9Goyn Talnaage and sister are about to leave their SanfordtoWn place 70 take up their residence in Philadel- phia.
 The EzequeiIe family is to move from J. L. sanford's house on Meek CT Hill to the former John Moore house in Easton.
 Leonard Luther and family of Brook. lyn are occupying the Methodist par sonage at the Center which they have rented for a year.
 OBITUARY.
 The remains of Edward L. Burgess were taken to New York City this morning for interment in Evergreen al ion f,.nr, II1ni