The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-02-01

lhe matter was referred to the Com
mittee on Public Works to be looked
into and reported back to Council at
the next meeting.
Mr.. Jennings then brought up the
matter of the taking of a new census
for Sumter. lie said that the com
mittee appointed to arrange the mat
ter had first started out TO get hired
enumerators, but had afterwards de-
cided to ask for volunteer enumera-
tors, several persons having offered
their services to do the work for the
city. He said that at the same time
that the volunteer enumerators were
called for in town the matter was
taken up with Congressman Lever
who, after some difficulty, had man
aged To get permission to see the ori-
ginal returns as taken in Sumter. Mr..
Lever stated that If Sumter chose to
do so Ii could send a representative
citizen to look over the returns and If
in his judgment 1t was best he could
have a copy made Of the original
returns with an idea of correcting any
errors which could be found in them.
Mr.. Jennings said that a prominent
citizen was going to Washington this
week and had volunteered to do this
work while he was in the capital,
provided the city would pay for the
copy Of the original returns. 1t was
then moved and passed that the
zen to look over the original returns
and To have a copy made at the city's
expense If he thought necessary.
Mr.. Jennings then made a report Of
the result of the whiskey cases as
held recently in the city. He said
that there had been 81 warrants
sworn out and 26 arrests made. Some
Of these warrants had been for the
same person on different cases. Gave
the total expenses Of the prosecutions
and hiring OF detectives as $S41.95
and the total receipts, If the convict
ed ones who had appealed paid up,
as $3.50. Besides this three had
been sent to the gang and two had
been sent to Jail to serve out their
sentence.
Mr.. Jennings then spoke Of the
services rendered the city by the
hired detectives commencing them
highly for their services. At the same
time he spoke of the excellent wOrl.
done by Policeman McKagen Al
rounding up the blind tigers and
working for their conviction.
Mr.. Booth reported for his COM
mittee that he had stopped the work
Of the Charleston Engineering arl
Contracting company on Church
street as he did not think that there
was any contract with them for This
work and Ne did not want them Co
proceed unless there was some CON
tract drawn up. Mr.. McKeiver and
Mr.. McLaurin both took issue with
Mr.. Booth on this question, stating
the work had been given to them
with the understanding that they do
II at the same price that they had
done the Hampton avenue paving
nings said that he did not remember
any resolution to such effect being
passed, but that he wanted to have
the work done as he thought it was
best for the city. 1t was finally brought
to a head by the reading of the min
utes OF the former meeting where
II had been decided that the wor.:
would be given to the Charleston En-
gineering and Contracting company
and that the city would guarantee its
half OF the payment while the con-
tractors would have to collect the
other half from the property owners.
II was mentioned in the debate that
competitive bids should be called for
before the work was done but Mr..
McLaurin stated that they had al
ready been called for and that the bid
Of this company had been accepted
and ne did not think it right to call
for competitive bids again now thu:
this company had gone to work AMI
had the material on the ground.
Mr. Beatty, who did the former
work for the Charleston Engineering
Mr.. Mccormack had told him not to
do any more work for them in this
line, and that he and his brother
were noW doing this work for them
selves. He said that they had secur-
ed the consent of all OF the property