The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-01-10
DISCUSSION At
BOARD MEETING
WASL|VELYONE
CLASH or AUTHORITY BETWEEN
CHAIRMAN JOHNSON AND MAC
cIRsoN OVER ISSUING WAR.
RANT FOR DIsINFEcTANT, THE
CLERK REFUSING TO PAY IT.

/ RAO45Ab etP anu a AAtCiy al A4A1CAAl ONF
Cured between Joseph L Johnson.
chairman of the board. and JAS Mac
gibbon, clerk. The disinfecsant mat
| ter was first brought into the meet
ing by the reading of a communica-
ton from w. W. Weekly. agent Of the
| L. & y. Railroad Company, calling at
tention to the fact that the storage on
the shipment of disinfectants con-
signed to the county, which has been
| in the depot for some time, was ac-
cruing at the rate >sof about 5S ID
cents per day.
After reading the comm unication,
the chairman stated that he had after
| consulting some other members Of the
board, made a compromise whereby
the county could get the entire ship
ment of disinfectants by paying the
Worrell Co. 1898 and paying half OF
the storage bill. which would amount
TO $7s.56. \ The original bill, including
the storage. was something like ST.
600, or possibly little more, and asked
the board to ratify his action.
Refuses to Pay Bill.
It was at this point that the clerk
informed the board that he would re-
| fuse to draw check for the amount,
as he considered this violation of the
| law which prohibits the county COM
missioners from making a purchase
exceeding 5000 without advertising for
bids.
In replying TO the clerk and giving
the history of the transaction. Chair
man Johnson made the statement that
the shipment had been refused and
he had compromised merely because
he considered it a big bargain for the
i IT..
/ chairman had ordered him to accept
the shipment, which the chairman de-
/ MED, and heated argument ensued,
/ during which both OF the gentlemen
| involved fatty coHtradicted each other
repeatedly.
The chairman said the original or
! der for the disinfectants was for
something like 1850 worth and that
the company had, without any au-
thority, shipped about thousand dol
lars worth. This statement was sub
stantiated by the deputy clerk and
| Commissioner Arthur W. Davis but
neither the chairman nor the clerk
ever ADMITTEDLY fhguia eFFoTe as tor the
order to accept the shipment.
Attorneys Opinion.
County Attorney Reese. when called
upon for an opinion. said that he con-
| sidered the compromise entirely legal
and that. in his opinion, the clerk
would be entirely within the law In
Issuing check in payment thereof,
as the amount covered two separate
/ and distinct bills. one to the Worrel
Manufacturing Company AMI the other
to the railroad company. He said,
further, that his reason for advising
the compromise (which he had already
done1 was because he considered this
bargain for the county and that he
did not believe the spirit of the law
was to prevent saving like this for
! the county. He said this was COM
promise and not new contract and
that the county would get several
times the value paid for
Compromise Refused.
However, the clerk still refused to
pay the bill and said that he did not
consider the amount as covering two
accounts, but as one purchase and
that he would not sign a check for it.
1t was then decided by the board TO
instruct the clerk to write the Worrell
Company that the offer to compromise
had been rejected by the board.
Long Reading Of Minutes.
1t is doubtful If 1t has ever required
as long to dispose of the reading of
the minutes Of this body before as was
required last night. The minutes Of
seven sessions were read at this meet
ing, the minutes of the last one ip :
Guiding the reports OF Architects Hop.
linson and Benz, the consolidated re-
port of the county attorney and the
letters addressed TO each of the Jail
contractors utter this report was
adopted. The reading OF the minutes
consumed more than an hour and a
half The minutes covered the fol-
lowing meetings: Dec. 18th, Dec. 18th
Dec. goth. Dec. 26th. Jan. End, Jan 3rd
and Jan. 4th.
Marston Addressed Board.
Frank Marston, Of the firm of Mar.
j ston & Quina, addressed the board IN
reference to the furnishings being in :
stalled in the new county jail building
J by that firm. Mr.. Marston stated that
the goods were being placed in the
building and that the firm had been
! ready to place them for two or three
months and asked for q payment on
the bill. The matter was deferred 70
I be taken up later.
Plumber Has Been Notified.
: In a communication Architect Benz
reported that, in accordance with the
instructions of the board CT the lasl
meeting, he had notified Geo. McGhan
& Sons. contracting plumbers on the
: jail building. that unless they begar
work on the building within ten days
the county would take charge of the
work. The notice was effective from
jan. 3rd.
The original motion of the board
provided that the contractors be giver
4s hours. but the architect called at.
Q i tention to the fact that the contracf
: allows ten days notice.
The architect also stated in his com
: rnunication that he would furnish ths
: board with the schedule Of the jai
work, as requested at a previous meet.
= ing. within the next few days.
Other Business.
a communication from L. Earl'