Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-27
ESfS@Write to LYDIA E. TINKHAM MEDICINE CO.
aEa.& (CONFIDENTLAIO lynn, MASS. for advice

wishes and why he wishes it to be al
lowed. This letter is as follows:
Early in the present session bill, pro.
posing an increase in the salary and an
additional allowance for clerk hire in the
clerk Of courts office in this county, was
introduced by Rep. Rolfe of this city
and referred to the Cumberland county
,ielegs'iof dn ACCORDANCE With the. general
rule in the past for such matters. When
it reached the Senate il was tabled and
is there now
In the meantime an order was intro
duced in the Senate and referred to the
Join committee on salaries and fees, to
determine the ACCESSIBILITY of creating a
special committee to sit during the reees )
between this Legislature and the next and
determine whether the salaries of all pub
lie officials, which are fixed by the State
We're equitable or not and report at some
future time. The order was passed and
through the chairman of the committee
a bill at once reported, providing for a
special joint committee to consist of
seven members, with full power to sum-
mon witnesses, take testimony. etc, and
report on or before Dec. /, 1914 The bill
was tabled pending printing
Now the bill to increase the clerk hire
was introduced to provide for another
clerk, because We have an insufficient
force in the office to do the work, and
that has been the situation for more than
three years. The recording is two years
behind at the present time. There was a
years work of recording to MAKE up in
the supreme court when we came into Of
flee in 1907
Four years ago the court house was
burned: during the following two years
we had to move our records and files
three times store them in different
places. occupy temporary, cramped and
inconvenient quarters: hold the supreme
and law court terms in a church and
( United states court room, a quarter to Il
third of a mile away.
When we moved into the new court
house We We're obliged to devise a plan
for taking care of, arranging, marking.
numbering and fling away for reference
for all future time. over 100000 original
court and county papers covering a pc
riod of over $50 years. This was done on
the part of the Office force without one
dollar of compensation for extra work.
Notwithstanding one of the county offices
has had special appropriation by the
Legislature of $4,000 for extra work on
account of the fire, $1,000 of which has al
ready been paid by the county.
The constantly increasing work in an
office of this kind. in the most populous
county in the state, is apparent to any
one. The building of the iortland, Gray
x Lewiston Railroad added nearly s.
cases to the docket from appeals, etc, in
land damages: the failure of the con-
tractors to finish the Fidelity BUILDING
caused over 40 equity eases to be entered
in one year; the proposed bridge between
Portland and South Portland, with its
estimated land damages of Slot shows
what is III sight for extra work the COM
ing two or three years. The need of adj
ditional help is imperative, not only 10
catch up but TO stay caught up. The
county commissioners feel they have no
authority to approve expenses for an
other clerk unless authorized by the Leg
islature.
The office of clerk of courts is entirely
a county office; the clerk is elected by the
voters of the county. and his salary and
the expenses of the office are paid by tho
county. That is why such matters have
always pCtl ltEt 10 tue county ueleSdtlOn
for discrimination That is what is being
done in all other matters pertaining to
county affairs before this Legislature
Nearly 100 Of the members of Cum
berland Bac have signed a petition
that the bill introduced by Mr.. Rolfe
be reported favoraply.
The list includes the names of Frank
lin c. Payson, president of the Bar AS
sociation. Harry Il. Virgin, attorney