The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-08
All Found to Be in Good
Shape-Officials Are
Complimented
PRISONERS FED
MOSTLY FELONS
Stiles Devises improvements in Book,
keeping MethOds-465 C0nvicts
Were Sentenced to Hard
Labor in Year


Jefferson county, with about one-tenth
of the population of the state
receives nearly one-fourth of the $780,
900 paid by the state annually for feeding
prisoners
The above is an extract from the report
of Examiner of Public Accounts ]. T..
German, covering his examination of the
books. accounts and vouchers of w. X.
McAdory, sheriff of Jefferson county. The
report of the examiner was filed in the Of
fee of Governor ONeal this morning.
Examiner German found the books OF
Sheriff MeAdory to be correctly kept and
he praised that officials systematic
method of administering the affairs of his
L office.
The examiner found that during the Pc
riod covered by his examination, from Au-
gust |, 1911, to August 81, 1912, the state
paid sSo,s1S.4O for feeding 557s prisoners
committed to Jail during this time an
average of s2370 GA per month. Seventy
five per cent of the feed bills in Jeffer-
son county," according to Examiner Cor
man, lis for feeding prisoners charged
with the commission of felonies.'
The report on the sheriffs department
OF jefferson county is but one of the
During the past three weeks three exam
iners have been engaged in examining the
books of Jefferson county officials, j. T..
German, Judge w. +. Wilkinson and
Capt..G. +. Sedberry.
On the WHOLE the books of all the Of
fcials were found TO be in good shape,
and praise was given by the examiners
for the careful and diligent manner in
Which the affairs Of most of the city and
county offices were administered.
Judge of Probate
The books of Probate Judge J. p. Stiles
Were found to be correctly and accurately
kept, according to Examiner German, who
declared in his report that Judge Stiles
had devised several improvements in his
z methods of bookkeeping which greatly IA
cilitated an examination of that depart
nient.
The examiner showed that Judge stiles
collected and paid into the state treasury
as charter fees from July /, 1911, to June
80, 1912, the sum OF $l4,547, resulting from
an increase of capital stock by 26S cor
porations aggregating sl4,541,000.
Judge Stiles also paid into the state
treasury $31, 4.35 mortgage tax and S117,-
0J35f in licenses.
The liquor licenses in jefferson county
in 1913, according to Examiner German,
Will amount to s27s,000 of which the state
viii receive 10 per cent, or $27,S00.
Only one error was found in the books
of Judge stiles, and this was of a tech
ncal nature, resulting from his failure
TO collect s44.1o as franchise tax. Judge
Stiles paid this amount, however, when
his attention was called to the error.
County Treasurer
In submitting his report to Governor
O'Neal on his examination of the books,
accounts and vouchers of II. H. Miller,
treasurer of jefferson county, from April
/. 1911, to September 80, 1912, Examiner
Gorman reported that the fine and for
feture is in bad condition.
Taking into consideration the number
of courts and the amount of criminal bus
mess in Jefferson county, the receipts of
the Afne and forfeiture fund make a poor
exhabit," declared the examiner.
The report shows that for the fiscal year
ending September 80, 1912, the receipts of
this fund were s233 33O.13 OF this amount,
s4255 S6 was for convict hire and $19074. q
for fines paid in cash.
During the fiscal year the number of
conyiets sentenced to hard labor in JEFF
ferson county 465. According to the
examiner, s4255 SO lis a small amount for
the county to receive for working its 465
convicts, and $19,0742f is small amount
of fines, when the expense of adminstra-
tion of the law in Jefferson county is
taken into consideration"
The bonded indebtedness of the county
Is $1o0,00o according to the examiner,
uFuH WHICH $Oo,vvV llltfeSl 10 dIludiiJ
paid.
The total receipts of the county for the
fiscal year were sS37, ,627 50, to which a
balance of s251. .943.7l, on hand October
/, 1911. made the total receipts s1,0S9,571. 80.
The disbursements for the last fiscal
year amounted to $S4O.27454, which left a
balance on hand September 80. 1872 of
S2i9, ,296. .76
Examiner German recommended a reor-
ganization of the judicial system of the
county, which he declared would result
in more economical and efficient ad-
ministration of JUSTICE During the year
the state paid on the salaries of judges
and solicitors of Jefferson county $500,
while the county paid during the same pc
1iod s45,9o5. tS. The county paid to jurors
$50, 49,. .o5 and to bailiffs $2227479
r'he books of the county treasurer were
found to be correct.
Other County Officials
The value Of the real and personal prop
erty in jefferson county is y113.s6s, $780, ac-
cording to a report of Judge w. F. Will
kinson on his examination of the books of
Tas Assessor Frank A. Hewitt, filed with
Governor ONea. The real property is
listed at s73,566 090.
According TO the examiner the amount
of money boarded in Jefferson county is
$isS,315 and the amount of money loaned
Is s169, ,225. The total value of the jew
elry in Jefferson county is given at $685.
s2s
County Tax Collector George B. Tarrant
paid into the county treasury the follow
ing amounts: General county tax, $272,-
s66 SO; road. $135, ,591 05; school, 10 per cent
levy, $10S, ,493 81: school, 5 per cent levy,
s54. .246. .90 bridge and building Ss1,3 36;
sewer tax, $54.246. .36.
The books of John G. Bradley, clerk of
the criminal court. were also examined
by Judge Wilkinson and found correct.
Examiner {. F. Sedbefrv suhpaiffed re-
ports on his examination of the books of
]. W. McAdory. superintendent of educa-
tion: John w. Sparkman. treasurer of the
school funds. and Rose Huey of the Bes-
scmer court, all of which were found cor
rest.
Steamer Goes Ashore
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