The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1916-09-21
GRAND JURY PRESENTNIENT.
Report and Recommendations Sub
mitted to the Court.

To his honor, R. ". Memminger,
judge presiding:
We, the grand jury, beg leave to
report to the court:
|. That we have passed upon all
bills presented to the solicitor and
return the same to the court.
2. Heretofore a special commit
tee was appointed by the grand jury
to investigate the books of the coun-
ty affairs; the committee investigat-
ed the books of the officers, and
found all of them we'll kept, and that
the officers had regularly made their
settlements with the fiscal depart
ment of the State.
3. We beg to report, however,
that in the office of the supervisor OF
Bamberg county, we found that a
custom had grown up in the office
which had extended back for some
years from a former administration,
and was continued by the present, al
lowing some claims to be paid that
were not duly proven and audited;
while claims so paid without being
properly proven were correct
and should have been paid, yet the
custom is one that leads to careless
ness
The attention of the present super
visor was called to this examination
and we have his assurance that no
claims will be paid under any cir
cumstances unless properly proven
and ordered paid.
We desire to impress this upon the
administration of our county, and for
this reason we call this to the atten-
ton of the court in order that the
practice may be corrected and utter
ly eradicated.
The grand jury also appointed a
special committee to take into con-
sideration and examine the books of
the dispensary commissioners in this
county. and were authorized to en-
ploy an accountant, and the report
is herewith presented as a part of
this report.
In the examination of the books
of the superintendent of education,
we find that the board of education
extended help to the Three Mile
school, of one hundred dollars; to
Embree, one hundred and seventy
five dollars; to Sassafras, one hun
dred and twenty-five dollars. This
amount was extended to these
schools, as being weak and unable
to support school for the full school
term of schools in this county. We
commend this practice of the board
of education in supporting our weak
schools, and we hope that the men,
bers of the board with the supervisor
will take such steps within their
power to help the weak schools. This
we recommend, so as to extend aid
to those schools where there is less
wealth, far removed from railroads
and centres of population, and al
low each child in the county to grow
up in the light of education, and that
every assistance be given by the
county.
We beg to acknowledge the petit
ton filed with your honor in regard
to the Ritter's Mill pond. In regard
to that we beg to say:
(a.) We have investigated, not
fully, but partially, the condition of
the neighborhood, and we find that
the old Ritter mill dam has been re-
built, and that is one of the causes
that has led to the complaint filed by
the public of the neighborhood in the
petition which was handed to your
honor.
(b.) We also ascertained that a
portion of this complaint has been
founded as a matter of right upon
the cutting of timber in swamps, and
leaving it in the streams, or portions
of it, by the Schofeld Lumber Co.
(c.) We, therefore, recommend
that relief from this be granted in
the neighborhood, and that the mat
ter be referred to the solicitor of the
circuit to take such judicial action
as may be necessary to protect the
health rights and property of the
people in this neighborhood, where
the complaint arose.
We call attention of the court
to the fact that play ground has
been placed upon the square on the
back of the court house, by the civic
league. While we regret to inter-
fere with any matter of the league,
yet, by reason of the operation of this
play ground, it causes so much noise