The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-12

pleasure loving element here and the Bi- jou theatre in it's brand new clothes, with it's brand new attractions and its brand new desire to be power. wants to be numbered as an institution of merit and ability in Birmingham's growth lranged and duties assigned to the vari- ous members, so as to take care of part of the work now performed by the clerks of the board of revenue in which manner the expense of the clerical force could be reduced, and it lis the opinion of the grand jury that Ithese expenses, under proper manage ment, could and should be greatly re- duced.
 The expenses of the janitors in the courthouse is far in excess of like ser vice performed for other buildings, and it is the opinion of the grand jury that as good or better service could be maintained in the courthouse at less expense than at present, if the matter was given careful and proper super vision
 EXPENSES TOO HIGH
 Tn testimony by members of the board of revenue 1t was stated that if was believed reductions could be mads both in amounts paid engineers and the county physicians, and steps were
 
 grand jury has not been able to go into the matter fully as to amounts paid employees, or the expenses of the juvenile court, it would seem possible that reduction might be made in this expense. The amounts paid out of the county funds by the board of revenue for charities seem to be excessive, and the board of revenue should look care fully into the expenditures of these institutions, and see that all money expended by them is judiciously spent, lit being the opinion of the grand Jury that donations made to various char iities do not receive the careful atten- Ition that should be paid by the board of revenue to matters of this kind, the president of the board of revenue, when testifying before the grand jury, nol being able in some cases to advise the location of the charity or the character of the same receiving the donation.
 VOUCHERS REGISTERED passed and approved by the board of revenue shall be registered, and also provides that the minutes of the board of revenue shall be read at the opening of each meeting, covering the pro Iceedings of the previous meeting, and from testimony of the state examiner, the grand jury finds that the old board U |counts amounting to $486,000, which were paid by the county treasurer without ever having been entered on the board of revenue minutes or res ister, as provided for by law, and that this matter has been taken up with the present board of revenue by the state examiner, and these items have now been properly entered on the regis 1 ter. The vouchers as approved by the board in the future, to be registered by the board as issued and approved. 1 The evidence further shows that the minutes have not been read as pre- scribed by the law, several meetings having been held without the minutes having been read, and then the min utes of such meetings being all read at one time, and we demand that this law be strictly enforced in the future.
 CONVICT CAMPS
 At the time the grand jury first convened. its attention was called tu the fact that parties convicted and sentenced to work on the county roads, has been seen on the streets of Bir- mingham and the examination of wit nesses developed that these prisoners l had been used as trusties from one of | the white convict camps, having been Isent on errands by the party in charge of the convict camp, and that one of these convicts had spent the night in Birmingham with his family. The pres ident of the board of revenue later tes- ,tifed that this was without the knowl- 1 edge of the board of revenue, and that steps would be taken to see that this ldid not occur again.
 The grand jury wish to know
 why this money paid out for
 guards and keep of convfcts in the small camps which seem to be 1 6nm fhSA
 work done by free labor. could
 not be paid to free labor for the
 repair work and the county con- l victs work on construction work 1 in large camps, where the work
 should be done at less cost than
 it could be done by contract or
 free labor.
 When the grand jury again convened on April g they notified the board of 1 revenue that they wished to visit the various convict camps. and it then de- veloped that the county convicts were be- ing consolidated into five large camps.
 COST OF CONNECTS
 4 The grand jury has not been able to | go fully into the affairs and accounts relating to the convicts employed on the county roads. but wishes to make the following report from figures furnished by the state examiner, taken from the books of the board of revenue for the month of January, 1917, which shows the number of convicts in the camps for the month of January to be AT. In taking into account the convicts employed during the month of January (the weather being such that they could not be employed on a large number of days, and some convicts not being in condition to work at al8 times. the records show the actual full Employment equalling 1s1 convicts as employed for full month, the ex- pcnditures for the month of January showing total of 321. .462.
 COUNTY SOLICITORS
 It has been customary heretofore in the solicitors office to issue subpoenal to deputy sheriffs policemen and other officers to appear before the grand jury as witnesses these officers appearing on different dates in cases in which they are witnesses. receiving attendance fee