Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-12-20
Disbursements


1921, wyckoff ..........155.292.27
The 1920 figures represent a full
year. while those for 1921 are elev-
en- months. These figures show that
the business during the past year
has increased over twice the amount
in 1920.
1T must be borne in mind that
the only revenue produced by the
sheriff's Office is hat OF fees and this
will he approximately $4,000. All
court fines are collected by the
sheriff and each month turned over
to the county treasurer. and the
amount is applied to anticipated
court The sheriff gets no
part of these fines. Proceeds of
sheriff sales, executions. attach
ments, ETC., are paid TO lawyers for
their clients excepting such fees as
are allowed by law.
with an appropriation of $4,000.
an expenditure OF nearly 1900
and an income of but $4,000, there
cannot help from being a deficiency.
Here is the problem. The jail,
with salaries of approximately s10,-
900, court officers with salaries at
s12,5O0, and sheriff's office with sal
aries at S12.500; all chargeable
against the appropriation for sher-
ifs account, how can there be any
thing other than a deficiency, when
the only source of revenue comes
from fees received for the serving OF
legal papers. sales. executions, etc.
which may amount according to the
business done from $4,000 up?
IT have visited several other u
| ties such as Mercer, Union and Ber-
gen counties, all OF the same size as
Middlesex, and / have found that de-
' ~ficiencies exist in them as well as
u and to the amount of o
$1,000 up. However. / did learn that
in these counties the Board OF Free
holders make a certain a%ppropria-
ton for the salaries of the warden,
matron. and ~jailors together with
the maintenance Of the prisoners.
and from this appropriation salaries
and supplies for the Jail are paid.
that a certain amount Is allotted to
the sheriff's office, from which sala-
ries and supplies are paid from, and
hat court officers are paid from the
court appropriation In other words
there are three distinct %appropria-
tons. which to my mind is the pro-
per way to handle the situation.
"Why should the Jail employees be
paid from the sheriff's account when
that institution produces no reve-
nue.? Why should the court officers
be paid from the sherif's a%ppropria-
ton when the work they perform is
in the courts and from which there
is anticipated revenue. which last
year amounted to over $4,000? Let
a certain appropriation be made
hat will cover the salaries and.
maintenance of the Jail. Let the
salaries of the court officers be paid
from the court account, n let q
certain appropriation be made to
over the sheriff's Office. Then it
could be ascertained just what it
cost to run the various institutions.
IT also believe that the present
law relative to fees allowed for the
service of legal papers should be
changed At presen' the amount for
these services are too small and in
many instances do not begin to cover
the actual cost of service.
"For instance, the serving of a
divorce paper, the fee is $3.50. The
party to be served may live in Roose-
welt and yet when tho. officer goes to
make the service ne finds that the
party is in some other part of the
county. He fellows up the work and
it may be two or three days before
service is effective and yet all that
the officer can charge is $3.50. The
same thing applies for other legal
services and I am Of the opinion that
this work should be charged at a
| greater fee. If this was done, then
it might be possible to make the
revenue s., fficient to cover the cost
| of operating the sherfff's office. Why
I shouldn't the sherih's business be
placed on a scale the same as m
other business and at least produce