Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-05-24
COUNTY FEE SYSTEM BECOMES ISSUE HERE
COUNTY BOARD
And SHERIFF IN
HEATED CLASH
Dispute Over Jail Meals
Comes Out Ray Be-
fore Grand Jury

The abolition of the fee system
for county officers has become an
issue in Sumter county-as it has
in many other counties of Georgia.
| Neill A. Ray. chairman of the board
Of county commissioners, and other
members of the board, have expressed
themselves favorable to placing all
county officers in Sumter county on
salary basis, and it is not unlikely
that legislation to enable this change
| to be made may be asked of the COM
ing session Of the Georgia assembly.
The sentiment as present appears to
favor salaries being fixed by the leg
islature instead of leaving them to
local boards, so as to eliminate all
chance of political trading and min.
imizing the possibilities of corrup-
tion under such a system.
Chairman Ray was called before
the grand jury shortly before noon
Tuesday, and it is supposed he was
given an opportunity to express him
self on the subject and to give the
grand jury any information he and
the county board possess bearing ON
the subject.
The fee system topic came to- a
head 6 weeks ago, it has come out, in
a clash between the county board
and Sheriff Harvey over the rate all
| lowed him for the feeding of Jail
prisoners At the April meeting OF
the board the Sheriff was called be-
for the board in private session, it
is understood, and informed that the
fee beginning May | for feeding
| j., inH
per day instead of 60 cents, which
had been allowed The settlement
at the May meeting was on this basis.
Sheriff Protests.
The sheriff protested, it is un-
| derstood. He declared he could not
feed the prisoners properly on that
allowance, and that, besides, he was
forced to feed them on 30 cents per
| day two years ago when prices Of
food stuff was soaring, causing him
to lose money heavily, and that to
cut the allowance now was unfair to
him, at least until he was able to
recoup his losses.
The board insisted, it is understood,
that an allowance of so cents per
day should permit him to make good
his losses, since the stockade records
showed that the county was feeding
its prisoners there three good meals
a day, sufficient TO enable them to
do heavy physical labor on the roads,
and clothe them as well for SIS per
! month or so cents per day, where
as the jail prisoners are fed only two
meals a day and do not work at all.
Sheriff Harvey is reported to have
replied to the board with some heat
that it might cut the allowance for
Jail meals, but could not force him
to keep the prisoners in jail, where
upon shortly afterward a number of
prisoners who were confined there
/ found it convenient to make bond
and secure their release, nearly
] emptying the Jail.
Topic of Discussion.
Since then the fee system has been
the topic of discussion on various
occasions. 1t was discussed brieeIy
before meeting of the directors of
! the Chamber of Commerce recently
4 Mr.. Ray, who is member of the
board of directors, expressing, him-
self freely at the time in favor OF tile
abolition Of the fee system in it's en-
tirety.
Tuesday morning Mr.. Ray express
ed himself again freely in the same
direction to a Times-Recorder report
er, and stated that he favored ac-
tion being taken to bring about the
change.
'In hard times. the fee officers
! Continued On Page Two.)