Daily picayune., 1921-02-05
JUDGE FRANKS
 MAKES REPLY
A FEW WORDS OF EXPLANATION FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE
 STAR OF HOPE.

We read the article Tn yesterdays s issue of your paper, taken from the Star of Hope. with much interest. We appreciate very much, the interest talk on in the citizenship of Nevada county, by the Star and the business men of Hope. We don't criticize them for try ing to capture the trade and win the affections of our good people, because Il truer. more progressive, and more public spirited people are not to be found anywhere. But as mention was made of some things that unfortunate ly. happened in connection with the move to improve the road from Sutton to Hope, that might be misleading to people that are not correctly informed, we feel it our duty to place the mat ter before the people just as it oc- cured.
 The Star of Hope quotes MT. Fuller as saying, we are told that the county authorities of Nevada county will not even pay for the lumber that went into tbe culverts nthe Sutton road that was built by the people of that commu- nity and the business men of Hope. With this report being circulated in Ne vada and Hampstead counties, justice calls for an explanation. We wish to say that we intended to help these peo- ple. and did. as much and even more, than other roads of the county. We were. paying these bills out of the bridge fund, fund which for the en- tire county, does not exceed S2,5G0o0 annually.
 In the early part of the summer, we instructed the oyerseer to look after and repair the bridges and culverts, on this particular road. as well as oth- CT roads, and about two thousand feet of lumber was placed on this stretch of road for building and repairing cul- yerts. And I wish to call your atten- ton to the fact. that the road from Sutton to Hope, really requires less cul- verts than most any road in the county, of the same distance. The overseer had used part of this lumber, at tht time the move was started to improve the road from Sutton to Hope, and the balance was on the rightof-way. The lumber was the grade we were using all over the county. When the Hope iyerseer came down, he reported to the committee in charge, that he could not use the lumber, even that that had al- ready been put into culverts tbut mind you. later he used this two thousand feet. and we paid for two thousand feet mOre) He told the committee that he wanted thousand feet of u certain kind of lumber. which they ordered, and we paid for. Mir. Webber Skinner cut and delivtred the lumber. In few days. after this, he came with another bill for a thousand feet, and at this time we asked him where this bill was to be used. and he said they were bridging Garner creek Ca flat branch) and believing that bridge was not necessary at this place, we told him that we would not pay for this bill, un- til we went down and investigated the matter, but upon plea from him, we paid the bill. and instructed him not to cut any more. until we went down and looked over the road and determined where and how much lumber should be used, to winch he agreed. But after this agreement, and before we had time to go down, Mir. Skinner accepted another order and delivered on the road amounting to $50O95. He knew the in structions that we had given him, and the agreement that was made, therefore he first presented this bill of $50O95 to the Chamber of Commerce. of Hope and they refused to pay it. Mir Skin ner gave us this information. and also members of the Chamber of Commerce of Hope. Then he presented this Five Hundred Dollar bill of lumber to tho County Court of Nevada county, ant same was refused payment, because ht had not followed ont our instructions The case was appealed to the Circuit | Court and the Court after hearing tho testimony in the case, sustained tho lower court. The Star of Hope, failed
 to say that the business men of Hope had the first opportunity of paying this bill and refused. Perhaps, Hope is not so much interested in the welfare oi | the citizens of Nevada county. and the betterment of her roads, as she is tC | enlarge the territory of Hampstead l county, south of Hope-they may vott upon the County Seat question, again