The attention of the Courier has from time to time been called to the acting on the part of the board of county commissioners in paying L. E. Bird salary as road supervisor for three months after he was relieved of his duties. These months, it was stated, were December 1925 and January and February 1926. In order to get the facts straight, a representative of this newspaper made a careful investigation of the records and found the following facts:
On page 142 of the Minute book in the office of the register of deeds of Randolph County there may be found among the minutes of the meeting of the board of county commissioners on Monday, December 7th, 1925, the following entry:
“It is moved and seconded and passed unanimously that the supervisor’s office be declared vacant until the 15th December and that Mr. Bird turn over his keys to the Clerk of the Bord and that he make out all back bills.”
Thus was L. E. Bird removed from office of road supervisor. Care weas taken to state that “it was moved and seconded and passed unanimously.” Apparently there was no dissenting vote.
On page 154 of the same Minute Book in the office of the register of deeds among the minutes of the meeting of the board of county commissioners on Monday, January 4th, 1926, is the following entry:
“The office of road supervisor being vacant, W. Ben Millikan of Back Creek township was duly elected to fill said vacancy.”
From these entries it may be seen that the office of road supervisor was vacant after Monday, December 7th, 1925, until Monday, January 4th, 1926. The entry on the first Monday in December, 1925, stated that the office of the supervisor was “declared vacant until the 15th December” and that Mr. Bird make out all back bills. There was no entry made in the minutes of the called board meeting on December 15th, 1925, of any election of a successor to Mr. Bird and no reference was mde that he had been reinstated in office. He was not.
Now, a reference to page 15 of Journal Docket No. 1 in which are recorded the expenditures charged to the Road Fund of the county may be found the following entries:
“Dec. 8, 1925, Voucher No. 2330, L. E. Bird, supervisor, salary for November, $125.
“Dec. 8, 1925, Voucher No. 2331, L. E. Bird, supervisor, salary for Dec., Jan., and Feb., $375.”
The canceled vouchers indicate they were duly endorsed and cashed by L. E. Bird.
On page 20 of the same Journal Docket No. 1 in which are recorded expenditures charged to the Road Fund may be found the following entry:
“Jan. 30, 1926, Ben F. Millikan, salary supervisor, $125.” This was voucher 2479.
Subsequent entries show that W. Ben Millikan was paid as road supervisor and it is assumed that this voucher was intended for W. B. Milligan. However, a road supervisor was paid.
The records, therefore, show that although L. E. Bird was relieved of his duties as road supervisor on the first Monday in December, 1925, he was actually paid for three additional months as supervisor. These months were December 1925 and January and February 1926. A road supervisor, L. E. Bird, was paid for December 1925, during the month in which the office was vacant, according to statement made on the official minutes of the board meeting. Two road supervisors, Messrs. Bird and Millikan, according to the official records, were paid for the months of January and February. According to the records, Mr. Bird was paid for three additional months’ work at the same time he was paid for his work during the month of November 1925. The two vouchers, the one for $125 for November salary and another $375 for December, January and February salary, were both dated the same day, December 8th, 1925.
These vouchers were ordered paid by the board of commissioners and were signed by Ralph O. Smith as clerk to the board.
From the front page of The Courier, Asheboro, N.C., Thursday, September 15, 1926
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn91068009/1926-09-16/ed-1/seq-1/
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