Will Make No Report

Judge Watkins Can Find No Law Requiring It

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GIVES BOARD A ROAST

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And Incidentally Puts in a Plug for County Clerk Blum

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Wednesday the following communication was presented to the Supervisors:

Hon. George Walter, Chairman of the Board of Supervisors:

I hesitate to make any report before the Judges of the Supreme Court and the Circluit Judges are heard. There is no statute that I know of that requires the Judge of Probate to make a report to your Board, however, if you can call my attention to such a statute, will certainly comply with it. 

Will take great pleasure in explaining to your Board the operations of this Court and call your attention to the fact that this year the Legislature has imposed various additional duties upon the Probate Courts of the state. The computation made by the Ann Arbor Daily Argus and published Dec. 4th, 1902, shows that "from Nov. 1 1901, to Dec. 1, 1902, two hundred and fifty estates were adjusted in the Probate Court of Washtenaw County." "The sum total value of these estates amounts to $17,478,149.12, of which three-fourths is realty valuation."

Inheritance specific tax determined $8,727,61. 

From the above you can faintly obtain an idea of the magnitude of the work performed in the Probate Court in the last three years. 

Your action in reducing the compensation of the Register of this Court below that received by the janitor, certainly seems anomalous, bearing in mind that his work is largely increased and that former boards, for probably 25 years, have been paid $1,000.00.

The last Legislature in the matter of insanity has placed the power of auditing bills with the Probate Judge and without the jurisdiction of the Board of Auditors. 

Permit me to say in conclusion that I am enjoying the best of health and trust you may gather in your corn crop speedily when you return home. 

By the way, it has been reported to me that one of your members has threatened to get even with County Clerk Philip Blum by reducing his compensation.

Let me say right here that this county in Philip Blum has the best Clerk it has had in my memory. Honest, fearless and competent, he has saved this County a large amount of money. Any attempt to injure him will react on the parties who attempt it.

Yours very truly,

W. L. WATKINS.