The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-10-15

AT the meeting OF Inc Cltv CouuCll last
evening Mr.. Slarke, chairman of the Com
mittee on Retrenchment and Reform, pre-
scented the following report from the
Mayor:
THE MAYORS REPORT.
MAYORS OFFICE,
October 10th, 1871
To the City Council:
G~entlemen-I received from the city
clerk on the 10th of September a copy of
the following resolutions /: Here his Honor
gives. the resolutions requiring him to In
vestigate the conduct of affairs in the gas.
Department.
Accompanying these resolutions were
the report of tie Committee on Light and a
communication, which / had previously
addressed to that committee, and which
have already been laid before the Council
and the public.
The above resolutions were originally
passed and presented with a view OF devolv-
ing on q special committee the labor subse-
quently, by a verbal amendment, assigned
to me and this explains some objections
BILE features in their form, to which no ex-
ception could be taken if they had been
adopted as originally offered.
~ " ohJ
I deem it due to myself to disclaim both
the owe and the purpose to review the
action and conclusions of any committee OF
the Council. / am no less satisfied that
the Council is without power to direct the
| Mayor to make any such examination.
And finally, | suppose the Council would
have communicated their wishes in some-
| what different form had the resolutions been
originally designed to apply to the Mayor.
Sympathizing, however, with the pur-
| poses of the Council and the just expecta-
| tons of the people, | resolved to discharge
the duty assigned without regard to the
| form of the assignment.
| On the day of the receipt OF the resolutions,
1 communicated with Mr.. P. H. Starke,
the chairman of the Committee on Retrench-
ment and reform, requesting a meeting OF his
| committee at the earliest dav. A full
| committee met on the 21st, and on the
oath we began the examination, continuing
the same daily, with one or two exceptions,
until the 9th of October. The examine
tons, at my instance, and with the unani-
nous consent of the committee, were pub
lie, and their results have been fully COM
municated through the public press. 10
reproduce them in full would be in the
main to repeat the communications hereto
fore made to the Council by the Committee
on Light, and through that committee, by
myself, and / shall content myself, there
fore, with q very brief summary of the re-
suits.
1t is proper to say that, conformably to
the request of the Council, every officer and
employee, every witness suggested by
them, and every party suggested by the
Committee on Retrenchment and Reform,
OF volunteering his statement, was exam
ined, and the investigation OF each depart
ment was held in the building or within the
works Of that department.
THE INSPECTORS DEPARTMENT.
Mr.. Melton, the inspector, and Mr..
White, the clerk, of this department, bave
already been removed for reasons hereto
fore presented to the Council, and their
cases need not be referred to further.
Mr.. John G. Pryde, the present inspec-
tor, has, since his appointment to that
office, been diligent in the discharge of his
duties. OF his conduct previously, | have
only to rereat the substance Of a former
communication. He used gas at his house
for several months without paying for the
same. and there is evidence tending to show
that he paid a bill of his fathers due the
STATE JOURNAL, and postponed q bill OF
his own due f. Laube by gas accounts due
by those parties respectively. 1t is proper
to add that there is y conflict of testimony
as to the latter charge, Mr.. Pryde insisting,
and adding some evidence to establish his
statement, that there wa nc understanding
with MI. Laube of the kind charged. That
Mr.. Laube's bill was unpaid for several
months, and that Mr.. Pryde was the debtor,
is conceded.
Mr.. John Denegri was found to have
connected o pipe with the street main and
set up O private meter in his rooms, from
which he obtained gas, both for illumina-
ting purposes and cooking, in violation OIL
the ordinance in several particulars.
Mr.. Christian Shaffer was proved to have
assumed several bills of private citizens
which he did not pay--the gas meanwhile
continuing to be furnished.
Mr.. R. Emmett Knowles was proved tc
have assumed one or two bills in like man
ner.
A s~candalous forgery, to conceal which
sundry others were committed in the pro.
gress Of the examination, has already beer
referred to. | have only to renew my
regret that in the large number of POSSIBLE
Cu]plitS,i II IL fMpVSSicioVo la oh eho eeeel'N
one.
As further evidence Of the shameful
laxity with which the Office was conducted
under the late inspector, I may add that j
was proved that a gas-metre had been Sc
on the premises of the Danville railroad
company on the End of December, 1871
and had neuer been taken until after Ma
officers removal, when $500 feet wer,
found to have been consumed! A negli
gence which could overlook this fact, an
could pass every month by the unlawful
connection which Denigri had made witt
the street-main without observing it, need
ed a much more watchful supervision.
A thorough examination Of the delin
, quent lists for the last two years has beef
made out, and all unchecked bills hav,
been made out anew, and most of then
presented and several paid. The clerk ha
been detached from the inspectors ofic'
and ordered to the auditors office, wher
he belongs. The employees are p~rohibite,
from receiving money from consumer
under any circumstances. Certain ofther
who could at odd times be spared, hav
been assigned to temporary jobs, hithert
paid extra for by the department, and
i have reason to hope that the evitable evil
in this Office are now corrected.
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