Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-24
SLIGHTLY OFF.
MIR. Well Rises to Remark Likewise
Auditor Mckee.

MIR. well Rises to Remark LikeW Use
Auditor Mckee.
Fire Commissioner We'll stated to a re-
porter last evening that he was rather
amused at an item he had just read in the
Bee. 1t is too silly, he said, to be classed as
absurd. 1t says, in referring to the Com
missioners
Why didn't they quote the first part of it as
follows: Ion or before the first day of March,
1873, and annually thereafter the Board of Fire
Commissioners shall report fully and in detail
to the Board of Trustee of the City of Sacra-
mento the operations of the past year and a
statement of all the property under the control
of said Board OF Fire Commissioners, and its
condition, together with such recommendations
and suggestions as they see fit, and an estimate
of the probable expense of the ire Depart
ment constituted by this Act for the ensuing
year"
Continuing, Mr.. We'll said: "Why
should we quote that any more than we
should the ninth commandment of Moses ?
1t says we shall on or before March st
make our annual report. and this is done
every year on the last of February, the close
of the fiscal year. Here is what we are re-
quired 10 do, and did do. Read this letter =.
SACRAMENTO, January -, 1888.
II. l. Seymour, Esq. The footing of the city
assessment roll amounts to Sl2, los, 600. VIII YOU
please request the bOdrQ OF f1re commissioners
to determine at their next meeting the amount
of tax they require for the next year as this
Board will levy the tax probably February 9th
BY so doing you will greatly oblige. yours truly
h. II. MCKEE.
"One of the Trustees insinuates that
there is something unclean in our affairs,
by asking what we want with $3.50 worth
of soap. If the Trustee referred to made a
remark of that kind, he shows more ignor-
ance than | should attribute to him. He
certainly does not know what is on file
with the City Auditor, or, il he does, he is
seeking to misrepresent US. The item he
refers 10 reads: Oils, soaps and sponges,
$780, We burn coal oil all night in all the
houses. and the engines, machines hose.
harness, etc, require during the year
quite an amount of machine and
other oil, and I doubt if the as
tute gentleman would enter into
a contract to furnish those supplies for the
coming year at that price. Soap is a small
item, and perhaps would not amount to
say more than s. or $40. 1t is very easy to
misrepresent, but in no other way can thew
tear down the statement we made in ac-
cordance with law, and in doing so we
complied with it fully and completely
Mayor Gregory and Trustee Ryan to the
contrary, notwithstanding.
THE article in the Bee last night would
certainly furnish amusement to a school
boy. Such contradictions, such whoppers
Just listen, while l read: Last year the
Fire Department cost as much as all the
schools Great Caesar, where does the
Bee get its statistics from. 1t is silly to
contradict such statements. The Bee knows
better than that. 1t knows that while the
fire department COSTS less than $50, 900 the
public schools cost more than $4,000
SSD OC0 10 nntbinu to
that is a mere bagatelle to some newspaper
men. The Trustees are not in favor of an
extra engine. We have given our reasons
for one and would not discuss it over
again, for if they are not good none can be
offered. l won't read the balance OF the
item, have read enough of it,
AND STILL THEY COME.
Later in the evening Auditor Mckee
dropped in. Picking up the Bee be called
the reporters attention to the following
item
Though the Fire Commissioners failed to do
their duty in reference to reports to the Trus-
tees in their monthly reports to the City Auditor
can be found such as, Con Sullivan Gnci-
dentals)-S245.
Now remarked the Auditor, "if the
Bee wants to know what became of that
$245 they can call at the office and find
ddditCd OiiAo hhdV oitOuht. LII
stead of drawing innumerable small war
rants of 90 cents, 75 cents, 81, ETC., these
bills are allowed by the Commissioners and
paid by drawing a warrant for the full
amount in favor of the Chief Engineer 1t
is all straight, has been rule of the past
and will be continued with Mr.. O'Meara as
Chief The item is intended to convey a
wrong impression.
Another thing l wish to speak about
said the Auditor, sis this: Mr.. We'll in his
card yesterday said he called at my office
to get information which he failed to
obtain. He called late in the day, and as
l had to go to the Courthouse on lmmedi-
ate business, could not at that moment
furnish it for him.
u subsequently found the following in
the minutes of the meeting of the Trustees,
held January 2S. 1884: 'Messrs. Carey, Wit
tenbrock and Hall appeared and stated
that from the result of the water test, they
considered that hose carriage located about
Twentieth street would be sufficient, with
out a fire engine. Mr.. Carey proposed to
give the city the use of a lot 40xS0 on
Nineteenth and L streets for FIVE years
free. AT the expiration of five years he
would deed the same to the city at price
to be named by committee appointed for
that purpose, or would rent the same to
the city at a reasonable price, or permit
all improvements to be removed from the
lot without charge The proposition was
taken under consideration