The morning call., 1890-11-23
NOVEMBER %, 1896
SUNDAY.
A CITY sWINDLE.

It is time our citizens voted TO put down
the plundering regime which has been rul-
ing San Francisco for some time past yet
considerable number of persons voted to
continue Buckley and his lambs in power {.
Strange, is ltnot, that intelligent voters could
be induced to support such condition OF
things as all know has existed in San Fran
cisco? But enough of this for the present.
as we desire only to bring before the public
to-day the printing swinde, which. it seems,
the Supervisors are determined to force upon
us for two years to come. An evening con-
temporary publishes the following para
graph relative to a few of the eXtortionate
charges which have been made:
For several years past these records Of fraud
-Lfor advetilsingl are very much alike. One need
not look very closely over The Street Department
books to find them. In an examination OF 112
cases Of street Improvement, in which bills for
printing and engineering bills alone exceeded at
least 10 per cent OF the cost OF the entire work.
e. there were found seventeen cases In which about
"a per cent and more, ranging as high as 80 per
cent, went to The eXtoTtioniSts. In March, 1888,
remacadamiZing The crossing OF Turk and Bu-
ciialan streets cost S195 81. or this sum $50 45
went for printing and S16 engineering. total OF
SO per cent of the entire cost. The grading OF
Sttiner street, from Herman 10 Ridley. cost
!. for printing and engineering. The printing for
descrfb ing little sewer thlriy-four feet long,
.iu. in at the junction Of Lott and Oak streets,
cost $50 40, Just SO IS more than the actual
rost Of LAYING tie he sewer The engineer IN This
case received $50 80 for locating the lines for
Tie fbiriy-four feet OF sewer and an Inspector
drew SIS Tor watching the pipe laid. Curling and
paving the Intersection OF Valencia street and
Clarion avenue cost the pToperty-owners S345 %.
The printing cost sos 50. engineering S13 90,
tile two items forming over "a per cent OF the
Cost OF The entire work.
T. The same paper says further that:
: These examples are only few of many hun
.dreds upon The Street Department records that
show extortion for printing and engineering. II
tile Grand Jury's experts wish TO see them they
can find them there, or may obtain from this
office partial list taken from the same records
before facilities were denied our reporter to OBJ
= tain a complete list.
. 1t would seem from the above that the city
authorities do not like to have their unlawful
acts inquired into.
- THE CALL would like to know why Grand
Juries have not investigated such frauds as
are above depicted. Surely Supervisors
are individually liable to Indictment as well
as the persons who obtained the money.
Where has the Mayor been during the four
years under which few persons have en-
riched themselves wrOngfully. that he has
not noticed what was transpiriDg, for it was
mis- duty TO have paid some heed to it? We
:. hope Grand jury may pay attention to
this and other frauds which are known to
: have. been committed. THE CALL would
also suggest that suits ought to be COM
'menced galnst the parties engaged in this
HefarOus transaction.