The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-04-02
SALARY WARRANTS.
Hereafter City Employees Must
Sign Their Own.
Auditor Smiley Thinks This Rule Should Be
Enforced to Protect the Municipality
Against Possible Fraud.

Auditor Smiley believes in being thor
Oughly systematic in the discharge of pub
lie trusts, aud above all other things in com
plying with the law. The heretofore loose
and neglectful methods of carrying on the
Auditors office under the preceding two
or three administrations have come to a sud
den halt, and henceforth, at least as long as
Mr.. Smiley is IN charge, the law in letter
and spirit will be rigidy enforced.
The looseness complained of was the sys-
TEN of signing warrants. 1t has not been
obligato V upon the person in whose name
the salary warrant was issued to sign it be-
fore the Auditor affixed his signature. In
the case of policemen, the Commissioner
signed; for the Fire Department, Secretary
Maxwell; in the School Department. the
Superintendent; in the Park Department,
the Superintendent or foremen; in the
Street Department, some Of the forenen
signed, and so on.
ALL THIS is WRONG.
MT. Smiley believes this is wrong. It Rp-
peared to him that every man vino had a
claim against the city should be required to
sign that claim himself, and more, should
present il for payment at the desk OF the
Treasury. With this conviction he sought
the advice of the County Attorney, and
found that the law sustained him in every
respect.
Tie OLD methods left the way open for
fraud, AMI If 1t WAS not practiced many a
shrewd bO0der let splendid opportunities
slip. Fer instance, the warrants of the Fire
Department were printed so that one
suficed Tor an entire company. George
Maxwell, Secretary of the commission,
signed all these warrants and drew all the
money on them himself, amounting t. $500
monthly for each company and SO, 6tJ a
month for the department.
The money WAS then ClStri bUted among
the members Of the department. The war
rants contained printed list Of the salaries
that, under the law, the company was en-
titled to, but there was no evidence to show
who was TO receive the money, whether the
company WAS entitled to full service or not.
OF whether every member had earned q full
months salary or not
LUMPED-UP DEMANDS.
Each company drew down $3.50 whether II
had given fun service or not. or whether the
members had put in fun time or not. Ii
there ever was an OyerpluS, which no one
can prove, the city certainly never had the
benefit Of il.
Yesterday a batch of warrants came in
from the several parks, signed simply by
the fOremen OF superintendent. Auditor
Smiley looked at them and observed: How
In the world DO l know whether these men
are all working out there or not? For
aught the warrants show half of them OF
any number of them may be dummies"
He ordered them returned Immediately
ana each warrant siIued by tie man named
in it, and no warrant Viii be paid until it is
so signed. "What assurance have I?'
asks Mr.. Smiley, that the Street Depart
ment, Fire Department, ana halt dozen
other departments are not running in a grisl
of dummies on NE every month? Also
lutely none; and l dJn't propose to have
any more OF it
COMPLAINT OF EXTRA TROUBLE.
Complaint is made that the new rule will
cause 4 deal OF extra trouble. Aud so Ii
will, but the one who will suffer most will
be the Auditor himself, for in place q.
signing one Fire Department warrant as
heretofore he will have thirteen to sign,
ami about the same proportion will apply to
many other departments.
But he insists that it is law. and no one
has any more right to complain or obiecl
than lie. because the Treasurer does not 20
around all over the city with each man.
salary inclUsed IL package and deliver il
In person.
This new rule Will have its beneficial eff
fects in other ways as well. Above all
other evil practices, il will have tendency
10 check the wholesale ana indiscrimnate
broker system, often dangerous and ruinous