Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-03

UuG DOhTu Vi buptTNiSOls, anu eeCureu
with neatness and dispatch his discharge
in insolvency from many thousand dol
lars of debt, and further, that one of
the gentlemen of this firm furnishing
this advice referred TO and receiving
some of this money, stands high in
Union League circles and is chairman of
the Republican central committee for
Los Angeles county.
The law is sort OF hocus-pocus science, that
smiles in your face while it picks your pocket
NoTE-The present district attorney claims
these fees were not contracted for during his
administration. That may be, still Repub-
licau administration is guilty OF this exces
which Republicans now denounce and attempt
to excuse
FROM THE AUDITORS REPORT FOR 1891.
Pages and %.
Account supervisors
Salary of supervisors and clerks
and incidental expenses.....,.. Sl3.10l .65
Certainly this price is little stiff for
one years effort at bringing the county
to the verge of bankruptcy.
Get money; still get money, boy,
No matter by what means
FROM THE AUDITORS REPORT FOR 1891.
Pages IA and 33.
Reporters.
Keporline for justices OF the peace 81 ,65S as
Reporting Tor superior court. 6,4S4S0
$l4,lo3 25
When it comes to EXPENSES the eu-
perior and inferior courts change places.
Is wasteful and ridiculous exoess.-IKing John
FROM THE AUDITORS REPORT FOR 1891.
Pages l6 and 35.
Typewriting.
This would pay for the services of a
! typewriter for whole year. But what
&c ba mo ii IN tha " &C
in the various offices, numbering over
200, doing the work of these various
offices.
lWebster's Dictionary.
FROM THE AUDITORS REPORT FOR 1891.
Pages l6 and 50.
For watching court house at night
and on holidays. ......$l53S 81
Hundreds of men could be obtained
for 500 or S75 per month for this pur
pose.
And has it not been made apparent
that some of this sum could have been
expended advantageously in securing
watchmen to look alter some of the
transactions OF some of the officials that
infest the court house between the hours
OF am. and p m., except two hours
for lunch?
Care keeps. his watch h.-[Romeo and Juliet.
FROM THE AUDITORS REPORT FOR 1891.
Pages 10 and 20.
Gas and rent of meters. $2343.75
This is most outrageously extrava-
CANT expenditure. There is little occa-
sion for using gas in public buildings,
when there is rarely any night work.
Something must be wrong with the
hired "meters."
If Caesar can hide the sun from us with a
blanket, or put the mo N in his pocket, we viii
pay him tribute for rlight.-[Cymbeline.
THE GREAT (REGIsTER) SCANDAL.
The greatest abuse OF this reckless ad-
ministration has been the way in which
contracts involving thousands of dollars
have been let to favorites without COM
petition and the most fragrant abuse OF
all these abuses has been IN the printing
of the great register.
The board OF supervisors fixed the
maximum price for this work at % cents
per name. The letting OF the contract
was the business of Mr.. Trow bridge H.
Ward, the county clerk. Without ad-
vertising for bids and without permit
ting competition, afr. Ward awarded
this contract to bipartisan newspaper at
the maximum price OF % cents per
name; Notwithstanding the fact that
there were reputable printers standing
by with bids in their hands as low as Is
cents per name. And if bids had been
advertised for doubtless there would
have been some even lower than this, as
the price OF composition, presswork and
paper have not materially advanced
since 1856
A COMPARISON.
Note the comparative cost of this work
in the past:
In 1886 the price was ~ cents per
name for 1900 volumes.
(Bids called for and contract awarded
the Times-Mirror Co..
In 1888 the price was s go cents per
name for 5000 volumes
Bids called for and awarded the Ex-
press.)
In 1890 the price wss IS 35.100 cents
per name for 5000 volumes.
NO bids called and the work divided
with the Times and Express.)
In 1892 the price is 20 cents per name
for 5000 volumes.
(No bids called for on the contract ad.
vertising awards to Express by County
Clerk Ward at the maximum price al
lowed by law.)
1t is estimated that there well be at
least 2S, 600 names in the great register.
The taxpayer can amuse himself bv fig
uring out what has been lost to the
county by this method of awarding con-
tracts without competition.
DIALOGUE.
William Shakespeare What's in a name?
Co nty CLERK Ward: Twenty three cents fer
the Express.
Outraged Taxpayer tsotto vocel And retire
ment for Ward and all the court house crowd.
OTHER ABUSES SUGGESTED TO THE GRAND i
JURY.
To give an itemzed account of the
many abuses this administration has
been guilty OF would be an impossible
task. But while the grand iurv is in
session it would be well for it to inyesti-
gate some of the foregoing matters as
we'll as the following:
l. The making Of the contract under
which was paid $65 900 for extending the
walls of the court house about four feet
higher than the original elevation.
Many contractors say there was a
"steal" in this.
2. Why WAS the contractor who built
the court house released from $1,000 pen-
atty, due the county, for failure to COM
plete the contract in the time agreed?
g. Why the contract with Arnold for
laying the conduit through the base.
ment of the court house was awarded
without advertising for bids or competi-
tion allowed?
OTHER ABUSES.
4. Why the safe for the treasurer's