Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-03

1
80 DAYS at per cent interest, and that
warrants be drawn for said sum of $780,
900 and S1125 interest in accordance with
section 4005 political code of this state.
[Copy of warrant drawn in favor of State Loan
and Trust Co., upon which the amount is
borrowed
No. 1922. STATE OF CALIFoRNIA,}
COUNTY OF os ANGELES
| $75, coo. Auditors Office, Los ngeles County
| August 20, 1892.
The county treasurer of Los Angeles county
STATE LOAN AND TRUST COMPANY,
| Or order, the SUM OF seventy FIVE thousand dol
| lars for loan, per section a005 z c. Account
August, A. D. 1892, to order by the Board of
| Supervisors Of said county and charge the same
| to CURRENT expense fund.
Ii. q. ROLLINS, County Auditor.
By n. S. AvERILL, Deputy
| A similar warrant was drawn for
! $1l25 interest.
THE MILK IN THIS CoCoANUT.
There would be nothing for criticism
in the mere fact of the board of super
visors borrowing the sum of $4,000
from the State Loan and Trust company
and paying $l125 for its use for 80 days,
provided the treasury has become ex-
hausted b. legitimate, reasonable and
economic process, and the money bor-
rowed was absolutely necessary to con-
| duct the affairs of the county. But
from the records no such necessity pre-
sents itself.
Section 1l9 of the county government
act provides:
The chairman of the board of supervisors
district attorney and the auditor, must at least
once in each month. count the money in the
county treasury, and make and verify in dupll-
| cate statements showing:
1.-The amount Of money that ought to be in
! the treasury.
2-The amount and kind OF money actually
therein,
On the second day OF August, 1892,
Just seventeen days before this loan and
IN compliance with the law quoted, Mr.
S. NJ Perry, chairman of the board of
supervisors, Mr.. James McLachlan, dis
trict attorney, and Gen. II. u. Rollins,
auditor, filed a sworn statement that
they had on that day actually counted
the cash in the treasury and found the
sum of
S272,47412.
On September 6 following, the same
gentlemen swear there was still III the
treasury the sum of
S2I6,O41.1S
| And on October 6 following and just
past. they swear there was actually in
the treasury the sum OF
S2O6,3O4.24.
OTHER INSTANCES OF BORROWING AND
PAYING INTEREST.
As before stated, it seems common
thing, such instances OF borrowing money
and paying interest to favorite banks,
for on page 40 of the auditors report for
1891 occurs these items:
Paid loan L A. National Bank. $50, 900
Paid interest L. A. National Bank. ...... 500
While just over on the very next page
OF this report occurs this item:
Available cash in treasury, Dec.
81, 1891. Observation-Disclosures. 1864 ,S14.39
QUERY FOR OUTRAGED TAXPAYERS.
In the name of all the gods at once,
by what law or process OF reasoning can
such inanciering be justified? The
malfeasant idea of paving $500 and
SIPS, aggregating $l625, for the use
OF money, when there is already, or at
least should be, over 100000 in
the treasury? This is the rankest dis
regard of the peoples interest and can
not in any way be justified. And if
there could be had an impartial grand
Jury, such scandalous outrages on the
public treasury would not be tolerated,
Villainy somewhere! Whose?-Tennyson.
FURNISHING THE COURT HOUSE.
Perhaps the climax of the saturnalia
of extravaganza which mas marked this
administration was reached in furnish
ing the new court house. Read the fol-
lowing and see if you DO not think go.
On July l, 1890. the people voted $780,,
600 III bonds for furnishing this new
edifice. By this action-the people
expressed their will and fixed $4,000 as
the amount to be borrowed and set
aside for this purpose, and certainly
this sum should have been ample and
would have been if reasonably expended.
But see how the wishes of the people
were regarded.
FURNISHING COURT ToUsE.-The bid
accepted for the furnishing OF the differ
ent offices and departments OF the court
house aggregated
&69,OS9
But when it came to putting in the
furniture under this contract and pay
ing for it, the amount was run up to
$50, ,S46.64,
an excess over the contract of
SI4,157.19.
Further, it will be found that inde-
pendent of any contract, the furnishing
OF the new court house has cost the tax
payers from first to last the enormous
sum of
Sill ,043.41.
You will ask how this can be? Is it
possible that the furniture in the court
house cost this enormouse sum? Yes
See how it was done?
PARTICULAR ITEMS OF THE Cost OF
FURNIsH1NG.-You will be entertained
by recital of some of the particular
instances of prices and payments for
furniture. Take, for instance, the four
court rooms on the third floor OF the
court house:
FURNITURE FOR FOUR COURT ROOMS.
4 judges benches. ...... $4320 $1O57. so each
screens behind judges
benches ..... ....... 1890 9S3 90 each
A lnrElc dns l.r N