The morning call., 1893-05-16
POOR GROCERIES.
General Barnes Work at
YountVille.
EXPERTS PARTIAL REPORT.
How the Veterans Have Been Made
to Eat the Poorest of Food
at the Highest Prices.
EXPERTS PARTIAL REPORT

Affairs at the Veterans Home at Yount-
Vile do not improve as the days so on. At
a meeting of the committee appointed to
investigate the condition of the home, held
last evening, General Barnes gave few
interesting facts concerning the supplies
that have been furnished to that ill-man-
aged institution for some time past, and
showed how badly the whole business had
been handled.
when was at the home today" said
the general, 81 took some samples of the
various staples that have been In use there
for the purpose of having them examined
by an expert. The results. as far as | have
gone, are surprising. to say the least.
THE home uses about $50 pounds of coffee
q month. This is supposed to be first-class
Java and Rio, in equal quantities. The
Java, for which the home has been paying
q cents a pound, turns cut to be very
poor grade Of Guatemala coffee. The sup
posed Rio is a still poorer grade of the
Guatemalan product, but the price paid
has been q cents. l find that the sup
posed Java can be bought in this city for
25 cents and the Rio for % cents per
pound
with the tea 1t is the same. The books
show that the home consumes 100 pounds
of English breakfast and 120 pounds of
Japan tea of the best quality For both
of these 20 cents pound has been paid.
but experts tell me that both would be
expensive at 10 cents. The English
breakfast tea is poor grade Of Japan,
and the 'frst-grade Japan is the poorest
that can be Obtaio ed.
Tho rice is oil fair quality. but has been
paid for at AZ cents pound. while much
better grade can be obtained for cents.
The baking powder that IS charged for at
the rate OF 80 cents pound | took 20 the
Govern ment chemist, and he pronounced
Ii totally un fit for use, being OF the poor
est quality Imaginable.
"The hams, for which the home has been
paying good price, are hardly fit for a
man to eat and certainly never saw a cur
Ing process or a mOking-house. | find all
the grocery supplies, the raisius, macarOn
butter, lard and soap, are tile poorest class
OF goods. but all had been paid for al first
class prices.
81 do not mean to throw any opprobrum
On any one by stating what l know, but
there is evidently a screw loose some
where, and | want to find out where it is"
Scion Pattee, who has been engaged by
the committee to expert the books of the
home, presented a partial report of his
work. BE said that the books were in
such bad condition that it would taks
three months to prepare another set show
ing the actual condition OF affairs at
Yountville.
mere are very cODSlQeTaDie Qluerenco
In the amounts received from various
sources and the amounts deposited in the
banks, said Mr. Pattee, land there are
many instances where checks have been
given in payment of accounts that have
not been presented for payment for months
after being drawn. Why this is. cannot
say on a cursory examination of the books.
cannot tell yet exactly how much the de-
falcations will amount to, except TO say
that they will run 3 long way up into tae
thousands"
General Barnes asked Mr.. Pattee il he
could tell the exact amount held out by
She former treasurers of the home, and
was told that with time it could be done,
but 1t would be necessary 10 make a com
plete new set of books from an early date
In the history of the home.
When Colonel Royce was treasurer he
kept no regular set Of books. The only
record OF the money transactions of the
home in his time were made in private
books of his own. When the crash came
some weeks ago. the secretary of the
BOARD asked TO have these books to help
MIN straighten matters out, but Mr.
Koyce's son refused to give them up,
Claiming that they contained too much OF
private nature for the public gaze. This
explanation was accepted by the board,
which did not Insist on having the books
produced.
Captain Merriman was to have testified
before the committee last evening, but he
was not well, and excused himself early.
He will probably give his testimony at the
meeting to be held tomorrow night al
General Barnes office.