The morning call., 1893-05-26
WAITS is HAPPY.
His Accounts Are Passed
Correct.
ROYCE'S SYSTEM OF FINANCE.
Contractors Have Reaped Rich Har-
vest Judging by the Quality
of Their Work.

Ex-Treasurer George W. Waits of the
Veterans HomeA ssociation is relieved
from all anxiety respecting tine outcome of
he investigation into his conduct while in
office.
His ample countenance was wreathed in
smiles last night at the meeting of the
investigating committee. and he stroked
his flowing beard appreeatively as item
after item was reeled off. proving him to
have been in every sense just steward
Solon Pattee has done yeOman service to
the association in the amount OF time and
trouble he has given to the cause. and last
evening be arrived with 123 pages of fools
cap, constituting his partial report.
The details showed that every care had
to be taken to make the Investigation a
full one, but in no single instance could
Mr.. Waits be shown TO have been derelict
In his duties. True. he had not kept any
proper treasurer's account-bOok, but that
could hardly be expected OF an official Oc-
Gu wing an honorary position under no
bonds whatsoever. But ideas have changed
since then.
But he did keep an account in the Saw
ings Bank and one in the First National
Bank, and all his receipts. both State or
Federal. were shown to have been duly
deposited with one of the two concerns.
Then came the grues0me question of
Ruyce's account. The various eccentrici-
Ties in this were gone into careful ly and at
length. Among instances where Royce
"fell dow.I" the following are the most
noticeable: March T. 1892. he deposited
$1,000 in the Savings Bank and $4,000 IN
the First National Bank. while the re-
ceipts on that day came to S27, 294; on
March 10 he received from the Federal
Government SS525. of which he deposited
but S5537; or April 10 he withdrew $500
and deposited $500; on June % he witE-
drew $1,000 and deposited $1,000; on July %
he withdrew S575, no deposit.
We'll, what is the total amount Of
Royce's deficit. as shown by the accounts ?"
asked General Barnes.
II make it S1S.76 Il !"
"All right, Mr. Pattee," said General
Barnes. But | understood that Royce
has employed counsel TO contest the
amount he is in deficit and to explain the
circumstances under which he has owed
it. And in case lie intends to make out
that such deficit is due to errors in book
keeping and not 10 Intentional acts COM
mitted with the intention of covering up
all traces # where the money has gone TO
l would advise m0re com tete examina-
tlon of all papers and books"
Mr. Pattee was therefore instructed to
prepare by tomorrow evening statement
and comparison Of all vouchers and re-
ceip:s with deposits in the bank. This
Pattee prom Sed TO do.
Then Mr.. MahOney, the architect re-
Gently appointed tu examine the buildings
connected with the home at Yountville
and tO re ort on their value as compared
with the price paid for them, was put on
the rack and examin ed by General Barnes.
The architects report showed effectively
what wretched work had been done in the
construction of the so-called improvements
and what nestegg Tor contractors the
home must have been.
For instance, the laundry and bath
house, which cost something like $4,000.
was valued at SS0G0 odd. Gross careless
ness in the work was evident everywhere.
The very hinges of the doors, made to con-
| tain four screws, were found to have only
two. The bathtubs had no hardwood
caps, and where the contractors had
agreed 10 give four coats of paint to the
walls of the building it was easy for an
expert 10 see that only one coat had been
laid on.
This was not all. The work in the
hospital building was pronounced to be
fair, except in the attic. The roof was not
even properly supported. True, there
were joists TO hold the building together,
but nothing to su port any weight. And
the value thereof was estimated by Archi-
tect Mahoney at Sll. 400. Yet the contract
was for several thousand more.
The canteen buildings, with fixtures,
WIS estimated at $500.
Then" sighed General Barnes, what
would you say TO S1400 having been paid
for it?"
Il should say it was an outrageous
price"
This closed proceedings for the evening
and the committee agreed to meet again to-
morrow evening.
Il don't know when we shall get
through" said General Barnes to his fel-
low unfortunates afterward There Is
this and that 10 be done and there seems
more to be looked into every day. We've
agreed to sit every night next week,
haven't we?' aud he sighed again.