The morning call., 1893-10-05
PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
The Grand Jury Makes
It's Final Report.
STREET WORK IS CENsuRED
Condemnation of Abuses In the
Public Schools-Lax system
of Keeping Accounts.

Since February 27 the Grand Jury has d.
voted much of its time to the lnvestlgatio,
of strictly public affairs. ana yesterdaS
presented its report to Judge CARRIER. pre-
siding Judge of the Superior Court.
1t is volImiDous document, generous
in praise where it is deserved. unsparlng
in criticism where duty has been neglected..
and fertile in suggestions as 10 m0se eHec-
tive and economical local government.
Complaint is made that on account OF
recent chan ges in the ''ins" and outs
when the Grand Jury took hold, 1t was
difficult to get at the Street Department
except through the books. All contractors
admitted abuses, but withheld facts LOT
fear of making business enemies.
In the matter of sewers the jury found
abundant evidence OF gross II not GRIM
inal carelessness in the selection OF In
spectors, and served notice to future Of
ficials and contractors that they would Dc
held to strict accountability for their ap-
pointmcnts and their work. Regret Is
expressed that old sewers are in better
condition than those recently constructed.
Suggestion is made that inspectors be ap-
pointed by the Board of Supervisors.
With regard to franchises for street rail-
roads it is recommended that grantees be
required to pay a certain percentage Of
gross earnings, for the reason that the
only other plan, viz: putting them up at
auction. brought no competitors. Report
is made of serious delay in getting streetcar
companies to pay their pro rata of receipts
into the treasury, which is duo to the fact
that this provision differs in each fran
chise. The penalty for refusing 10 make
returns is forfeiture of the franchise. and
reminder to the corporations OF this pen
atty might remedy the delay.
Concerning franchises obtained TO bar
others out. as for instance, the Bush-street
railroad. it is recommended that fran
cbises be declared forfeited. with or with
out notice.
With the exception of peddlers. the jury
discountenances the license tax when the
property employed in business is taxed.
and frowns upon the slngle-tax tneory
recommended by the preceding Grand
Jury.
With regard to the taxing OF corpora
tions, particularly mining companies, the
report says: 1--WE venture to repeat our
recommendation to tax property and stop
taxing the right to do business, except. OF
course, when the business itself requires
special license"
Concerning alleged abuses in the public
schuols, the following severe language is
used Our investigation has developed
a shameful subverson of trust, almost
sacred in its nature, to personal am bltion
and selfish business ends. and extended
back to previous boards" A request of
the city superintendent to consolidate
classes and correspondngly reduce the
number Of teachers resulted in sixty-six
less classes and nins rented rooms dis
pensed with.
Much space is devoted to statement of
the necessity of the city fnding out exactly
what property 1t owns and Keeping an
inventory of it. The matter is too i'm
portant TO be undertaken by the over
burdened office of City and County At
torney. 1t is recommended that COM
petent person be engaged to compile an
inventory of real estate claimed by ihr
city, aud competent attorney 10 invest
gate the legal status OF Cases when title is
disputed ami bring them 10 issue.
The jury recommends also that there be
kept Dusiness-like inventories of loose
property in the corporation yards under
system which shall require receipts, and
thus prevent losses.
Extravaganza in stationery and careless
prin ting uf blanks In nearly all the DEPART
ments are severely condemned, and recon-
mendation is made for bureau for sta
tiopery and printed supplies.
The report deals at some length with the
lax system Of keeping accounts, which in
of memoranda, and recommends: Make
the Auditors office in reality what it is
figuratively: the financial key. Give him
u little larger force than he now has. Let
him select competent accountant whose
business it shall be to oversee all these
several branches where bookkeeping has
never been q consideration, and esta blish
system of checks which can be verified
IN his office. 1t simply means Segregating
the different items OF any business and
striking balances. When properly done
it shows where the was.age. If any, comes
in and where corrections may be made"
With reference to the City Hall Commits
sion it is found that in no instance prior TO
the present commissioners taking office.
are there any bills attached to the demands
as is required in all other departments of
the city government. Extravagant plumb
ing bills are instanced showing that c. j.
Reilly worked much cheaper after election
than before. With the present commits
sioners the salary list mas been cut fron
S2960 to 1885 a month. and affairs are
conducted in a business-like manner.
A pesthouse is recommended on some
part of the eighty-acre AlmShouse Tract,
where the health of the neighborhood will
not be jeOpardiled.
With regard to the $4,000 expended for
improvements to the County Hospital
buildings and $4,000 for repairs in 1892
the report says: There was a contract
Tor these repairs. but, we are sorry to say,
our report places this work in even worse
light than that which was done by the late
City Hall Commissioners, because much
Of the work paid for in this case seems not
to have been done at all. This possibly
| explains how members of the late board
who had the matter in charge can spend
this summer recuperating away from
home"
The report makes vigorous thrust at
several members of the late Board of Su-
pervscrs, without giving names, whom the
Grand Jury would like to ask few cues
tions regarding street material, street
extension schemes, etc, but who are now
con spcuous by their absence.
The County Clerk. say the grand in.
rors. reports that he hopes during Tho
present term to make his office self-sus.
tanning by reducing the employees. properly
collecting fees and economy in stationery.
Inc stationery account varies from $500
10 $4,000 year. ~0e
The present system of conducting the
Surveyors office Is condemned aud it is rec-
commended that fair salaries to paid To thu