The herald., 1894-06-02

trips both mileage and full livery bills.
These bills amount to about 5000, and
should be recovered to the treasury.
We have criticised number of Offices
under control of the board OF supervi-
sors. Besides these matters we call spe-
cial attention to practice OF the board
OF passing and payment of bills against
the county pronounced by the district
attorney to be illegal. We believe this
practice OF passing to final payment bills
declared improper by their legal advis-
ers to be Objectionable, and 1t should be
discontinued.
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.
ALI financial and purely business rou-
tine should be transferred from this
office to the county Offices regularly
charged with such work. This can be
done with great advantage to the public
business, and will allow more time to
the county superintendent for distinct
lively educational work. The present
superintendent urgently recommends
this course. A number of bills of ex-
pense from the county superintendent OF
schools have been passed by the super
visors over the district attorneys disap.
proval.
The expense account of the superin-
tendent from June l. 1898, to May l,
1894, outside of his salary, amounts to
$l07990. Included in this amount are
some items of "livery hire" against the
county for his own horse and buggy.
The district attorney on December /,
1898, gave his written opinion that
where the law gives an officer SO per
dau for m off uun ba 10 ra1niraA IN
be one. half the time on the road, con.
templates that he shall furnish his own
team, and that his reasonable expenses
would be feed and reasonable wear" In
connection with the county board of ed
ucation we find an expense account az
follows: f. A. .Moyeneaux, $19475; @.
L. Ennis. s24. 20; j. A. Foshay, $40. 80 !;
j. II. Strine, $1,000; W. W. Seaman,
s2Sl.60; Spurgeon Riley, $lO5.30. The
district attorney has rendered an opin-
ion touching these matters, similar to
that quoted above.
COUNTY FARM.
The management OF this establish
ment is good. The principal point need
ing remedy is the lack of proper bathing
facilities.
OOONlt hOofllAbs
We found the county hospital to be in
a creditaols condition. The sewerage,
however, is inadequately provided for,
and demands prompt attention.
INDIaENTs.
This is the division of public charities
most open to an abuse of the peoples
generosity. A practice exists in this
division of giving orders for merchandise
to persons claiming to be indigents.
Last year these amounted to SIS. 900.
These orders are often committed or
partly committed by the holders, for
money. Under such q system the money
communication is necessarily reduced by
the profit on the goods the merchant
would have charged. Besides this, there
can be NO proper check on the quantity
or quality Of the goods delivered. The
Communication of merchandise orders for
money is proof conclusive that this form
OF charity is not what the indigents most
need, or else that our charity is abused.
We believe that this practice should be
changed. The sum OF $l279 is charged
for transportation. Here is another weak
point easily open to abuse.
Under the head of burials of indi-
gents SO. so is charged. This heavy
expense is divided into two rates; $50
each for one class of indigents and $12
each Tor the other. The $50 charge is
explained as applied to INDECENT ex-
soldiers. The three divisions of the
public charities cost s78, l54 06 per year.
OF this the outside INDECENT cost $685.
042.36. There is in this work q lack OF
unity or aim between the divisions that
should be remedied.
ALAMEDA STREET.
We find large and rapid increase OF
the ''crib" nuisance on this street. The
condition OF affairs along this great rail-
road thoroughfare has long been re-
proach to our city, and very unsavory
advertisement of our morals to the trav-
cling public. In the midst of this horde
of unfortunate courtesans is the Conn
mercial-street station of the Southern
Pacific railroad, to and from which
there is large local travel. Its great
wrong that all the patrons of this road
should have this offensive social sore
and its dangers of moral contagion
thrust upon them and upon their wives,
sons and daughters on every trip to and
from this city. II the police regulations
are too weak to entirely cure the evil,
they should remove it to a point where
only those brutalized persons who seek
or live upon it need know of such mis-
cry and error.
We earnestly recommend the city au-
thorities to take immediate and effect
i've steps to suppress upon Alameda
street this glaring moral reproach.
INsURANCE
Premiums now paid out for insurance
on public property amount to nearly
SIC, 900. This sum is sufficient for re-
serve fund and amply warrants the city
and county in becoming insurers of the
public property.
The constitution OF California, article
xii. section 10, sage:
mo railroad or other transportation
company snail grant free passes or passes
or tickets at a discount to any person
holding any office of honor, trust or profit
in this state; and the acceptance of any
legislature, or any public officer other
than railroad commissioner, shall work
q forfeiture OF his office"
A decision OF our state supreme court
gives color to the opinion that this pen.
atty cannot be enforced without AN act
OF the Legislature. However this may
be, we all know that the power OF great
corporations has frequently, and we be.
lievs most universally, been used to an
tagonizs the public interests. Conse-
quently the acceptance OF fees or favors
from these corporations by public Of
ficers ia improper regardIees OF apecial