The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-06
THE TREASURER'S BOND,
Mayor Sutro Is Disposed to Go
Very Slow in Approx
ing 1t.
AN OLD QUESTION REVIVED.
Does the Consolidation Act or the
General State Law Apply in
This Case2

When the time-lock released its hold on
the big doors of the City and County
treasury yesterday Mayor Sutro and
Auditor Broderick, with the Treasurer
elect, swung them open and made the
formal count of the funds and placed their
official certificate to the amount-$1, 200 600.
Treasurer-elect Augustus G. Widber filed
his bond yesterday morning. His bonds
men are: Harry N. Morse, L. w. Lees, H.
N. Crane and r. J. Techau.
With the exception of Techau, this is
the composition of the surety of the de-
ceased Treasurer. ]. O'Brien occupying
the latter's place on the elders bond.
Each of the individuals represent $50, 600
on the bond, save Morse, who stands for
$1,000 The amount of the bond re-
quired is 100000, but the bondsmen must
represent twice that amount in real estate
values.
The bond was approved by Judge
Murphy and Auditor Broderick. Mayor
Sutro, however, the other of the trio
whose approval is required by law, wanted
some time to think it over.
Taylor Rogers, his clerk, raised the
point that the consolidation act stipulates
that no man could become surety for a
public officer whose property was not stu
ated in this City and County.
The general law of the State made and
provided for such cases permits the
bondsmen's property to lie in an ad joining
county.
If the conditions of the consolidation
act are applied Mr.. Morse will have to be
rejected, as his property is chiefly in Ala
media County. 1t is on this that the Mayor
pauses to consider.
Auditor Broderick, however, declared
yesterday that the general law was good
enough for the City and County in this
instance, especially as its conditions had
served in the case of a long line of
Treasurers and other officials, and had
been raised, discussed and disposed of in
the case of Mr.. Morse himself with rela-
ton to J. H. Widber's bond.
The court had at that time approved
that bond and Judge Murphy approved
this one. City and County Attorney
Creswell had looked the matter up and
this Mr.. Rogers was not inclined to insist
upon his objection, and so telephoned the
Mayor last evening.
1T is simply the old, old question
which keeps coming up at every turn
whether the consolidation act is the law
for this City and County, or whether we
are conducting our affairs under the
general laws, SdIu MI hOSeIS. L uc
thing we need most is a charter, and 1
hope we will soon get one"
THAT is very true said the Auditor,
"and the thing for Us all to do is to work
our best toward securing one at the earliest
possible moment. A charter with some
faults is much better than no charter. In
the meantime we have worked under the
general law right along in the matter of
bonds. Under the consolidation act we
could not accept a corporation as surety
under the general law we can and we have
accepted bonds and bonds with corpora
tions as surety,
at is necessary that this matter should
be settled as quickly as possible, as the
funds of the City are tied up in he mean
time and there is an anxious army of en-
ployes waiting to have their warrants
cashed. The regular course of business is
also interrupted"
Pending the opening of the vaults to
business City and County Assessor Siebe
has been compelled to keep the daily col
lections of the personal property tax in his
own care.
Mayor Sutro last night said he would
probably approve the Treasurer's bond to-
day, but he wanted to be sure he was right.
He would try to secure a judicial opinion
on the matter this morning.