The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-13
The Accounts of San Fran
cisco and Alameda to Be
Investigated.
OTHER BILLS NOT PASSED
Fish Commissioners to Appear
Before the State Board Of
Examiners.

| this afternoon several welghty matters
were presented to their attention.
After they had signed sundry minor
bills, Civil Engineer Maude appeared be-
| fore that body and made statement in
regard to expenditures contracted by the
| bureau before the commencement of the
| forty-seventh fiscal year. Among other
items appeared one in the sum of $175, con-
| tracted for team of horses.
| Acknowledgement Fitzgerald inquired if,
considering the present value of horse
| flesh, this was not an exorbitant price.
Engineer Maude replied that the bureau
had since the purchase been offered 1926
| for their bargain, and that in the long run
| it was far cheaper to support good animal
than it was scrub. The team was used
| twenty-six days in every month on bureau
| business, and good animals were requisite.
| This explanation seemed satisfactory and
the bill was taken under consideration.
Fish Commissioner Morrison was called
before the board to explain an item for
expenses in the case of the people VS.. Nc
Farland, Deputy Fish Commissioner, which
in reality consisted of attorney fees paid in
defense of suit for damages instituted by
two men who, after being arrested for
illegal fishing, were acquitted of the charge
| by Jury.
Mr. Morrison stated that he was posi-
lively unable to give any information on
| the subject as during his incumbency no
bill had been presented at any meeting of
the board during his presence and only
three meetings had been held. He had
received official notice of two of the meet
ings to decide on the distribution of fish
received. There had been no notice given,
as the matter demanded immediate atten-
| ton.
Attorney General Fitzgerald, addressing
! Morrison, said: "In other words the mem
bers of the board seem to ignore you in
matters pertaining to its interests. The
law is explicit and states that all bills
must be approved by the Board of Fish
Commissioners before appearing before
this body. This bill for legal services will
not be allowed nor any others approved at
present, and at the next meeting of the
board those gentlemen will be notified to
appear and explain matters
At this decision a twinkle appeared in
| the executives eye, and the Governor
warmly shook hands with Commissioner
| Morrison, and that gentleman took his de-
| parture.
DIR. Lane, secretary of the State Board of
Health, appeared and explained satisfac-
| torily various items connected with the
bills of that body, and they passed without
| further cavil.
Secretary of State Brown introduced a
resolution providing nineteen telephones
for the various departments of the State
|
can be procured from the telephone COM
panies-three of the instruments to be for
the Capitol building, one for the Bank
| Commissioners, one each for the Railroad
| Commissioners and Clerk of the Supreme
| Court, two for San Quentin, one each for
Folsom, the Attorney-General's Office in
San Francisco and for every State institu-
| ton. The secretary of the board was IN
structed to make inquiries as to terms, and
action was deferred on the matter until
some future meeting.
The secretary of the board read state
ment to the effect that when he entered
| upon the duties of the Office he found a
mass of Sheriffs' claims that were not
| acted upon because great differences were
| discovered between the claims of the Sher-
! ifs of San Francisco and Alameda, as COM
pared with the charges of the Sheriffs of
other counties making similar trips to the
same destination, and invariably the
charges of the former were larger. For
instance, the hotel bills of the San Fran
cisco and Alameda County Sheriffs at
Ukiah for two men are $40, while the
Sheriffs of Marin and Sonoma counties
enter claims for two men at the same place
for but 81.
Sheriff Whelan of San Francisco, who
was present, said: Having had no oppor-
tunity for investigation, 1 have been
obliged to accept the statement of my
deputies. l believed these to be correct,
especially when l had as criterion the
claims of previous Sheriffs during the past
years, which were allowed by former
| boards. Ny men state they cannot make
| the trip in the time claimed they should.
| l shall try it myself next Friday"
'In the meantime you have no other
excuse to offer then, Sheriff." queried the
Attorney General.
"None; save that all former Sheriffs
have done the same. My bills are no
larger than theirs, allowed by former
| boards"
"Is it true that deputies charge more
that actual expenses and pocket the diff
! ference?" asked Secretary of State Brown.
"As to that cannot say; but if they do
and / find it out there will be new material
in the Sheriff's Office at San Francisco"
replied the official from that place.
1.-The Sheriff should inquire into this,
and should also carefully procure the
services OF reliable men," said the Attor-
ney- General. NOW here is statement
relating to a claim of Sheriff White, in
which it is stated that the deputies rode
on freight train without paying fare and
charged for fare, and that they also charged
| for hotel expenses at Vests Hotel in Santa
! Clara. when in reality they did not stop at
the place, and charged for meal in town
| they never entered.
| "Now, if this be true, shall institute
| criminal proceedings against these parties
as soon as an investigation can be made
and my deputies can prepare the necessary
papers. Sheriffs should get deputies who
do not commit such crimes. if they are
committed, for if true, they are the worst
| form of petty larceny, and intend to sift
| this matter to the bottom"