The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-01
Contractors Have Stopped Fur
nishing Supplies to
the City.
TALKING, AS A RENE DY, FAILS.
Auditor Frederick Proposes a Plan
to Bring the Contractors
to Terms.


pending starvation. He has a scheme
which is calculated to loosen the vertebra of
the contractors who have seen an oppor-
tunity in the City's distress, and shown a
disposition to seize it. The contractors
have given notice that they will furnish
supplies no longer unless there is money
in the treasury to pay them.
The law has been quoted to them so
often that they Unjust know the status of
the treasury before delivering the goods"
and as the status of the treasury has been
very well advertised lately, these notices
were to be expected.
But in an extremity such as calls for the
donations by the employees of the City of
the salaries they have earned, the en-
ployes will dou btless hail any solution of
the difficulty which renders this unneces-
sary as something in the nature of boon.
Auditor Brode rick takes the ground that
the contrac tors must live up to their con-
tract or render themselves liable. They
have contracted to furnish supplies for the
fiscal year. and when they quit before the
year is UP the contract is broken.
81 believe it is time to get in and take
the City's part in this business" he said
Yesterday. "The contractors have been
running bluff on the Finance Committee
| and everybody seems to be bowling before
| them as though we had no rights in the
matter whatever. Suppose l make up my
mind not to audit their April bills on the
ground that they have broken their con-
| tracts? Do you see? That will leave
money enough in the treasury to enable
the Finance Committee to go into the open
market and buy provisions at spot cash
| l. 4halc o.,.Nr H.
| for April and no doubt money would come
in sufficient to see US through May also.
"With May we will have paid salaries
| twelve times in this fiscal year, and no
man could object to only holding off the
payment for a few weeks into the next
| fiscal year, which begins in July. The
taxes will then begin to come in and the
| situation will ease up.
''They have asked me to sign a guar
| antee not to present warrants for myself
and my men until the 10Th of the month, :"
| he continued. THAT is all very well, but
/ don't think the plan will work, and / re-
fused to sign it. Suppose Mr.. Whelan or
some other head of department finds a
rogue in his employ and discharges him.
He would come straightway to me and if L
! refused to audit his demand he could man.
damus me. Hall the men in the depart
ments are in no position to hold out their
warrants, anyhow"
Nevertheless most of the other heads of
departments at the City Hall were WORK.
| ing on that line all day yesterday as the
only means which recommended itself to
them as way to keep the larders and bins
of the Citys institutions filled.
A meeting was held in the morning
which was neither as well attended nor as
unanimous In Sentiment as it might have
been. Superintendent Moulder preside d.
but it was stated early in the proceedings
that the schoolteachers, not receiving
their pay from the general fund. could not
be asked to contribute.
Neither the Tax Collectors, Auditors,
Recorders or Justices clerks offices were
represented. Mr.. Cresweu presented his
resolution of the day before with proviso
which met the objections offered to it at
that time-that it placed no condition
upon the contractors. The resolution
read:
Resolred, That the officers composing the
heads of the departments of the City and
County of San Francisco, whose salaries are
provided for by law, agree not to present
their salary demands for the month of May,
1895, until the 18th day of June, 1895, in
order that the money due might be used in
the payment of the expenses OF the Fire De-
partment, hospital, jails and Almhouse for
the last two months of the present fiscal year,
and will present the urgency of the situation
to their subordinates and request them to do
the same with their salary demands, provided
aforesaid, shall file with the chairman of the
Finance Committee of the Board of Supervisors
their consent TO continue to supply material to
the City for such purposes during the months
of May and June, 1895.
The resolution was adopted by unan-
imous vote-the votes of Sheriff Whelan,
License Collector Lees, Chief Deputy AS
SCISSOR Herzer, Deputy County Clerk Lee,
Assistant Chief Engineer Dougherty, City
Attorney Creswell, Street Superintendent
Ashworth and Gas Inspector Newman.
Gas Inspector Newman and Sheriff Whe-
Ian were appointed a committee to present
the resolution to the heads of the other
departments for their signatures.
When the committee called on the Au-
ditor, as stated, he declined to sign it.
Acting Chief Dougherty said that unless
supplies were furnished to-day he would
be compelled to disband the Fire Depart
ment, as both feed and coal were ex-
hausted.
The meeting adjourned until tomorrow,
when it is expected the contractors will be
present or be heard from as to whether
they would, upon the assurance of this
resolution, continue to furnish supplies.
'sIf they do not" said City Attorney
Creswell, 1--WE will endeavor to raise fund
by subscription. We can certainly raise
$1,000, as tomorrow will be payday.
With this provisions in considerable
quantity can be purchased"
To-day the limit will have been reached
and funds will have to be raised in some
way if the contractors still refuse to fur
nish supplies.
The Fire Department reached the last
ditch on Monday night and within the
next twenty-four hours will be literally
crowded out. Acting Chief Dougherty is
at his wits end. On Monday night the
supply of hay, straw and oats in the
engine and truck houses in the downtown
districts east of Polk and Sixth streets was
exhausted. In the Mission and Western
Addition districts there was still enough
to last from three to seven days. Dough-
erty at once ordered an even distribution
of fodder for the livestock, that is, he took
feed from the places where there was the
most on hand and gave it to the engine
companies where the last straw had been
consumed.
At engine-house 2, ON Bush street, near
Kearny, the supply ran out on Monday
afternoon, and since then the horses have
been fed on hay borrowed from the st.
George stables, next door. In this respect
engine is the most fortunate of any, as
the other engine companies have not even
the opportunity of borrowing food for the
horses. There are in the Fire Department
200 horses to be fed, of which It's are in
actual service. The drivers have been in
foa