The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-07
SENSATION,
County Officers Criticized
in a Grand Jury
Report.
PUBLIC FUNDS WASTED.
Large Sums Said to Have Been
Paid for Work Never
Done.
LAX METHODS OF SUPERVISORS.
Charged With Having Employed Men
for a Duty Themselves Should
Have Performed.

FRESNO, CAL, Dec 6-The Fresno
County Grand Jury made voluminous
partial report this evening, dealing in
some very interesting matters. The Super
visors receive great deal of attention, as
does County Recorder W. w. Machen.
Attention is called to the loose business
methods OF the Supervisors and several
other officers.
The principal part of the report is de-
voted to the bill of Armstrong & Deguerre
of San Francisco, amounting to $3.50, for
work done on record books, especially in
the Recorders office. After exporting the
whole work the jury finds it worth only
$780, A warrant for S1S99 has been issued,
but not paid for want of funds. The jury
suggests that payment be stopped.
The jury finds that there are numerous
volumes charged for in the Recorders
Office which in fact have no existence. One
bill itemizes twenty-seven books which
are stated to have been repaired and re-
bound, but there are not and never have
been such books in the Recorders office.
The bill also itemizes eight books in the
Auditors Office which it was stated had
been repaired. The fact of the case, the
Grand Jury declares, is that these books
are still in the same worn condition that
they were before Armstrong & Deguerre' s
workman came down and repaired the
books in the courthouse.
This bill, however, was Endorsed by the
county officers, in whose offices the work
had been said to have been done, with one
exception. The bill had charged for work
done in the County Clerks office, but in
comparing the bill Clerk Hart made mar
ginal memoranda stating that there were
various charges for work in his office which
had not been done. The Board of Super
visors paid no attention to these excep-
tons taken by Clerk Hart. nor were any
deductions made on that account when
the bill was finally allowed.
The jury finds that the Supervisors ap-
propriated $405 to the State Board of
Trade up to the end of the year. at the
rate of SIS per month, but that the sum of
$3.50 remained in the hands of ex-Mayor
s. H. Cole of this city up to to-day, when
it was paid over. The Grand Jury ap-
proves of the expense, but recommends
dealing directly with the State Board of
Trade.
The management of the hospital also re-
ceives attention from the jury, which con-
siders bills for drugs and clothing for the
hospital as excessive. By more careful
business methods on the part of the Super
visors, it is suggested, large sums of money
would be annually saved to the taxpayers.
The report criticizes the Supervisors for
paying the road overseers So a day, when
the Supervisors should attend to these
duties, for which they receive $500 per
anDum each. The jury then calls atten-
ton to the fact that the Treasurer and
Auditor have not complied with the law
in making out monthly statements as to
the county's finances and in performing
other minor duties.
The report of the Grand Jury was the
talk OF the city tonight, especially in
regard to the strange matter of the record
books. Auditor Barnum was seen by a
CALL correspondent, and he frankly ad-
mitted the truth of the. jury's report. He
said that in comparing the books he had
been deceived by Armstrong & Degurre's
agent regarding eight books. The Aud itor
said that he would refund to the county
the overcharge for which he was, in fact,
though innocently responsible.
Recorder Machen merely stated that the
Grand Jury had made mistake in regard
to his office.