Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-07-09
ALMSH0USE AFFAIRS.
Poor Committee Have a LiYely Discus.
sion Of the Investigation.
THE ABSENCE OF MIR. NOBLE.
lie Not being Present No Report
Was Made and There VIII he AM
other session-Supt. Carter Courts
the Fullest Inquiry. L


Of the Poor. The body met at the city
nln,shouse ana was In session for seve-
raj hours The members present WERE
Messrs. Mcdowell chairman Brock
Dcnleavy, Seay. Snead Blake. ana Reeve.
MIR. F.rriter was reported TO be out OF
Town. and Mr.. Noble was the only other
( member absent.
The reports Of the superintendent, anu
81 physician of the institution were received
4 and ordered TO be filed on motion OF Mr..
y Reeve. The report of superintendent
s. Garter showed that on May 81, 1885, there
g werA In the institution 2S inmates. Dd-
ring the past month there were received:
fNyblte- Men. 70: women, Y; children, 3;
81 total 80. Colored--Men. 10; women, u;
n children. 3: total, 20. During the past
n period the following persons were as
a charged: White-Men. 10; women . chii-
r 0ren. 2: total. q ColOred-Men, I: wo-
men, 10: children. 2: total. 49, During lhe
q month Of June there died In the msiitu-
ton: Colored-men, 2; women, I, chiiuten'
/: total, 10. on June 80. 1888. there re-
Il manned in the almshOuse AS "ersoHs'
Il against 2iO remaining on the correspond
Ing day last year
finder the heading of reports from sub
4 committees ar. Blake arose ana stated
n ON behalf OF the committee appointed TO
Il Investigate the affairs Of the department
that that body had not yet taken any
g az ton. for, owing TO the absence OF lh9
Ythalrman. no report had been agreed
upon. However he was prepared to re-
port the facts in the case.
Mr. Seay desired TO know II the sub
Hcommittee had ever done anything In re-
B gard to agreeing on n report, and was
Il Informed I'm the negative. He said he was
very anxious to see the report SUBJ
united, for he felt confident that II ms
was done everybody would be satisfied.
II facts had been obtained by the sub
committee ne thought It would be Inn
material what form they were In, and he
therefore moved that the matter be
taken w.
STATEMENT or FACTS
Mr.. Blake stated that the subject was
brought up 10y him about three meetings
ago when he desired 90 have the ques-
lion as to salaries Of employees investi-
gated At that time Mr.. Noble offered
substitute providing FOR an investigation
OF the entire department. While the
subcommittee had held two meetings,
this Investigation had never been gone
into. lie thought all public officers ought
10 be willing 10 have their affairs invcsti-
gated at certain times, 1t was the duty
Of tho Mayor Of the city, under the law,
to have the different departments investi-
gated every twelve months, and II this
had be done I'm the past the fact Of
deficiency In the Gas Department would
not have occurred.
Captain Reeve thought the trouble was
that these Investigations had not taken
place before. Every department should
BE- investigated at certain periods. and
If this was done there could be no re-
Election implied on any officer In this
instance the question OF investigating had
come up In an irregular way. and II might
look as If it was intended to cast Il re-
fection on the superintendent
Superintendent Carter then addressed
the committee. and called attention to the
fact that the money received by him
during the year amounted TO about SO
from the sale of slops, bones. and old
barrels. This money was at once turned
by him into the city treasury, Purchases
for the use Of the department were only
paid after the bills had been signed by
the chairman OF the committee, as well
ss 10y the superintendent.
REFLECTS ON THE DEPARTMENT.
MIR. Brock here referred TO an article
published that evening in the Richmond
Star. which he thought reflected seriously
upon this department. Upon Mr., Brooks
motion the article was read. Here IL is:
1T Is more than probable that an in
vostigation will be had into the conduct
of another OF the city departments at an
early date. An inquiry as ia an unitem-
lied charge that appeared with great
uniformity, reaching the same total month
after month causes some of the commit
tee To think there may be a nest OF mice
I'm this cheese-b0X. The investigation now
being made Of the Gas Department has
4 III
one 20 give out anything save surmises
as TO the condition OF affairs In that de-
partment, ana the Star has refused 10
make guesses."
THE VEGETABLE BILLS.
Superintendent Garter then again asked
for the privilege of being heard, and
stated that he would like to have the
matter thoroughly Investigated. and he
was anxious TO have the report of the sub
committee taken up at that meeting II
possible. He had heard IL said that eggs
and chickens had been taken away from
the institution, 10 be only returned so
that they might be bought over again
by him This story had come To him
through one OF the employees. lie had
written 10 the two parties who. he was
told. had circulated these stories, but had
received no reply from them lie could
say. however, that whoever circulated
these stories would have 10 answer for
them. IL had also been charged against
him that ne had presented bill of $40
every two months for vegetables and TINS
was the matter the newspaper article just
read alluded 10. IL was true that bills OF
that amount had been regularly present
cd. but frequently the bills had exceeded
0at amount, and he had then endeavored
20 curtail these expenses the next time.
The bill presented by him In the June &C.
count, for instance actually exceeded $S7, |
and yet he had cut IL down 10 SIS intend !
ing to have the balance accounted for the |
next time.
Mr. Blake here stated that possibly the |
publicatiO referred to was the outcome OF |
a conversation which he had that day |
with Star reporter. and he added that I
he had mentioned the fact that al a pre-
vious meeting Mr.. Noble had stated that 1
Mr. Carriers bill for vegetables had been /
$75 every two months for the past five or |
six years. and he gave as his opinion that !
Mr.. Carter was wrong in the manner in |
which he brought in his bills
Mr.. Carter explained that sundays, |
Wednesdays. and Fridays cere vegetable |
DAYS. and that for those days he bought /
an the vegetables that came In his reach. |
II the bill was running too high one time I
he would feed afterwards on these days |
on Irish potatoes and rice, which were |
raid for out OF the general account In or |
der to keep within the amount of SO. lie !
always endeayoTed To regulate his ac- 4
count with that end In view, but OF course |
he had to be guided largely by the price |
oil vegetables.
MIR. MOBILES ABSENCE.
Mr.. Brock thought Mr. Noble should be |
rrfrpr,op.1 "a amman before the commit ]