The herald., 1896-03-03
The Work on the Various Books
Is Completed
SHOULD PROVE INTERESTING
The Forthcoming Grand Jury Report on
City Officers
What the Experts Think Of the Book.kssp-
ing-Some Police Court Abuses Slightly
Touched Upon

Inc forthcomlng report OF the grand jury
on the various city offices is being anx-
iously awaited. The experts have con.
cluded their work on the books of all the
offices in the city hall that they were Or
dered to investigate, and are now engaged
in checking up the accounts of the police
clerks. OF course nothing official will be
given out in advance of the final report of
the grand jury, but from what has been
dropped pretty fair idea can be had of
the tenor of the report, excepting always
the possibility of the document being
"hung up' for revision.
In the case of the street superintendent,
| 1t Is claimed that the experts were highly
| pleased with the condition of the books in
that Office, and have not hesitated to de-
clare that they are the best kept and most
complete of any in the city hall. The
| amount of money which passes through
this Office is considerable, and, owing to
the great number of employees, and the
many chances for errors growing out of
the charges i'll the matter of street i'm
provements and similar work, Mr.. Howard
has taken special pains TO have his books
III proper shape, SO that every cent can be
accounted for.
The city clerk, il is also said, will come
in tor favorable mention, for the manner
III WHICH IlIS dCCOuittS are he)ts sllu itlSO lor
the way in which the records are kept and
indexed, by which system any ordinance
can be turned to at once.
In the matter of the city auditors office
there is said to be a disposition to critcise
the manner in which the books are kept.
No money is handled by the auditor, and
there is no suggestion that anything is
wrong from financial standpoint. There
is great deal of work to be done in this
office, and the experts seem to think that
there should be a more elaborate system OF
accounts, which of course would mean in
creased help. just what recommendation
will be made in this matter can only be
conjectured, as the report has not yet been
formulated.
The various other offices come in for
more or less extended notice, but nothing
in the way of sensational developments is
hinted at.
The investigation of the police courts has
brought out rather peculiar state OF
affairs. The police judges are ex-officio
justices OF the peace. and are competent to
sit in all cases in which any other magis-
trate is. In consequence, great deal of
civil business is transacted. For some
reason this civil business is very one-sided.
For instance, Justice Morrison has had
about 200 civil cases, as against 20 for
Justice Owens in the same length of time.
Each court has but one clerk, and the con-
sequence is that the work in Justice Nor
rison's department is behind. 1t is phys
ical impossibility for one man to do this
work, and it is claimed that the clerk has
been paying from $40 or $50 month out
OF his own salary for extra help in order to
keep up. The accounts are claimed TO be
all right in both departments. There was
some talk by the experts about recom
mending an assistant clerk for Justice Nor
rison's department, on account of the
great amount of civil work, but whether
this recommendation will be embodied in
the report remains to be seen.
Another matter has been brought to the
attention OF the grand jurymen in regard
to police court practice by lawyers and
others interested, which may receive some
attention. 1t is not believed that any Off
cial action can be taken in the matter be-
yond calling attention TO the evil and rec
ommending that the justices discounte-
nance the practice. 1t is alleged that
certain attorneys are favored, and that the
clerk "stands in.' That is, that when
parties put up cash bail the favored attor-
ney is notified of that fact and offers his
services, agreeing to take for his compen-
sation only SO much of the bail deposited as
he can save. For instance, it a man is
arrested as drunk and deposits So for his
appearance, the attorney will appear for
him, and. if it is not an aggravated case,
can generally get him off with $3 fine,
81 for the attorney and 81 for the clerk.
Of course. in cases of disturbing the peace,
where $40, and sometimes $40, is depos-
tied, the "rake OFF, is considerably more.
If the attorney can get his man off for
s. fine, there is SIS for his trouble, and if
$40 fine is imposed, there is still $40 to
divide, The offender could, of course, en-.
ter his plea himself and thereby save this
money if left to himself, for there is
no suggestion that either one of the JUS
tices is a party to the transaction; but the
average man. unused to the ways of
courts, thinks that he must have a legal
adviser, and when the attorney, who has
been previously coached by the clerk, pre-
sents himself and offers to defend the un-
fortunate for what he can save out of the
deposit, the offer is rarely refused.
other matters have alsO been laid harOro