The herald., 1896-10-31
OPENED UP THE Ball.
Investigating the Fire De-
partment
Names CARRIED ON The PAY ROLL
That DO Not Show Up in the
House Reports
EXPL ANATIONS IN ORDER
Assistant Chief Ell Smith Answers the
Commissioners Questions
And Chief Moore Gives His Side Of the Story
In Detail
EXPL ANATIONS IN ORDER
Assistant Chief Ell Smith Answers the
Commissioners Questions
And Chief Moore Gives His Side OF the Story
In Detail
The Hearing Adjourned to the Next
Regular Meeting-Special Meeting
of Police Commissioners-The
Board Of Public Works.


Have dummies" been carried on the
payroll Of the fire department? Have
men been drawing pay as callmen with
out doing fire duty, and taking s25 per
| month each from the city treasury with
| out rendering any equivalent, beyond
| what they did in furthering the inter-
| ests of de push" in political way?
| An investigation was commenced by
| the fire commissioners yesterday after
| noon which will definitely answer these
| questions, and if more serious results
| do not follow. will at least probably rev.
olutionize the present system of time
keeping and finances of the department
| and put them on a business basis.
Mayor RAIDER, Chief Moore and Com
missioner Kuhrts returned from Stock
ton yesterday morning, where they had
been to inspect the working of the Bah
| cock aerial truck, which is in use in that
city, and which is now being considered,
with other proposals, as an addition TO
the Los Angeles appara tus, and the spe-
cial meeting was held in the mayors Of
flee at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, for the
investigation of discrepancies between
the payrolls of the department and the
| monthly reports a s presented to the de-
partment."
The payroll and the monthly reports
as submitted did not agree. and 1t was
! for the purpose of going over the docu-
ments and checking them up that the
| meeting was held. Commissioners Vet
ter, Grider and Bolts have been going
| over the reports, and they discovered
some names on the payroll that did not
show up on the house reports as turned
| in by the permanent man in charge. 1t
| might be well to state in this connection
| that only regularly appointed callmen
are recognized by the department and
| when one of these men takes a lay-off
| he is supposed to furnish a substitute
| and pay him out of his wages. AS near
as can be ascertained Conley is not on
| the house roll, but is carried on the pay
roll; he is supposed to be a substitute
| for VIM. Scheerer, who is also carried on
| the payroll as callman and draws pay,
| though he has been employed in the city
| tax collectors Office for some months.
| A callman named Riley has also been
| drawing his pay regularly a sa substi-
| tute Montgomery is also on the payroll.
| A man named Seelig has also been car
| ried on the payroll for four months,
| though he has never been around the
engine house nor performed fire duty.
Seelig is brother of Albert Searl, a for
mer newspaper reporter, now Temporal
rily employed in the city clerks office.
1t is claimed that Searl has always
drawn Seelig's warrant in fact that
| Seelig was put on the payroll for the
| sole purpose of helping Searl out"
| Tom Thye has also been carried on the
| payroll for months, though he has never
| done any fire duty.
| Chief Moore and Assistant Chief
| Ed Smith were summoned to appear be-
| fore the commissioners, and make such
| explanations of the matter as they saw
| fit. Assistant Smith was examined at
| considerable length. In answer to ques-
| tions, he stated that the men had never
| done fire duty, but lid not volunteer any
| information, neither did he try to evade
| anything, but answered all questions in
| a straightforward manner.
Chief Moore then made his explana-
ton. He denied that he had ever done
anything wrong and Indignantly de-
| MED that there had been anything in his
actions that could be construed as dis
| honest. In all of the cases mentioned,
| Mr.. Moore stated that they were abso-
| lutely straight. In the case of Seelig, he
might have been wrong, but there was
| nothing dishonest in his action. The
| chief explained at length about the
| transfers from one company to another,
| and Strengthened out and made plain
number of apparent discrepancies. He
| frankly admitted that the system of
| keeping the time and keeping the ac-
| counts of the department was not such
as he would wish, and said that it could
be improved if he was given sufficient
help. There were several spirited pas
| sages between the chief and Commits
sioner Vetter, the former seeming to
| think that the latter had been persecut-
| ing him. This intimation Mr.. Vetter
| warmly resented.
| AS the hour was growing late, and
Commissioner Kuhrts wanted to go
| duck-shooting, the hearing was ad-
| journed until the next regular meeting.
| There was also a little tiff between MIR.
| Vetter, who acted as secretary, and the
| chief, as to the wording of the minutes,
| and, after these had been amended, the
| commissioners adjourned.
| The commissioners were very reticent
after the meeting, and declined to be
| interviewed or express any opinion in
| advance of the official hearing by the
board. Mr.. RAIDER, however, stated that
| the chief had explained most of the
| items about which there was any ques-
| ton.
| Chief Moore likewise said he had moth
| ing to give for publication at this time,
| beyond saying that his action was
! straight. IT there had been abuses it
| was the fault of the system, not of him
self He courted a full investigation.
! Just what the outcome of the inquiry
will be can only be surmised. The sur
! face indications are that the department
| has been used by some people to do
! politics." and that the people have had
| to pay for the fun. There is no doubt,
| however, on one score, and that is that
| the whole business will be sIlted to the
bottom, and the responsibility placed
| where it belongs.
| Investigations in other offices and de-
| partments will follow in due time, and
some interesting facts may be develop
| ed between now and the election as 10
| how municipal officers liquidate private
| obligations at the public expense.
POLICE COMMISSIONERS