The record-union., 1896-12-08
ACASE OF RAKE HER, BOYS 7
Berkeley Asylum Officials Want All In
Sight.
The State Board of Examiners Runs
Up Against Number of
SnagS.

At a meeting of the State Board of
Examiners yesterday the vouchers for
salaries of the officials of the Deaf,
Dumb and Blind Asylum at Berkeley
called out an emphatic refusal from
both the Governor and Secretary of
State to append their signatures until
satisfactory explanations had been
made. In one month the salaries had
increased from $4,000 to $1,000, while
the increase Of pupils had been very
small.
1t seemed to be the opinion that the
Directors of the institution had found
that a balance would be left in the
appropriation unless heroic measures
We're instituted, and that they intended
to follow the advice of a California leg
islator of early days, and sweep her
clean"
Secretary Markley was instructed to
communicate with the trustees, requir
ing an explanation as to why such an
unWarranted increase had been made.
Secretary of State Brown announced
that he was investigating the claim
of Major Pho Pico to ascertain whether
or not it had ever been paid by the
State.
Since August last the board has re-
fused to allow the bills presented by
the Managers of the Veterans Home,
holding that as part of the amount ap
prOpriated for maintenance had been
used for the erection of buildings on
the grounds, no funds We're available.
Yesterday, however, the bills for the
quarter, amounting to $11, $50, were al
lowed.
The question of purchasing San
Francisco Depot bonds with available
State money was once more called up,
and Governor Budd stated that, as the
Attorney had given an opin-
ion that the board had undoubted au-
thority to invest the money in bonds,
if it so desired, he should favor pur
chasing them, provided the abstract
was found without a flaw.
The Secretary was accordingly in
structed to request the holders of the
bonds to forward the abstracts for eX-
animation by the Attorney General,
and to notify them that if the abstracts
We're all right the purchase would be
made
J. NJ. Woods appeared to press his
claim against the State Board of Har-
Dor Commissioners and request the
board to recommend to the Legislature
that bill for the amount be allowed.
1t seems that F. J. and J. V. Owens
had taken a contract to construct sec
ton B of the San Francisco seawall,
their bid being $4,000. After the con-
tract was signed the prices of material
went up so that the wall was built at
a loss of S11 900. This amount was ad-
vanced by Woods, and his proposition
was to have a bill introduced in the
Legislature to pay him the amount, as
the sovereign people of the State We're
now enjoying the benefits of his SILL
900.
The Governor and the Secretary of
State were unit in denouncing such a
proceeding, contending that to make a
favorable recommendation for such
bill would, by establishing a precedent,
open the doors to innumerable frauds.
a contract, were such a construction
placed upon the matter, would not be
worth the paper on which it was writ
ten.
Mr.. Woods contended that the prece-
by Richard Ill, and honored by the
Prince of Wales, both of whom were
SovereignS
He was advised by the Governor to
get them to recommend his bill to the
Legislature, for he proposed to have
nothing whatever to do with it, and
would veto the bill if it We're passed.