Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1896-02-27
and his reports gave no intimation of

errors in the books.
Now, I will go over the resolution
with you-the resolution which pro-
vides for the collection of certain sums
from the Board, which was adopted by
Council.
% $17O.5S, the amount paid ]. A.
Holiday e Son for the work done on
the Harvey plant This was ordered
and paid for when I was not present,
but there is a question as to whether
under our contract we were not to
house that building.
'(2) '$161S2 overpaid c. W. Rixey Tor
hculing. The Secretary lays his bills
before us, and we are not supposed to
examine them for clerical errors. They
are presumed to be correct. and if not
the errors should be discovered by the
auditor
"(3) '$752.92. the amount being for the
/ $37646 which the Gas Trustees took
credit for three times, and paid but
once I learn that this error was made
during the first week of Mr.. Fees in
cumbency. Mr.. Fee gave eX-Secretary
He'll a receipt for what was there, and
in balancing found a shortage of that
amount, and no vouchers. To straight
en- the matter, the made the entries
which he thought were proper. and
which were afterwards approved by the
auditor
90 Also $52.36. freight on coal
which the city paid twice and Henry
Floersheim once. the city being charged
once too often for the same This is
palpablv an error of the Secretary.
90 'S95.GS check 1912 to paw sundry
bills. said to he paid for Jas. Gardener,
IT.. no voucher I know absolutely
nothing about this. The voucher
should ne there.
"(G also 5000. check drawn to
close deposit account This was one OF
the last thing done by the last adj
ministration. The report of the COM
mittee shows how the account was
created Before the new administra-
ton took charge. attention was called
to this balance. and the Secretary was
instructed TO deposit it in bank
"C0 'S277 the city is bound for to the
Isabelle Porter Company, Of New
York This work was ordered by Mr.
Darrah 10 make the connections be-
tween the city mains and the Harvey
plant Neither Nr. Holiday nor my
self know ANYTHING about it. and GER
tai0lv did not authorize it,"
With re'erepuce 10 the alleged over
pays to Henry FlOersBeim on coal
contracts. Mr. Buchanan said: at an
pears that there was a clerical error Of
500 bushels in favor Of Mr. Floersheim
and I have no doubt he will refund the
amount Mr. SchultZe drew ND the CON
tract in which it is stated that the coal
must be delivered at the plant. but he
will saw 7 am sure that it was the I'M
derstandiDg that the price aPrePd UpOn
was for coal : o. b. cars in the Hemp
field ward Does the committee mean
to imnlv that we should send detect
i've IN 10 the coal REGIONS 10 ascertain
whether Mr.. Floersheim tells the truth
when he Save the price of mining has
advanced Tho charge Of favOriteism
in awarding the contract TO Floor
sheim refers 70 the last contract. The
method Of bidding was correctly stated
i'm the report Of the committee. and it
was the only proper vav 10 get at IT,
II is not true that we only use the best
grade Of coal at the gas works. The
Sunerintendont is now under iustrUc-
tiOns to use the second quality Of coal"
An effort was made to see Mr. II. n.
Dunlevy. another member OF the Board,
but Mr.. Dunlevy left for Sistersville
Yesterday morning to look after some
oil interests.
FX-Secretarv w. II. Fee was seen yes
terGay and asked for his opinion Of the
renort He said
"That hc,7 has been any dishonesty
on the part Of any one connected with
the gas office. during the period covered
by the committees enquiry, I do not
believe. There may have been errors
of judgment or of firures-mistakes Oc-
cur or are liable to occur in any bust
ness as large as that Of the gas depart
mcnt of the city government, but ! am
thoroughly satisfied il does not 20 be-
y0nd that. II certainly does not, as far
as 7 am concerned. or as far as | have
knowledge. The Secretary of the Board
neither handles the cash nor goes over
an he details of keeping the books. He
could not do il. for the system in vogue
is too cumbrOus and complicated. Ny
Official acts were always subject to the
scrutiny and approval OF the Board and
they were protected by employing an
auditor to go over the books. and sub
NIT a report in writing as to the condi-
ton and accuracy Of the accounts. A
mistake made. I could never detect il,
under the system i'm use, although the
aud Or. ~, fcr,t do so -
What have you to say to the alleged
heavy overpayment TO Henry Flor
sheim. for hauling coal to the works
under The contract of September, 1892
"That contract was drawn by Mr..
Schultze. and was the usual contract, or
was intended to be by all parties TO it.
The city always paid for hauling the
coal. and Mr.. Schultze Will say if the
words delivered at works are in it,
the " were inserted there through mis-
take and were never intended to be put
there. The error of five hundred tons
is a manifest error, and so of number
of other matters pointed out by the
Committee"
What of the allegation of dishon-
es.y in collections of delinQuents?"
"If there was anything of the sort
which do rot believe do not see how
7 could have we'll detected IT, Bills
Nigh be taken out. collections made
and not accounted for, but the discov-