The San Francisco call., 1896-06-03
The Ex-Mayor Says Little, but
the Directors Are Not So
Reticent.
GIRLS WHO MAY BE RETAINED.
Attorney Harding Says That the
Manager Was Too Fond of
Personal Friends.

Ex-Msyor Ellert is out of job. He and
the directors Of the California Title and
Trust Company have clashed, and from
the stormy council chamber has come an
ex-Mavor with the additional title of
ex-mauag r.
Trouble had been brewing for months.
The climax came LAST Friday when ex-
Mayor ex-Manager Ebert discharged ten
OF the girls mployed by the company to
com pile records of City lots. The catastro-
phe could not long be averted after that,
and on Monday the directors followed Mr..
Ellert's example with bit OF retaliation
that may be as pleasing to the ten girls as
to the many other employees who were re-
moved from their positions IN the COM
pany during the last year and half
Mr.. Ellert comme nted very briefly upon
the situation when seen yesterday, but
some of the directors went into interesting
detail.
u rendered my resignation as general
manager and it was accepted yesterday"
he said, "but l still retain the position of
vice-president of the company and my
rights as q stoCkholder.
The business has been run on certain
lines for the year and half I have man.
aEGQ II, ana there nave Deen some ullIGI-
ences of opinion. Financially everything
is all right. for the business is in pros
porous condition. The discharge of those
girls was simply in accordance with
policy of midsummer retrenchment when
things are generally dull For that mat
ter there were fifteen others let out the
month before That is what caused the
misunderstanding
Director R. T. Harding, who is also at.
torney for the company, tells the story
this way:
"Ellert couldn't realize that he wasn't
in a political position. He wanted to run
the whole concern and employ his partic-
ular friends. He removed every one of
the employees be could, some thirty in all,
and replaced them by persons of his indi-
viduaI liking.
He tried to have the secretary ousted
and appealed to the board for assistance,
saying that he couldn't assume the re-
sponsibility. But the secretary and the
attorney are appointees of the board and
he could not discharge them. Failing TO
have the secretary removed be tried to
have me removed. Then the directors lost
patience. He had made an entire change
in the personnel of the Office except the
secretary, whom he asked US to remove,
but We wouldn't do 1t.
He's the hardest man l ever knew to
get along with. and even the Office boy
knows all his business. He wanted to be
popular by giving employment to his po-
litical friends.
These girls were engaged at the City
Hall in some very important work, which,
when completed, Will be worth thousands
of dollars. They were collecting data
about every lot in the City and recording
its Improvements.
I'VE wanted TO build up force of girls
for that work out there by training IN five
at time, but Ellert put in about forty all
at once. In tlusn months he wanted to
employ big force, and then when things
became dull he could discharge lot of the
girls and still have nice balanee-sheet to
show 10 the directors.
1--WE insisted recently upon keeping the
girls to do the plant work because they
were experienced and during the dull sea-
son could accom- plish great deal more.
There were but fifteen left and we thought
it preferable to keep them employed and
avoid the necessity of training In new girls
later.
"As chairman of the employment COM
mittee, [ called a meeting OF the board
for last Friday afternoon at o'clock.
Elert was invited to be present as an ex
officio member He did not come, but all
the directors were there. 1t was unani-
mously agreed that all the girls should be
retained. Just after the meeting adjourned
one of The directors met Ellert downstairs,
and he made the announcement that be
had been out to the hall already and dis
charged ten OF the girls.
"Y esterday the board met again. Every
mem Der was present and 30 was Ebert.
Resolutions were all prepared declaring
his office vacant. He saw how the di-
rectors felt and he made speech trying
to smooth matters over. but as he talked
on he was interrupted by questions, asked
for the purpose Of stopping his remarks.
Then he offered his resignation and it was
Immediately accepted.
For the present the business will go
along very nicely without q manager as
every thing is in good shape. l shall super
wise things, as l was formerly manager. In
a short time another manager will be ap-
pointed.
Next week l propose to re-employ the
girls that have been discharged"