The San Francisco call., 1896-06-10
Health Department Has Over
run Its Limit On Three
Appropriations.
THE GAS BILL IS SHORT.
Auditor Broderick Thinks There 1;
Money Enough, but 1t Will Have
to Be Redistributed.

Six of the seventy-one separate funds in
the general fund of the City and County
created by the appropriation ordinance at
the beginning of the fiscal year are at the
beginning of this, the last month OF the
year, already overdrawn. The streetlight-
ing fund is in such condition that the
Supervisors have given warning to the
gas and electric light companies to dis
continue their services to the City after the
18th of the present month. This means
nothing less than that the great City OF
San Francisco will present to the country
the humiliating spectacle of unlighted
treets for two weeks with no better ex-
cuse to offer to the curious stranger than
that she is unable to pay her gas BILL
ust why the appropriation should have
run short on an amount so easily reckoned
and provided against as the gas bill is not
easily understood. Auditor Broderick
says it is a case of "doing politics" in the
outer wards. New lights" he says, ''are
put up at the demand of every corner gro
Gerry in districts where dozen men do
not pass during the entire night. Electric
lights are put up at street crossings where
they throw, say, 500-candle-power down
the four ways of the two streets, and the
City is charged with 2000 candle-power.
That's what's the matter with the street
lighting account, in my opinion, he says.
Three of the six appropriations that
have overrun are those of the Health De
partment. The Health Department ex-
penses fund, for which an appropriation
was made of $29, 800, is now overrun $653 go.
The Health Department iaiis and prisons
fund for which an appropriation was
made of $500, is overrun $36 10. The
Health Department quarantine fund, for
which an appropriation OF $6oOO was made,
IS overdrawn $427 49.
OF all the departments provided for in
the general fund this is in the worst con-
ditlon. The Health Department fund is
divided into four funds-Health Depart
ment expenses, smallpox, jails and prisons,
and quarantine. The only one OF these
that is not oYerdrawn already is the small
pox fund.
It originally amounted 70 $4400 It has
been drawn upon to the amount of $2560 35,
and has therefore to Its credit in the treas
ury $1839 65.
The separate integrity of each of these
funds must be maintained. That is to
saw, no one of them may be drawn upon
for the needs of the other. Furth ermore,
under the specific language OF section OF
the order, the funds must be divided into
twelve parts, and no greater sum than one
of these parts shall be used in any one
month. That stipulation is made to re-
strain any tendency to prodigahty and so
that the money shall last through the
year-to provide against feasting one
month and famine the next.
In six cases referred to this section OF
the order has been violated, including the
street lighting. In seventh instance
reporters expenses in criminal cases-the
appropriation has been oyerrun already to
the sum of $4033 81 but as this is done
under al order of the court, il is excepted
from direct violation Of the order.
The other two violations are compare
lively trif1ing. They are in the contingent
expenses of the City and County Attor-
ney, o yerrun SO 95, the fund being originally
$500; printing the municipal report, over
run $461 78, the fund originally being $500.
OF all of these as stated, that of the
public health is the only department of
the Government provided for in the gen.
eral fund that is oVerdrawn in its finances.
According to the one-twelfth provision of
the order requiring expenditures for every
month to be kept within one-twelfth of
the total appropriation there should be
$500 in the Health Department ex-
penses fund, instead OF being 1868 60 over
drawn; there should be $500 in the quar-
antine fund instead of its being S427 over
drawn, and there should be twice as much
in the iaIls ,and prisons fund as it now
stands overdrawn.
This is the time of year when the City's
bookkeepers and fnanciers are kept
hustling in their endeavor to make both
ends meet. This time last year con-
tractors were refusing to supply provisions
to the City's institutions, its jails and hos
pitals, and this same device was mooted
of shutting off the gas and electric lights
in the streets for the saving of as much
money as that would mean.
Auditor Broderick says he does not
think any such trouble will arise this year
in the matter of provisions. Further, he
thinks the way out of any trouble in meet
ing all obligations this year is very sim
pie, and that is in this last month to
break down the barrier between the sew
eral funds. Section of the appropriation
order makes it unlawful for the Auditor
to audit any bills drawn upon any of the
funds in excess of the appropriation made
for that fund.
Yesterday he began to chang up' war
rants drawn in such excess.
There are number of the funds which
will not be entirely expended. The excess
remaining to their credit, he thinks, will
meet the amount of the deficiency in those
tba+ ara overdrawn The reDeal of section