The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-17
SHOCKS BILLS
AGAINST THE
SCHOOL BOARD
Juicy Contract for
Hardware.
MORE WORK FOR THE JURORS
RICH REWARD FOR A THICK
COAT OF WHITEWAsH.
Thousands of Dollars Spent During
August for Books for Indi-
gent School Chill
dren.
MORE WORK FOR THE JURORS
RICH REWARD FOR A THICK
COAT OF WHITEWASH.

Within the last three days the Auditors
office has been flooded with bills sent
down by the School Department
and it is estimated that claims against
the board amounting to fully $4,000 are
yet to be presented. These claims are
being held back as long as they possibly
can be, and the office of the secretary of
the board is fairly swamped with unpaid
demands. Pigeon-holes are clogged with
them desks are heaped high and drawers
are overlooking. The ring seems TO have
cast prudence to the winds and sought
to bankrupt the city as it has the school
fund
keep the Grand Jury in session steadily
until the end of it's term, and it looks as
though Expert fitzpatrick, instead of COM
pleting his report in ten days, as he ex-
poets, will be busy on it for a month at
least.
And those bills now in the hands Of the
Auditor What a story of recklessness,
not to say jobbery. they reveal-a story
that bids fair to prove the criminal deal
ings of the board as well as the conniv-
ance of certain outsiders.
James A. Shook is one of these outsid-
ers who seem destined to occupy no
little time and attention of the Grand
Jury before it concludes its Investigations.
Shook has already been brought into more
prominence than he probably cares for,
through his connection with the recent
lease of the Lincoln School property
which connection John P. Reynolds dwells
upon in his sensational suit.
Shook, it will be remembered was sec
rotary of the Grand Jury of a year or
more ago. He is also senior member of
the firm of James A. Shook & Co.. dealers in
carriage hardware and hardwood lumber
100 First street The Grand Jury of which
Shook was secretary distinguished itself
by filing a most laudatory report on the
Board of Education (the same board that
showing and a lot more rot of a similar
nature. Up to the filing of that report
Shook had been known merely as an ordf-
nary business man and as secretary of the
In remarkably short time after, how
ever, Shook was awarded contract for
furnishing hardware to the Board of
Education-a contract of great magnitude,
according to the bills in the Audi
puzzle many taxpayers to know what the
department can do with so much hard
ware.
the goods purchased from Shook under
his contract, but only the purchases dur
ing last July and August If there have
are among those still held up by the
board. The purchases prior to July have
already been paid for These are the
bills for the t .ss m months i1 named July
500 SO; July q, thirteen bills of the total
amount of 1922 49, August 2. two bills for
s62 05; August 8, one bill for 50 46; August
Is, six bills for a total of $219 rs; August
o. twenty-five bills amounting to S1093 Sc.
a grand total of S2S72 70 for hardware for
the two months.
for school supplies. Weber & CO.. is the
firm Secretary Welch was with for many
years prior to HIS entry into the School
Department and 1t has the contract for
supplying school furniture. The bills now
in the Auditors hands cover the period
from July 26 to September 10, and are as
of s6659 80; August q, thirteen bills for
total of S5149 81; August 20, one bill for
s49S 10; September TO- one bin for $2656.
The grand total of these bills is sl4,96S g..
1t NAV be claimed by members of the
Board of Education that much, If not all,
of this furniture was necessary to equip
the new Mission High School. but if
they set up such claim they will lay
themselves liable to the direct charge of
swindling the city, for the goods have
never been delivered there. An inspec-
made Yesterday by Call reporter and in
all the rooms 1t was found that the fur
nishngs were extremely meager, and all
of the cheapest possible description Any
honest dealer in town would jump at an
offer to duplicate all the furniture in the
building for $4,000. and he would realize
Handsomely on the job.
San Francisco like all large cities, has
its poor, but 1t has been the boast of her
citizens that the percentage OF INDECENT
is remarkably small, as compared to every
other city of its size in the Union Great
will be the establishment of the taxpayers,
then. to learn that on August q last, the
ham & Co. six bills of books for INDECENT
scnool children of the total value of
S3627 H. One can hardly conjecture what
children to school, but the way this board
is distributing books broadcast the
amount must be enormous. That is the