The San Francisco call., 1898-05-18
Fire, Police, School and Other Departments Are in
 Danger.
PHELAN FIGURES AS HE
 HEFTS.
Expert Cyril Williams Pun cures the Mayors Errstc
 Criticism.

In attempting to explain the figures submitted by Cyril Williams. expert of the Supervisors Finance Committee. showing the probable expense of con- ducting the government under the new charter, Mayor Phelan has drawn ex- tensively on his imagination.
 The Mayor consumes just as much space in his newspaper organ as MT. Williams devotes to his estimates. but his results are so inaccurate that there Is a grim suspicion among the audit ing officers of the city government that he employed for the work a man who dealt with facts very much as the Mayor deals with politics.
 When asked to reply to the Mayor s figures Mr. Williams was very much disinclined to grant the request. He does not relish a controversy with the chief magistrate of the city, but in de- fense of his estimates he said that they had only been reached after a most exhaustive and careful digest of the provisions of the charter, and he was willing to go on record as saying that they were reliable.
 He added that they had been thor O0S4lIy 4llSPCClCO Oy OiCA n iNdooCAi OA the Board of Supervisors, and had passed his criticisms. They had also been accepted by Auditor Frederick, who said that they substantially agreed with the results produced by his clerks, who had gone through very much the same process employed by MT. Williams in reaching his conclusions.
 T do not desire" said MT. Williams, "to get into any wordy controversy con- cerning these estimates. They were compiled at the request of MT. Russell and Chairman Rottanzi, and were orig inally made, not for publication, but for the guidance of our department in case the charter is adopted. But since they have been questioned, l think 1t Is no more than proper for me to give you some additional facts tending to support them.
 Mayor Phelan says that the Chief of the Fire Department is authority for saying that under the charter he will not require an additional appropriation of more than S100,00 He thinks this at once disposes of $13S.500 of my esti- ma.ted increased expense. Since the Mayor said this have checked off my figures with MT. Maxwell, secretary of the Fire Department. and have found them correct. 1 have computed the salaries of the department officials as they are stated in the charter; have al lowed the department fire boat to cost $22,9S0, and have figured the ex- pense of maintaining a fully paid Fire Department, according to the ideas or the f1remen themselves.
 Under the charter each engine com pany will cost SIP, ,390 per annum, each hook-and-ladder company, $14, $40, each water-tower company $5040, each fire boat company $22,9SO and each chem ical engine company $5040. The addi- ton of all the expenses of maintaining fully paid Fire Department under the charter, without taking into ac- count any increase except that author ized, produces @ total of $612,2S0 An additional fireboat brings the total to $635, ,260. The appropriations for the Fire Department for 189798 were S396,- 000 The increase, therefore, is $239, 900.
 Police Department salaries have been omitted entirely by Mayor Phelan. After thoroughly revising the figures, l have made a reduction in the amount first estimated for the reason that the law allows sixty-siX sergeants and as many corporals as In the judgment of the commission may be advisable. estimated on sixty-s six corporals, but Chief Lees informs me that twelve will be sufficient, and 1 have made my fig ures to agree with his. The cost of the park police is in doubt, and I have not changed them
 "The total expense of maintaining the Police Department under the char ter will be $992 380 per annum. The appropriation for the current fiscal year was $714,94S. The excess author iZed by the new charter is, therefore. $277, ,432. The charter provides for re- taining all of the members of the pres ent police force in good standing. Chief Lees says that the park police will Id though it is not clear, but the charter intends that they should be controlled by the Park Commission. The expense of maintaining them last year was $1S.116. The only change in my figures. therefore, is made by taking off fifty four corporals.
 ''The Supervisors are authorized bv the charter to provide for a special fund to be used in the construction of a general system drainage and sewer age. l think it is not unreasonable to say that S50,000 will be a moderate amount to allow for this purpose.
 Mayor Phelan says nothing about annual elections, which will cost at least $1S0.000 each year. The Mayor also scouts my idea that s6O 900 addi- tional will be required to keep the streets clean under the charter. He says there Is no reason for this estimate whatever. The City Street Improve ment Company, the present contractor for sweeping the streets, gave me the following figures for the month of March: Expense of teaming and haul ing, S4500; salaries of inspectors, $500; wages of sweepers. If paid for at new charter rates, $11, $50; total, $16,65O. The street sweeping bill for March was $11,- 362 AS. This shows an increase in one month of $5287 52 I have, therefore. estimated the increase for twelve months at $60,000.
 Mayor Phelan figures the poll tax commissions of the Assessor as credit of S10,S25. This is a State matter and has nothing to do with municipal af- fairs. MT. Herzer Chief Deputy As sessor, says that MT. Siebe would de- cline to part with his fees, and I do not see how the State law regulating the collection of poll taxes can be ssaaSia<.d hIx &lsa E,lax,