The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-04
CITY OFFICIALS
HAVE CEASED
HOST|L|T|ES
Trouble Over Clerk
ships at an End.
TAX COLLECTING TO PROCEED
COLLECTOR sHEEHAN ADOPTS
MILLER METHODS.
Supervisors Will Allow Him the As
sistants Required in the Hand
ling of the Business Of
the Office.
TAX COLLECTING TO PROCEED
COLLECTOR SHEEHAN ADOPTS
MILLER METHODS.

Tax Collector Edward I. Sheehan has
ceased hostiities with the Finance Com
mittee of the Supervisors over the matter
of the employment of extra deputies re-
quired in his office. The struggle, which
was expected to assume large proportions,
was to all intents abandoned at a spe-
cial meeting of the Finance Committee at
the City Hall last night.
The committee had summoned Mr.. Shee-
han, ex-Tax Collector Block and Hiram
B. Cook, his deputy, to attend the meet
ing, and stormy session was anticipated.
Mr.. Block, however, refused to attend,
and as Mr. Cook was in Seattle 1t left
only Mr.. Sheehan to struggle with the
guardians of the city's welfare. 1t was
evident from the outset that change haG
come over the situation. Mr.. Sheehan was
suave, but not more so than the men
whom he had previously charged with
bringing the business of his office to a
standstill. The expected struggle did not
take place. Acting upon the advice of his
friends, Mr.. Sheehan determined not to
make an aggressive fight, but to meet the
Supervisors half way.
During the day he had been in confer
ence with representatives of the big
banking institutions which are clamoring
for their tax bills. They advised him to
ABANDON his contest, at the same time
age, which, he claimed, was the moving
cause of the present disagreement. There
We're mutual explanations last evening,
Supervisor Perrault saying that his asso-
ciotes had no desire to cripple the Tax
Collector in the performance of his duty.
On his part Mr.. Sheehan affirmed that he
recognized the right of the Finance Com
mittee to regulate the expenditure of
money in his office and believed that that
was the only system that would protect
the city from dishonest officials. Repeat
eddy during the meeting DR.. Perrault
placed Mr.. Sheehan on record to this eff
feet. Sheehan said he wanted to meet
the committee half way and to do only
that which was right
Upon the advice of his attorney, Eugene
F. Bert, Mr.. Sheehan withdrew the clause
in communication he sent to the board,
in which he expressed the opinion that
the new charter had gone into effect. An
draw the letter in it's entirety, but this he
declined to 40, preferring to await the
action of the board on Monday next on
the matter of salaries due his clerks for
services rendered in January.
There has been such a difference of
opinion as to the number of men actually
required in the Tax Collectors Office that
the members of the Finance Committee
have determined to investigate the mat
ter for themselves. They will spend Mon
day morning in the office, and will see the
amount of work to be handled. The most
pressing claims on the clerical staff at
the present time are the 1890 bills for
IleY
want to pay these before March l. Other
wise they will have to pay taxes on this
same amount of money they would have
in their vaults.
Last nights meeting was an adjourned
one from the morning session of the com.
nlittee. Expert Cyril Williams of the
board presented report as to the num-
Der of men required in the Office. From all
the data he could collect he said that the
preparation of seventy-two bills was an
average days work for one man. OPP
posed TO him was j. w. McCabe, formerly
chief deputy in the Tax Collectors office.
He thought the average was nearer 800
bills a day. He thought that three men
could do the work where Mr.. Sheehan
has asked for twenty-five. NotwithStand-
ing this low estimate he admitted that
while he was in the Office there were thir-
ty-eight men employed at corresponding
period. These discrepancies were not rec
onciled.
Dr. Perrault volunteered the statement
that he thought Mr.. McCabes ideas were
a bit radical, but that happy medium
would be struck.
The figures of the expert did not suit
Perrault, and he pressed him in the mat
ter of their verification. Mr.. Williams
acknowledged that his figures were not
exact but were based on the suppostion
as to the number of bills that viii come
in during February. This could not be
verified, as it was impossible to tell the
exact number tht would be received.
1t is expected that the controversy be-
tween the Supervisors and Mr.. Sheehan
will be amicably adjusted at the board
meeting Monday.