The San Francisco call., 1904-11-30
DOCTOR WARD
FAVORS BOARD
Justifies Action in Abolish
ing Positions and Fill
ing Places With New Men
CRITICISM is SEVERE
Witness Reluctantly Tells
of Acts of Inefficiency
of Discharged Employees

With a deftness becoming his pro-
fession. DR.. James w. Ward, president
of the Board of Health, yesterday laid
open the internal affairs of that body
for the benefit of Judge Sloss and the
lawyers in the case of John E. Quinn
against Auditor Baehr and Treasurer
MacDougald. Quinn. as a taxpayer,
is backed by the Merchants Associa-
ton in an action to enjoin the pay
ment of salaries to the deputy health
officer and inspecting physicians
whose Offices were created for them
on January 8 last.
DR.. Ward was on the stand nearly
all day and was examined by Attor-
neys Wright and Franklin K. Lane
and cross-examined by Abe Ruef. He
said there was a tight combination
against himself and DR.. Stinson in the
old board and DR.. Stinson later cor
roborated this statement. DR.. Ward
justified the present board in its ac-
tion in abolishing several positions
and in creating new places which
were filled with other men. The
changes. he said, had been made in
good faith and in the interests Of
economy. In six months a saving to
the city of $500 had been effected
and in the last budget the Health
Board allowance had been cut down
$4,000. The new system of inspec-
ton, he declared, had benefited the
working people in the factories, low
cred the number Of epidemic diseases
and reduced the mortality of children
to a rate lower than that of any pre-
Vious year. On account of this in
spection the bubonic plague had been
obliterated among the whites-he
knew of two cases of the plague hav-
ing existed.
WOULD NOT WORK.
The doctor declared that it was use
less TO attempt to get the old en-
ployes 10 do the work they should do;
they were unwilling to change to a
larger service and the majority of the
old board was in sympathy with
them. There were so many clerks, he
said. that they fell over one. another
in doing the work. The doctor was
disinclined to go into personalities or
details in the question of inefficiency,
but was instructed by the court :" an
swer Mr.. Wright's queries. Then he
declared that James A. Emory, for
ner secretary the board, had spent
little time in his Office, but was in the
Police Court helping his political
friends, or before the Supervisors do
ing politics for himself and the board.
He said that Assistant Secretary Cam
eron was efficient as TO his ability as
a bookkeeper, but inefficient in the
performance of his work. He would
frequently go downtown when he
should have been at work and was
seen. said the witness, riding around
in a carriage. He also, it was de-
cIared, spent q portion of his time at
F'innegan's saloon at Golden Gate
avenue and Larkin street, where un-
-dertakers, who applied TO him for
burial permits, were obliged to spend
from 81 to 81 over the bar.
Mr.. Wright asked the doctor if, on
the day of Cameron's dismissal, he
had not complimented him on his
efficiency and told him that the
change was the turn of the political
wheel. The doctor denied this and 1T
brought up the matter of his testi-
monv before the Board of Supervisors
on January 8 in the investigation into
the boards action in making the
changes.
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