The San Francisco call., 1904-10-07
GEORGE KLINK
IS TO RETIRE
Auditor of the Southern
Pacific Resigns a Posi-
tion He Held for Years
NEWS A BIG SURPRISE
Is Ordered to Portland by
EraStus Young, but Re-
fuses to Make the Change

George T. Klink. auditor and assist
ant secretary of the Southern Pacific
Company, with which he has been
connected for twenty-five years, has
severed his connections with that cor
poration. He resigned on Monday last
after an attempt had been made by
Erastus Young. general auditor of the
Hartman lines, to transfer him TO
Portland as auditor of the Oregon
Railroad and Navigation Company,
Klink refused to accept the new posi-
tion and promptly rendered his resig
nation.
The retirement of Klink, who is one
or the best known railroad officials in
the West and a man whose compe-
tency has never been questioned, grew
out of a plan of General Auditor
Young to shift all the auditors of the
Hartman lines. Young and represen-
tatives from the accounting depart
ments of all the Hartman lines have
been in conference in this city for sew
eral weeks discussing plans for sys-
tematizing the accounting methods on
all the roads that make UP the big
western railroad system.
RESENTS A CHANGE.
Last week Young suddenly an
nounced a number of changes in the
heads of the accounting offices. Klink
was ordered to Portland to assume
charge of the accounts of the Oregon
Railroad and Navigation Company; Z.
S. Benson, auditor of the o. R. & n.
Houston as auditor of the Hartman
lines in Texas, and c. B. Seger, Who is
at present auditor of the Texas lines,
was ordered to come to this city to
succeed Klink.
Klink, who was reared in Vallejo
and has spent the better part of his
life in San Francisco, did not take
kindly to the idea of giving up his
lifelong associations. He also resent
ed what he regarded ingratitude for
his long services with the Southern
Pacific Company by being transferred
to a less important and distant posi-
ton in the north. His only alterna-
tive being retirement from the en-
ployment Of the company he prompt
ly resigned.
OMAHA MAN COMING.
Yesterday it was annouced that
Erastus Young had decided to ap-
point A. B. Southard, at present audi
tor Of the passenger receipts depart
ment of the Union Pacific Company,
to the position refused by Klink at
Portland. and it was learned later that
Southard has already started for this
city in response to a telegram from
Young. Kinks resignation has caused
a great stir in local railroad circles,
where he has many friends who are
at a loss for an explanation for
Young's strange treatment of the
Southern Pacific Company's auditor.
When he announced his changes last
week Young stated to the assembled
representatives of the accounting de-
partments that the move was made
simply to disassociate the auditors
from the employees of the various
roads with whom they had come in
contact for many years, believing that
a change to a new field would Increase
the efficiency of the Hartman serv-
ice. When seen yesterday Klink de-
clined to discuss his resignation and
General Auditor Young, following
strictly the mandate issued by Presi-
dent Hartman a year ago, will not
talk
Klink will quit the company at the
end of the month.