The San Francisco call., 1905-06-18
Graft Charged to
Men On Dental
Board.
Misuse Of Public Money
and Conspiracy Is
Alleged.
Investigation and Expulsion
of Offenders Is Freely
PropheSied.

The State Board of Dental Examiners
Is divided against itself. and the seeth-
ing caIdron of discomfort is scheduled
10 boil over and develop a scandal of
large proportions ut the meeting of that
body in Los Angeles Tomorrow. At
that meeting DrS. Russell II. Cool aud
John VI. Dunn will formally charge DR..
Fred C.. Baird, The president, and Drs.
Herrick. Howard, White and Mayhew,
constituting Il majority OF the board,
with using their positions to further
their tndis idual interests.
MiSaPpropriaIion OF funds, cOnspir-
acY and various other OffenSes of less
serious character Will be alleged. The
amount OF money involved is several
Thousand dollars, and following iplnIe-
diafely upon the filing OF the charges
suit to recover this sum will be brought
against Dr. Baird. Governor Pardee is
also expected TO take a hand, and Il
rigid investigation that Will result in
q cleaning out of the board is freely
prophesied.
While the suit for the restitution of
funds alleged to have been illegally
appropriated viii be primarily directed
against DE. Baird it is said that Drs.
Arthur B. Maybew of Palo Alto; c. A.
Herriek of Jackson, AmadOr County; E.
G. Howard os Los Angeles and George
A. White Of Santa Barbara will be In
voIved 20 a greater or less degree as
co-cOnSpfratOrS.
The board yesterday finished its regu-
lar examinations in this city of appli-
cants for license. Drs. Dunn and Cool
had proposed 70 launch their charges
against the accused members at the af-
uernoon session. but the Baird followers
smelled e rat and an adjournment to Los
AnCelaS VA ted ha
ing was called to order, so that the scan
oal was temporarily averted.
POCKETS THE FEES.
Among the many things alleged against
DR.. Baird is that he has promiscuously
granted temporary licenses, for which he
received q IS fee each. In support of this
charge the afhdavits of two dentists, one
IN this city and one in Chico, are in the
possession Of Drs. Cool and Dunn. These
sflants allege that they secured their Ii
censes by the mere payment Of the s.
fee TO DR.. Baird, no questions being asked
and no written examination given.
DR.. Baird also will be charged with
having grossly rnisused the Office of sec
retsry Of the board, which he held for
two years, and the office of president,
which he now holds. 1t is charged that
DR.. Baird has misused the funds of the
State board and spent more Of the board 8
money than any preceding officer. Last
year when acting as secretary of the
board Baird drew from the funds of the
board and secured from the wholesale
granting Of temporary licenses more than
$500, over 1900 more than ever before
collected by any previous secretary Of
the board. Previous boards rarely had
an expense OF more than S35 or $50 for the
secretary's Office. These facts are a mat
ter OF public record. The dentists bring
ing the charges against Baird claim that
they win show that the moneys drawn
from the treasury Of the board by DR..
Baird were not actual expenses. but
taken Illegally from the boards funds.
Speaking last night OF the alleged irregu-
larities OF Baird, Drs. Cool and Dunn
said:
0Dr. Baird is no ut man to represent
the dentists of California on the State
board He has granted more temporary
licenses than all of the members of the
board ten times over, merely, we be-
-neve we can show, TO gain the pecuni-
ary benefit. On days when business is
dull he takes Jaunts into the country to
look for Illegal practitioners. For this
he charges the board SO day. He
has gone TO fhe various dental depots
about town and asked the clerks 10
send any one asking for a member OF
the State BOARD of Dental Examiners to
lottcd 10 the man giving an examination
for temporary license. Further than
this, he fagrantly violated the State
dental law by putting I'm bill for $50 a
month for acting as secretary when he
held that office. The law plainly states
that the position of dental examiner is
an honorary one. and that the members
of the dental board shall receive no
compensation for their services, other
than $40 n day for the time actually
spent I'm giving examinations to appIi-
cants for permanent licenses. DIR.
Baird employed his wife to assist him
as secretary, and charged the board $50
for her services. He also employed "A
man TO look up Illegal practitioners,
payfng him $40 month. All this ex-
pcnxe was in open violation of the law.
The better element of the board sought
to throw out these bills, but Baird, by
some peculiar influence, held sway over
the majority.
sThere have been NO more Illegal
practitioners prosecuted under the ad-
nainssfration of the present dental
honrd than under any previous board.
vet the expenses have been multiplied
twelve fold.-
CHARGED WITH DIsC0URTEsY.
IT is further claimed that Dr. Baird
has at all times since he became z MEM
her Of the State board been gruf and dis
courteous to applicants asking for in
formation and access to the boards rec
ords It is alleged that Dr. Baird, in
stead of prosecuting illegal practitioners,
of whom there are hundreds in the State
has devoted his time. for which he
eharged the State SO Gay. in bringing