Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-01
DEPUTY ASSESSORS MAY LOSE
POSITIONS
Office of Assistant Park Superintend-
ent Is Abolished and Salary
for Chief Position Is
Increased

The recommendation was in the form
of an ordinance which was submitted
and adopted which specifies the num-
Der of men to be employed in the city
assessors Office and names the places
these men ar. to fill
The old ordinance under which the
present employees held their positions
was repealed and positions amounting
to the same thing are named in the
new ordinance.
No attempt was mace TO conceal the
feet that certain of the present EN-"
ployes are persona non grata to the
new chief of the office. Assessor Lewis,
and the council passed the sort of an
ordinance Lewis wanted.
May Lose Positions
If the new ordinance is carried INTO
effect it will mean that almost every
raan now employed in the assessor
office will lose his position.
The new schedule of employees pro-
vides for one chief valuation deputy at
salary of $125 month; eight perma-
rent deputies at salaries of $50
month; one cashier at 500 a month;
eight deputies to be employed from
January to July of each year at $50 a
months of each year. To this force
from March to July of each year at $9O
month.
The old force consisted of one chief
Ceputy, one map-maker, two valuation
clerks and six regular deputies for six
months of ecah year. To this force
extra men were added and discharged
under the requisition system as the
demands of the work required
The amount of work in the assessors
office fluctuates at different seasons
and the policy of employing and dis
charging men as they are needed has
been found an economical one.
Says Action Is Illegal
A deputy city attorney who is fa-
miliar with the city ordinances, said
last night that the council had made
serious mistake and added that he
did not believe the new ordinance
would stand the legal tests to which 1t
would undoubtedly be put.
The council also abolished the posi-
ton of assistant park superintendent
and increased the salary of the super
intendent to 5000 a month, which in
Guides the keeping of one horse.
Parish and Houghton voted against
the action of the council upon the as
SCISSORS ordinance and Parish made Il
speech against the adoption of the new
scheme. Parish argued that the new
ordinance opened the way for the
complete abrogation of the civil service
system and in addition to that there
was grave doubt of the legality of the
ordinance.
Parish said the new plan would in
crease the expenses of the city by a;
least $6OOO He also argued that the
action was ill-considered and entirely
t. hasty
For Police Surgeons
Two police surgeons We're provided
for at the police station at a salary Of
$3.50 per month each. Houghton want
ed one to be appointed as police sur
geon and the other as assistant police
surgeon, so as to fix responsibility
somewhere if anything went wrong,
but the council, as one of the members
expressed it, didn't want any doctors
tutting in with advice" Parish agreed
with Houghton and voted no"
An ordinance was passed which pro
vides that householders may keep only
one COW. within the city limits. Here
tofore they have been allowed to keep
two COWS.
Nearly all of the business transacted
at the afternoon session was based
upon the report of the committee OF the
whole. This committee met soon after
the lunch hour and was in session be-
hind closed doors for three hours or
more. The entire report of the COM
mittee was adopted by the council.
Section Of the report provides fol
more complete control by the city en-
gineer of street improvements made
under private contract. Section pro-
Vides for placing inspectors employee
by the street department under civil
service. The other sections have ret
erence to the action Of the council ON
the assessors Office
The purchase of a lot to be used as
site for a fire engine house at Cen
trai cvenue and Fifty-flrgt street was
T1ovidad for rrb,, Iot win eoet g1Gnn