The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-05-29
WHITEWASH FOR
CITY OFFICERS
Council Committee Says Work
of Special Auditors Was
Careless.

The report Of the special auditors was
put through the embarrassing machine by
the city council last evening The report
was signed only by William Craig and
Edwin Williams. Chris Flygare, the third
member of the committee. refused TO at
tach his name to the paper, and to The
Herald gave as his reason that he had not
time TO consider it. Embodied in the min
uteS or the meeting at which the full re-
port was originally presented was the
comment passed by Craig, Glasmann and
CTltchloW- The finance committees report
occupied several large typewriter sheets
The first paragraph contained the follow
ing dash of WhiteWash: After carefully
examining the report Of the special audit
OTS and comparing same with the records
OF the recorders office, We find il so at
variance with the facts that we are at
loss to know from what source they ar
rived at their conclusion. It is evident
from the marked discrepancies in the re-
port and the record that the work of the
special auditors must have been done in
a very careless manner"
Then followed the citation OF a number
Of warrants which the auditors report
claimed were not properly Endorsed and
signed In each instance they stated that
the papers bearing these qualifications
were filed N the recorders office. and
this fact aloi. bears out the contention of
MeSsTs. Harris I'd HOllingswOrth, who
insisted that the - NTrant proper on file
in the auditors Office, was the one that
the committees report filed with the re-
cOrder In their own defense the commit
tee laid great stress upon the work done
at the present time being merely con-
unuatiOn Of a custom which had covered
many years They admitted that a num-
Der OF regular payrOlls had not been pre-
Sented before the council on account of
being regular salaries payable at the end
Of each month under resolution by the
council The contention made was en-
tITeiv foreign TO the reports of the audit
mo- nrtTrv
sued with a view Of attracting the atten-
ton Of the people from the real facts in
the case. In closing the committee took
this little fling at the men who did the
auditing Owing to the incompetent man
ner in which the special auditors have
done their work, We attach but little i'm
poTtance to their recommendation. and
for legal advice we would prefer to con-
suit the city attorney. Since that part
of the report which deals with the finan-
cial condition Of the city is not affected
by the discrepancies appearing in other
parts. We would recommend that, with the
exception of said discrepancies, il be &C
Cepted and filed"
There was no discussion Of the question
in open council 4 motion to allow the
500 due them for their services was passed
Immediately afteTwsTG. with Councilman
r. r. Paine voting in the negative
Fire Chief Paine submitted 4 number Of
recommendations to the council, which
were prompted by the recent fire in the
business district He asked for four ad-
ultlOnal IlTeme0 AT INe central Station
that a station be stabIished on the bench;
that more hydrantS be established
throughout the city. that more allcyways
be opened. with fire hydrants in them
that water mains be extended as far as
Five Points. and that the Five Points fire
department be brought Up to the standard.
The recommendations were referred to the
fire and law committees
The Trades and Labor assembly asked
that. when contracts are let for city work
the eizht-hOur-da clause he included
therein. They claimed that there was a
gross violation of this law by the con-
tractors handling the city work.