The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-06-08
Assessor Bergman and Commits
sioners Have Roundup
INVESTIGATION HELD THIS MORNING.
ENDS BY ASSESSOR AGREEING TO
REFUND 500 TO COUNTY
ExCHEQUER.

Assessor Bergman and the county
! annual round-ups this morning when
the assessor was called before the
board to explain why it was that the
county was paying the deputies in the
assessors office full time when they
! had been employed on the city assess
ment, for making which Assessor Ber-
ryman receives $500 year.
The chief accusation against Asses
sor Bergman was that C. H. Woods,
chief deputy in the assessors office,
had worked 20 days since March 1 on
the city's books but had drawn full
pay from the county. There was also
some dispute as to the amount that
Assessor Bergman had paid Mrs. Cad
man for work she had performed on
| the citys books last year while work.
ing for the county. Assessor Berry,
man produced checks amounting to 500
tIldl IlC pdlO AhI .. SoOiAioh AOA lily
! work, but said he had advanced an adj
ditional sum but how much he could
not say.
The investigation this morning took
on the nature OF a hearing and Mrs.
| Cadman, c. H. Woods and Bert
Painter, employed in the assessors Of
| flee were called in one at time and
questioned. Mrs. Cadman said she had
| worked on the city rolls last year, but
she did not remember how much she
! had received for the work.
| Morrow Was Primed.
, From memorandum which the COM
missioners had Chairman Morrow said
that the payrolls showed that Mrs.
| Cadman lost p days between March 1
and June 1, last year. Four of these
days he said, represented the time lost
during the strike in the assessors Of
| flee when the deputies salaries were
sliced from SO to $3.50 a day, leaving
IS days unaccounted for. Chairman
Morrow asked Mrs. Cadman if the $93
she received from Assessor Bergman
represented her salary for that time
and if it was employed on the city
| books.
She was unable to state from men,
DRY the exact amount of money she
1 fIn nit y
books or the number of days or in
what months she had worked. At the
suggestion OF Attorney Wilson she was
asked to prepare statement of the
money she had received and the time
she had worked on the city books while
in the employ of the county.
Capt. Woods Interviewed.
Deputy Woods said he had worked
on the city books probably 10 or Is
days since March /. Some of this
time he said represented work that he
had done evenings and on Sundays.
He said he had no understanding with
Assessor Bergman as to what he was
to receive for this additional work, but
that the assessor had said that he
would make it right with him. Deputy
Woods admitted that he had drawn
full pay all the time but said that As
SCISSOR Bergman kept the time that
the deputies put in on city work while
paid by the county.
i Bergman Explains.
4 At this point Assessor Bergman,
who had been a silent listener to the
questioning of his deputies, interrupted
and explained that it had been his
intention TO put on another deputy at
his own expense to make up what the
county had paid for city work.
1.-The county was to lose nothing by
this L mad arranged to put on a
deputy to assist on the county work
as soon as we could work to aeSant-
age" Assessor Bergman declared. 1T
looks to me as if this board is trying
to nag me as much as possible. I was
not permitted to go to Olympia to at
tend the meeting of the tax commits
sioners and on several occasions it
seems the board has tried to put me
over a barrel I have been perfectly
honest in this matter but I think you
are trying to place me in false light.
Morrow Retorts.
81 will tell you, Jim. 1 have nothing
against you or any other county Off
cial around this court house, but !
have this to say, I believe the county
has been paying for doing the city's
assessing and I believe that you
should return to the county the diff
ference between what you have paid
the deputies out of your own pocket
and the estimated amount that it costs
to assess the city," Chairman Morrow
retorted II believe this is due the