The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-05-08
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BEGIN NEXT
WEDNESDAY
COMMITTEE WILL ENGAGE AC-
infant, STENoGRAPHER
AND OTHER HELP AND HOLD
DAILY SESSIONS.

The councils investigation OF the
department OF public works begins
next Wednesday afternoon at o'clock
and will last until the contents Of the
Hawkins report have been thoroughly
s!fted.
In the streets committee meeting.
Friday morning II was decided to ask
fer authority TO hire an accountant,
stenographer and such other help as
may be required to go over the books.
The Hawkins report ~ill be taken up,
Item by Item. and every charge traced
on the books.
II do not want TO have this work
done In ONCE hours because 1t would
interfere with public business" de-
clared Commissioner Haarer Neither
do | desire TO have the checking up
OF the report done by my clerks, be-
cause then the complaint might be
made that conditions had been mis-.
represented. | want full and fair
hearing and will be able to prove TO
you that the AFFAIRS OF the department
are honestly conducted and that the
charges made by N. A Hawkins q Co.
IRE unfounded."
The committee has power TO sum.
mon any persons whom IL may con-
slider material witnesses, and Police
Commissioner Smith will be requested
10 detail an officer TO assist the com
mittee.
The sidewalk division is the one
against which the principal complaint
is made, and it is probable that the
committee will hire an extra clerk
to work there and have S Sidewalk
Clerk Forster assigned TO look up de.
scriptions and produce the records for
the committees inspection.
Frederick r. Giles, the accountant
who was In charge OF the mayors In
vestigation. will be invited to be pres
ont TO defend his report. but the com
mittee will not pay him for this at
tendance.
The aldermen were at first inclined
u ask that the ID. p. w. clerks be
Instructed to hunt up the records and
present them at the hearings. but
Haarer baked.
"You gave the mayor $4,000 to in
yestigate me. and now you want me
10 ask my clerks to work for nothing
to refute these incorrect statements.
he said THAT is not fair. do not
want my men TO do II anyway. They
work hard and | cannot ask them 10
work nights as well as days with no
extra pay.
1.-THE presence OF the expert account
ants In my office set US back four
months in our annual report and we
are just getting the figures in order
for the next annual report. The clerks
have had To work nights to get out
one report. and will have to work
nights on the nxet'
Just as starter. Haarer read TO
the committee number or items
which were contained In the Hawkins
report. In these the accountants had
claimed that the city laid walks and
got no pay from the property-owners.
Haarer showed where the city had
peen repaid. Each item finished with
Payment checked by expert account
ant" and Haarer's face would break
into a smile as he pronounced ,"ex'
pert
Before the ID. p. w matter came up.
the committee had lively wrangle
over the question OF altering the city
specifications so as to allow the use
OF washed gravel instead or CRUSHED
stone In concrete. Aid. Allan Is going
TO Grand Rapids next Tuesday and
did not desire to have any report made
ON the matter, but Chairman Moeiier
and others insisted on a favorable re-
Iort.
II will agree II you will allow for
enough inspectors to see that the
gravel is really washed and clean"
said Allan