The San Francisco call., 1908-12-23
JURORS LAY LOSS
TO H[RR|N MACHINE
Waste of County Money on
Buildings Attributed to
Provisions of Law
InquisitOrs Find Statutes Lett
Loopholes for Corrupt Poll
tics at Public Expense

OAKLAND, Dec. 22.-Laxity which
permits endless waste and gross ex7
travagance in the methods employed by
the board of supervisors in the single
line OF repairs and alterations about the
county buildings have been uncovered
mined by that body the responsibility
has been placed squarely upon the
shoulders of the Herrin state machine.
which made the laws governing the ad
mnistration of county affairs. Super
visors and contractors have only taken
advantage of provisions expressly in
serted In order to allow for the main
tenance Of political fences and political
machines at public expense,
AS mere cogs in the state wide graft
machine which has its center in
the offices of the Southern Pa
cific political bureau. three mem
bers of the Alameda county board
OF supervisors and half dozen con-
tractors and workmen were subpenaed
to give the information which they had
in their possession. But the grand jury
has its eye on bigger game than petty
politicians who would spring up and
flourish wherever conditions could be
found like those that exist in the coun-
ties of this state. Individual repressive
measures would be useless and are not
being considered.
WITNESSES BEFORE JURY
Supervisors J. NJ Kelley, c. F. Hor-
ner and w. B. Bridge, the building
committee of the board, were witnesses.
With them were F. ]. Malley. a con-
tracing carpenter; E. J. Sullivan a
plumber; Joseph M. Jenkins, manager
OF an electric fixture firm; Miles Doody
painter; G. e. Hartman, a former
electric worker; Wesley Adams, for
mer vice president of a firm which
supplied certain electric fixtures, and
F. v. Mulvey. at present employed in
installing lighting fixtures.
Kelley was questioned about placing
contracts and admitted that he kept no
adequate checks upon contractors
whom he employed. He could not say
that bill for given number of days
work was correct or that 1t could be
checked up and tested.
CONTRACTORS WORDS TAKEN
If the total cost of job was sub
mitted for authorization to the board
and required more or less than the es-
innate called for, Kelley could give no
information regarding the chances of
accurately determining the bill. He
could only take the word of the con-
tractor, who was an interested party.
The county was left without protection
except such as Kelley might personally
be willing to give.
Bridge and Horner were briefly
quizzed along the same lines. Bridge
said that system in vogue on road
work would supply the required pro-
lection to the county. But Bridge ad-
mitted that the public was never pro-
tected in work about the county build
ings.
f. J. Malley was detained for two
hours witness. He has secured car
penter contracts for several years and
has handled all the big repair jobs
about the buildings. His bills as sub
mitted were regarded with suspicion by
the grand jury, and members OF that
body strongly limited at extortion. NAL
ley was irritable when he emerged, but
Bridge and Horner comforted him.
REPORT TO URGE REFORM
Under the leadership of Foreman
Herman Bendel the grand jury is work
ing out scheme for the redemption of
the business methods of the county The
fight will have to be carried above the
Immediate circle of county officials, and
will call for radical changes in state
laws. A partial report dealing with the
situation under the probe will be SUBJ
mitted within few days. Measures for
an immediate abatement of most of the
evils will be advocated in this report
The full exposition of the scheme for
a thoroughgoing reform will be incor-
porated in the final report, which is
well under way. 1t may not be filed for
several