Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-09
COUNTY'S AUTO
BILL IS $4,000
IN is MONTHS
Continued from Page one)

said Judge Monroe, ''but I believe the
county should pay for the robes. Those
are the only things you object to, are
they not?"
No, sir" replied the auditor, striding
up 70 the bench. There are some 9TH
er things, and"-
We'll, they are the only things men
toned in your answer, and l cannot
consider other itemS,' said the court.
auditor
Then he left the court room.
1t looks mighty strange to me- said
Mr.. Dow later in the day. "The dis
trict attorneys office says 1 have no
right to hold up bills when l think they
are excessive. According to that ruI-
ing the coroner's bill might have been
$4,000 or $4,000 and I couldn't say a
word
After eliminating the cost of coats,
caps and the other togs the bill for the
coroner's machine and accessories to-
tails $3742.07. Even this amount, saws
the auditor, is too high. According to
the catalogue price the county is pay
ing $3.50 more for the machine than is
paid by other purchasers.
BIames District Attorney
"And when I want to know why this
is so 1 am baked and told it is none
OF my business by persons whose duty
1t is to see the county does not lose
in its business dealings"
Are you going to pay the bill as it
now standS?" he was asked
Il suppose 1 will have to-" replied
the auditor. What else can 1 do. I
can't afford to hire attorneys and can
get no help from the district attorney S
office"
Auditor Dow expressed. the belief
fXy oh -
full in the expenditure of county money
as if it belonged to themselves.
L know well enough" he said, "that
Coroner Hartwell, were he purchasing
that machine and the accessories
would never have paid $2S for robes.
Apparently the company was given
carte blanche and put these things in
the automobile, pushed it over the
counter to the supervisors and the bill
was approved, evidently without so
much as a glance at it's contents
Repair bills are already being looked
for following work on the new ma
chine, which should have begun i'm
mediately after its purchase, if the ex-
perience with other county-owned ma
chimes can be regarded as a criterion.
When the coroner's automobile bill
is paid the expense to the county for
automobiles, including repairs, for the
past sixteen months will reach $25,-
993.34. The highway commissions two
junk piles have cost the county the
greater part of this sum, the expense
being $10,606.S1.
Autos Are Expensive
The first highway commission car
cost $4150. 1t was purchased October
Z, 1907, and in less than a year $4856S1
had been expended on it, only $500 Of
which was for chauffeur hire. Then it
was snapped for the second hand ma
chine examined and approved by the
district attorney, and the county gave
in addition to the old machine $1,000 Of
money paid into the treasury by tax
payers.
The sheriff's automobile was pur-
chased December Is, 1907, at a cost of
$3.50. Up to date the cost of main
tanning the machine has been $2107.
This doesn't include chauffeur hire,
which amounts to 500 a month
The district attorneys machine has
been the least expensive. 1t was pur-
chased September 16, 1907, for $4,000.
or 5000 less than the list price. For
maintaining this machine the county
has paid $1187.46 a month.
This makes the total cost of main
tenance for the three machines $8151.27,
or an average monthly cost of $5O9.45.
The bill for Coroner Hartwells ma
chine will be presented to the board of
supervisors Monday for amendment,
in accordance with the decision of
T176cro Monroe