The San Francisco call., 1909-01-07
.LEAWTT OPPOSES
FEES FOR CORONER
Salary System Is Proposed by
Senator as Money Saver
for Alameda County
Especial Dispatch TO The Call

I
CALL HEADQUARTERS. CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE BUILDING, SACRA-
MENTO, Jan. "a bill to put the
coroner of Alameda county on salary
and incidentally work an estimated
saving of from $4,000 TO $4,000 year
to the people OF that county will be in
troduced by Senator Frank w. Leavitt
when Warren Porter drops the senate
savel for the Introduction of bills.
Unwilling to admit that the long
hairs have corner on the reform mar
ket, Leavitt is out to do little re-
forming himself and at the same time
demonstrate that the reports of his
loss of power in the halls of legisla-
tion are, to draw it mildly, exag-
gerated. His first reform-more are
promised-is directed at DR.. Tisdale,
coroner Of Alameda county.
ATTACK ON FEE SYSTEM
According to Leavitt the fees of the
Alameda county coroner amount to
more than $3.50 Out of his fees the
coroner is expected to compensate his
deputies, but, says Leavitt, a majority
of the Alameda county deputies are
undertakers who get the funerals and
accept the profits as compensation.
Leavitts bill will be modelled after
the law governing the compensation of
the coroner of Los Angeles county. who
gets salary of $4,000 and is provided
with a stenographer, who may be his
deputy, at $4,000 year. and a clerk at
$50 a month. Leavitt is also of opinion
that there are too many unnecessary
autopsies held in Alameda county and
he makes salaried autopsy surgeon
feature of his reform measure.
While Leavitt is preparing to re-
form things in his own county Gov
ernor Gillett and the elective state off,
GERS are struggling with plans to equal
ize the salaries of the subordinates in
their several offices.
STATE SALARIES DISCUSSED
The salary equalization question was
thrashed out at length this afternoon
at a meeting in Governor Gilletts of
fee. which was attended by Attorney
General Webb. Secretary of State Curry,
Treasurer Williams. Controller Nye,
Surveyor General Kingsbury and Super
intendent of instruction Hyatt.
The salaries of chief deputies, prin-
cipal clerks, secretaries and stenogra-
pliers are all avry in these offices and
the conference had to deal with the
problem of doing justice to the affected
employees without working an injustice
to the tax payers
The chief deputies in the secretary
of states Office, treasurer's office and
controllers Office, who in the opinion
Of the officials in conference are per
sons Of equal Importance, do not receive
like salaries and some of them not
enough
BILL TO CORRECT EVILS
Then, too, some Of the stenographers
in the departments receive larger sal
aries than does Miss Andrews the ex-
pert in the governors office. Governor
Gillett's private secretary. E. C. Cooper,
to the movement, but it is maintained
that his salary of $4,000 is out of pro-
portion with the new salaries of state
officers and with the Importance of his
position. Attorney General Webb was
instructed to draft bill embodying the
conclusions Of the conference.
After the conference Governor Gill
lett said the purpose of the meeting
was not to issue a general invitation
for demand for increased salaries by
state employees, but to correct evils
which involved both the increasing of
some and the reduction of other sal
aries. No reductions were determined
upon at the conference today
LITTLE BOOST DESIGNED
State Printer Shannon and Clerk Of
the Supreme Court Caughey were not
invited to the conference in the gov
ernor's office, which had 10 do with the
SNAoi ACS VI SuUOIolndIeS, out they have
not overlooked the salary question No
constitutional amendment is necessary
to boost their salaries of $4,000 a wear
and they both have little bills designed
TO permit the state to compensate them
at the rate Of $1,000 year
CAMPAIGN FUND BILL
Senator J. B. Sanford of Ukiah is
preparing to return to the attack with
Governor Hughes New York anti-cor-
poration campaign contribution bill
sanford managed to get this bin
through the senate two years ago. but
II died an easy death in the assembly
With minority of 30 in the lower
mouse and the publicity given the
measure during the last two years San
ford thinks he has a chance to get #
through the assembly
Senator Lester G. Burnett of San
francisco has accepted the sponsorshin
Tor the nonpartisan judiciary bin ad-
vocated by William Denman. the Com
monwealth club and other civic organi-
cations in San Francisco