The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-01-20
BILL FILE GRAB OF
$500 IS BLOCKED
Inquisitive Contingent Expense
Committee Gets Big Reduc=
ton in Bill
Scandal Arises From Exorbitant
Price Charged for APP
pliances
Especial Dispatch TO The CALI

CALL HEADQUARTERS. CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE BUILDING, sACRA-
MENTO, Jan. 19.-Inquisitive tenden-
cies on the part Of members Of the con-
tingent expense committee of the as
sembly have resulted in spelling a
scheme to grab from the treasury of
the state so cents on each of the 1000
sets of bill files, or $500 on this one
item. According to Robert l.. Teller,
chairman of the committee, this is but
detail in the investigation of a num-
Der of incidental expenses to be prose-
& Co, the firm which supplied the files
and gave notice of a cost Of 81, is now
prepared to gratefully accept $1.50 a
set. Jack Stafford, sergeant at arms
of the assembly, who was directed TO
make the purchase, denies all knowl-
edge of any attempt to mulct the state,
but he intimates that the file people
have had a booster" among the MEM
bers of the house in former sessions
and that lawbook publishers also have
had advocates there.
resolution was introduced January
8 in the assembly instructing the SER
geant at arms to purchase three sets
of keystone binders for each member
and a like number for accredited news
paper representatives and officers. This
was amended to bring the total UP to
600 sets. Binders to the number of
$50 were delivered on the following
day by the H. S. Crocker company, and
the committee on contingent expenses
was informed by Stafford that they
would cost 81 a set
COnVinNnd "a
tant, in spite of the fact that the SER
geant at arms said the same price had
been paid last session the committee
commenced an investigation.
I'VE are inexperienced in these mat
ters,'' said Teller this evening. and
wanted to know what these binders
were really worth OF course if they
were not a patented device they would
probably be sold for a great deal less
than dollar-one member of the COM
mittee says 20 cents. The sergeant at
arms stated to us that they cost 81 a
set. This seemed grossly extravagant,
and the committee began to secure
data. Up to the present time, owing to
slight mistake we have not received
an authoritative price from the manu-
facturers. Even If the Crocker COM
pany has reduced the price to $3.50. 1
do not say that we will approve that.
DEMAND REASONABLE PRICE
I'VE want to know what is a reason
able price. and that is all we will ap-
prove. This is not the only EXPENSE
we are investigating, and we do not
intend to indorse any prices that are
higher than those which would be paid
by an Individual
w. G. Houston, manager of the
Croker company, this afternoon denied
that there was any attempt to mulct
the state, but made several contradic-
tory statements concerning the details
of the transaction. He denied at first
that he had ever told Stafford the price
would be 50 set, but later believed
that he had informed the sergeant at
arms that the price would be some
thing like that Houston positively
denied that he had conversed with
Stafford since the investigation began,
and was equally positive in the state
ment that he had told the sergeant at
arms on either last Thursday or Friday
that the price would be $3.50. The bind
ers were invoiced to him at 81 a set.
rs $1.50 fair price for a set of
these binders?" Houston was asked.
We'll, yes, it is" he replied
why then did you want to get SO
from the state. and why did you charge
50 last session."
II am a salesman and want to get
the best price 1 can. Then, of course,
took a chance on ordering these
binders ahead of time
When did you tell Stafford that you
would reduce the price to s1.50?"
1T was last Thursday or Friday L
have not spoken to him about the mat
ter since"
STAFFORD Is UNRUFFLED
Stafford said tonight: I'VE paid 50
each for the sets last session and
Houston said it would be the same this
year. The first time 1 knew he had
reduced the price was this morning
when 1 met him in the lobby of the
capitol and he told me that he had de-
cided to put them in at s1.50. If 1
were he I would have stood pat. I
also talked to him over the telephone
this afternoon. We ordered 500 of the
sets for the house, and 1 believe the
senate ordered 400.
II do not care about the price ]
was ordered by the assembly to get
certain kind of binders and / got
them Everybody expects the state to
pay more for articles than other peo-
pie would have to pay / believe the
keystone people and these law book
people have boosters among the mem
bers. 1 would not say that about Mr..
Transue, who introduced the resolution
last year."
1--WE would hate to have to air this
matter on the floor of the assembly,
said J. w. Stuckenbrouck, member
of the committee on contingent ex-
penses, last evening. Speaker Stanton.
when asked If he had any knowledge of
the facts in the case, said:
The committee on contingent ex-
penses came to me asking for instruc-
tions regarding their duties, as they
were practically all new members. |
| told them that it was their duty to
audit all bills and see that the state
was not charged an unfair price, basing
their decision on what a private indi-
vidua1 would be charged for the same
article. They did not discuss any
specific extravagances with me. 1 told
| them what their duties were and hope
| they will perform them to the letter,
Mt to ma lxe this a hush lessliIco