The Detroit times., 1912-05-21
MAYOR HAS REPORT ON
D. P. W METHODS PREPARED
BY ASSISTANT ACCOUNTANT
Goes Over Bullock's Head To
Find How Accounts Are
Kept in Hearers Office
SOME CRITICISM is MADE
Investigator Finds Fault With
Way Assessments Are Levied
For Asphalt Repairs

countant Bullock. Mayor Thompson
has had Bullock's assistant. A. f.
Chambers, submit report on ac-
counting methods employed in the d..
p. w. which the mayor now has 10
spring or the public in due season.
Bullock was entirely unaware of the
report until Monday, and then he was
In great quandary as TO what the
mayor meant by il. Mayor Thomp-
son is out OF the city. but II was
learned that he had Chambers do the
work on the ground that Bullock is
too friendly with the ID. p w. The
action Is really a slap at Bullock, and
4 II is now taken for granted that he
viii be dropped II the appointment re
mains with the mayor The report
submitted by Chambers deals extern
sively with the method OF keeping
records in the asphalt department,
lChainbers has made number OF sug-
gestlons for an Improvement In the
! system, and he says he always met
with rebuffs when seeking informa-
/ ton.
! The mayor called Chambers into
his Office some time ago and talked
Il -
bers having done most of the work In
the department. While Chambers is
n Republican, the mayor felt he could
depend on him to submit an unbiased
report. This report was submitted
several weeks ago but the mayor has
closely guarded the fact that he has
IT. Among other things the report is
said TO show that taxpayers are over.
charged for maintenance OF asphalt
paving, on the ground that it is bet
tier 10 overestimate the cost of main
ltenance, than underestimate II. But
the money has never reverted back
ito the property owners and Chambers
Icriticizes the method OF handling this
surplus in the asphalt department.
There Is. no soyer. no suggestion of
wrougdoing in connection with the
handling OF these funds.
Il would rather get out Of politics
than continue in this office as 1t Is
run at the present time" said \.
Chambers, to The Times, Monday.
This office can either be made on in
strument for good. or roaring farce,
ard Ii Is a farce at the present time.
No private corporation would conduct
its business along the methous In
| practice now, and why should Il be
tolerated in city affairs? The taxpay-
ers have a right to be safeguarded.
Regardless OF politics" .
| I'm the city hall, II is said that
Chambers is the most unpopular city
employe today. Chambers is young.
unassEming fellow, who has vary lit
| tie to say, but feeling is so bitter
against him in certain Offices In the
city hall that pressure has been
brought to bear on Accountant Bull
lock TO remove him. 1t was TO obtain
an explanation OF this unusual condi-
ton OF affairs that led The Times TO
ask Chambers for a statement OF his
side OF the case.
They talk about the d. Z. r.
wanting TO secrete things from the
icity," he said II want to say that
when / went down TO the ID. l. X.
TO examine General Manager Brooks
showing as to the earnings of the
company's freight business. did not
encounter half the difficulty in max
ing my audit that / encounter In
making an audit In the ID. p. w,
Here is department ia the city hall.
whose books and methods should be
plain and open to everyone, putting
petty distractions In my way when.
try to get at the facts. Ii makes
no difference to me whether | am a
Republican and the ID. p. w. Repub-
lican or whether | an a Republican
and the ID. p. w. Democratic. have
gone into these offices to make a
thorough audit and some OF them
don't like IL. The methods employed
by the accountants Office have been
too much on the two-and-two-make-
four order. The moment you suggest
a change in any of the departments
they throw up their hands In holy
horror and say you are trying to
make more work for them, or you
are after their jobs, and they get
sore at you. They want you to let
them alone. and an accountant to be
popular with the department en-
ployes and officials has got TO let
them alone.
Just as soon as il is seen that a
Democratic mayor is going to appoint
a Democratic accountant who will
not let them alone whv there Is n
yell set up by some of their friends
for abolishing the office Of account
ant. Now. I'll tell YOU how this of
fee. which was originally intended
70 be a protection for the taxpayers,
can be made farce. A Republican
in the Office has political friendships
In all the Republican departments.
few days before he begins to make
an audit he goes TO the department
officials and tells them he is going
to make such an such inquiry. What
is the result? BY the time he makes
the inquiry everything mas been set
right and smoothed over.
Imagine a Democratic mayor ask
ing Republican accountant to dig out
certain information about some OF
these departments. II would be about
the same as the mayor asking the de-
partment TO furnish him with the in
formation he wants. What II the in
quiry Is in line with something dis
tasteful TO the department? Is the
mayor going 10 get the information he
wants and how he wants IL, straight?
The Office is no good under such cir
Icumstances. The appointment should
remain with the mayor. They talk
about competition for the job and hav-
ing the man appointed by examination.
The appointed Boiler Inspector Nc.
Cabe that way. Is McCabe but OF
| politics? No, he Is not. Nc
! Cabe is one OF the most active politi-
clans in the city hall today. and he is
playing petty politics. at that. He is