South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-12-29
EFFORT TO REPLACE
SUpT. BEYER POLITICAL
So Says Present Supt. of Park
Board of Move to Give Job
to A. P. PerIey-StartS
Friction.
It's Millard +. Kerr.

The moot question Of who would
be chief Of police under the Keller
administration succeeding Guy l..
Bunker was settled by the board Of
safety and Mayor-elect Keller Mon
day after many days of anxious de-
bate.
Kerr was former deputy sheriff
then sheriff of st. Joseph county, re-
firing in 1912. Before that he was
city marshal of Mishawaka and a
councilman there, and made good
record. He is 81 years old and has
lived in Mishawaka since he was IL
years old.
That the board Of park commits
sioners may fall into disharmony with
the Keller board of public works
should IL determine to dispose of Supt.
Herman n. Boyer by abOlisning his Of
flee in favor of another TO be called
general manager, with Arthur p.
Perley holding the place, appears like
" from information leaking out from
political circles Monday.
The report in the News-Times Sat
urday that such a move was being con-
sidered, with the Keller administration
, tck of il, as given out at the city
liall this for the purpose of relieving
the new administration of the expense
OF park board clerk, the duties of the
! general manager" to include the
clerkship, appears now to have been
semi-erroneouS.
The Keller administration is willing
and anxious to get rid of the park
board clerk expense, and that there
should be a superintendent willing TO
handle the clerkship duties, but there
is evident indiSp poSitiOn toward giving
lup an experienced superintendent for
an inexperienced one when the former
is just as willing and able 10 handle
the clerkship.
Supt Boyer is Interviewed.
Supt. Beyer when seen at his office
Monday morning stated that so far as
he was concerned there was never any
need of q clerk of the park board; that
| he kept the records for years along
with the office of superintendent. and
might as we'll have continued il to
date had the board been willing to let
! him. It didn't take an average of
more than 80 minutes per day, and
was no burden at all, according to
Boyer
"The office of clerk was created be-
cause the administration wanted to
increase the salary Of the clerk OF the
board of public works" said Boyer.
land they couldn't do il under the law
without giving him something more to
! do The result was that the clerk
thereafter received $1,000 year in
stead of 81 ,00G, the $500 being appro-
priated to and then paid by the board
of park commissioners ostenslbly Tor
a clerk"
Boyer became superintendent Of
parks in 1904 on a salary of SIS per
month. He then had six men work
| ing under him and the total approprl-
alton for parks was $1,000. Now he
! has 40 men under him during the
summer, and in 1912 the board spent
tS24,0O0 Since his appointment he
/ has laid out Studebaker, Coquillard
and Haley parks, Leeper park west or
I Michigan St, the Portage av. triangle,
| the grounds at fire stations No. Z, :
/ and TO- and remodeled the grounds at
! >. 3 and s. He has planted 1900 trees
/ set out 5000 shrubs and located $50
I benches I'm the parks. He is a mem
/ Der of the American Association or
Park superintendent. TO become
which one must pass an examination
/ for efficiency.
Must Keen An Automobile.
/ The park superintendent points out
that while he now receives 1870 a
year salary, he was required by the
park board to purchase an automobile
which cost him $3.50. and on which
there is an annual expense OF $500 for
maintenance. He looks upon the ef-
forts being made to oust him by
changing the name OF the once ana
then giving il 10 Mr.. Perley. as purely
political. and calls attention to the fact
| that zone Of the two members or the
board who is trying TO put IL over"
as he STYLES IL, goes out or office the
first OF February and that only one
! OF them is likely to remain after that.
With the decision on the part Of
Walter Erler not 20 accept the clerk
ship Of the board Of works, however.
as announced Sunday morning, the
status Of Clerk Perley drons back into
I its old rut and what is TO be the re-
suit remains something Of mystery.
r. NJ. Morris. president OF the Kel-
/ Ter bOa- ID Monday that the de-
cision OF Erler leaves that body very
| much up in the air. but 4 is hoped to
swing some other possibility IN a rev
s~-s Charles Lewinski who was a
i candidate for the nomination for
clerk on the citizens ticket. is men
toned as a remote poss bility. and II
\ il also remotely possible that Clerk
| PerIev will be retained, at least for q
while.