The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-11-14
MAYOR TEST|F|ES AS
!. To CONTINGENT FUND
Tells Inquisitors Why and
How Various Expenditures
Were Made.
FEW ITEMS HELD BACK
These Relate to Purchases of
Water and VIII Be Ex-
planned Conhdentially.
FEW ITEMS HELD BACK

planned Cont1dentlally.
Not that there is any doubt of the
ability of Mayor Samuel c. Park to
display a clean sheet of accounting
with reference TO expenditures made
from his contingent fund, but that some
of the outlays were not absolutely le-
gal as municipal charges, appears to be
the contention of attorneys for Eliza
beth Sosinski against the mayor in her
demand for an accounting.
Yesterday afternoon In the city
court of Judge 4. A. Rogers the, yer
bal deposition Of Mayor Samuel G.
Park was taken and the case was con-
tinued without delay. Evidently the
purpose yesterday afternoon was to
have tho mayor recite the character of
the several disbursements which he has
made from his contingent fund. This he
did in all instances except wherein he
had quietly bought water rights and
water stock for the city; but even in
this matter he promised to privately
give to the attorneys for the plaintiff
every detail in these transactions.
Secrecy Is Agreed To.
1t was assumed by the mayor, and
the conclusion was agreed in by the
plaintiffs attorneys, that publicity OF
the several transactions in respect of
acquisition of water for the city would
be contrary TO public policy and would
embarrass the city in efforts to make
further water acquisitions to be added
to its resources.
The entire recital of the mayor was
of the most commonplace bookkeeping
character, every voucher and cancelled
check being brought forward in thor
ough explanation Of the cause for ev-
cry cent of outlay. With the excep-
should be privately explained to attor..
neys and the court, clean record of
exceptionally thorough detail was
given.
There was particular questioning in
respect to expenditures made from the
contingent fund in betrayal of extra
expenses connected with the depart
ment of public safety, Of which Mayor
Park is the. head. In the case of pay
tective agency the mayor produced
vouchers and Cancelled checks as fol
lows: October 26. 1912, $1139O, in the
Willard Hansen bribery case; Scptem-
Der 30, 1912, S24660, in the same case;
October ii, 1912. $42.55, for special
service in protesting the public against
pickpocl1ets and other criminals dur
ing state fair week; May 13, 1913,
Sl64 ,65, for special service in the Van
$125.S6, for special service In the same
case.
Employment Explained.
Mayor Park advised the attorneys
for tho plaintiff that he had occasional
ly employed Pinkerton men In the Sc
cret service for the purpose Of checking
up on detective regularly employed on
the city force. He was asked if he
could produce the reports thus gained,
but said that he could not do 80, for
the reason that he had destroyed them,
or, if there was one of them remaining
in his office, it was by oversight. His
presentation that retention of such re-
ports, after they had served their pur-
pose, was not helpful of public policy
was not questioned
Concerning other extra expenditures
made in the department of public safe
ty, the mayor gave the following; Sep
tember 8, 1912, s125 to Fire Chief w. II.
Bywater to attend the convention Of
the International Association Of Fire
Chiefs at Denver, Colo; September s.,
1912, $3.50 to City Physician s. G. Paul
to attend medical convention at Wash
ington, D, c., in behalf OF improve
ment in municipal health conditions;
July 8, 1912, $3.50 to Chief Of Police
B. +. Grant to attend the convention
OF chiefs Of police at Toronto, Canada,
and to visit other eastern cities to gain
latest ideas In the conduct Of police de-
partments; August 2l, 1913, 500 to
Park Superintendent Nicholas Byhower
TO attend the convention of municipal
park superintendents in Denver, Colo. !;
August p, 1913, $3.50 to Fire Chief W.
II. Bywater to attend the convention of
fire chiefs at New York and the smoke
prevention meeting at Pittsburg, Pa,
and another item Of $245 to Bywater to
visit New York and Chicago fire de-
partments and the factories in which
the apparatus used in the Salt Lake de-
partment is constructed; juno II, 1918,
5000 to c. F. Barrett to attend a ma.
tional convention of waterworks super
intendents and $lS5.3O to John Duder
assistant city engineer, to make inves-
LEGATIONS in the east concerning street
paving and other city Improvement
work
Outlays for Water.
In the matter of outlay for acquisi-
tion of water for the city the mayor
said that he had expended total of
$3201.50, but did not give details for
reasons heretofore stated. He was not
asked to mako public exposition of
these, but was requested to privately
give the desired information, which he
promised to do. He went so far as to
say, however, that ali but one of the
evidences of these transactions were in
possession of the city auditor, and that
the last stock certificate acquired would
be in that official s hands within a few
days, as the business bad not yet been
quite completed.
The mayor also said that he had paid
$50 for correcting the directory of
streets and alleys, and for compiling the
police manuel, the amount having been
IL l.