New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-11-06
State Board Hints City
Body Was Used to Dis
tribute Political Pap
CREDENTIALS FORGED,
FLORIST TESTIFIES
Special Prosecutor Traces
Clerks Jump from $4,000
to a $4,000 Post.

Methods through which, the State
Civil Service Commission contends, the
municipal commission has been used
for the distribution Of political patron
age were brought out in the course OF
yesterdays hearing. The cases of sew
enteen climbers and primers" appoint
cd in the Park Department in Queens
Oh September - aroused interest
All these appointees live in Astoria,
fourteen Of them in single election
district. Ten Of them we're examined
Yesterday. and all admitted acquaint-
ance with James Burns, who was can
djdate for member of the Democratic
Executive County Committee on the
Hcnnessy anti-Tammany ticket in the
last primaries
The seventeen men had an exam
ination" on September "a. and their
amendments were certified four days
later, on primary day. All who were
questioned Yesterday admitted that no
questions bearing upon knowledge or
experience in nursery work or forestry
were asked when they appeared before
the examiners of the local board. APP
parently the most important thing re-
auired OF them was an application
paper, upon which few of them maze
claims to experience in similar work.
Five OF them attached letters pur-
porting 10 have been written by John
Cassidy, a florist, certifying they had
been employed by him. Mr.. Cassidy
was called 10 the stand. and pronounced
all evceDting one, of these missives TO
be forgeries.
Frank Moss. special Deputy Attorney
General, in the course of the eIamlna-
tion of Samuel Brock, executive secre-
tarv of the BOROUGH of Queens, brought
out that on March 4, 1918, TO him had
becn given leave OF absence from the
Department of Finance. where ne was a
clerk at $500 a year, 20 accept MS
uresent post at $4,000. The place III
question is not exempt, and Brock AZ
that time, il is said, had not quallhed
for such a promotion. His leave OF alb
sence expired on December 81 last, but
he continued 20 hold his post III the
borough of Queens. On January y
last he was reinstated IN the class 'ned
list AS a fourth grade clerk at S22oO,
although he continued 70 do the same
duties as borough secretary.
His reinstatement made him eligible
after six months to take promotion
examination for the $4,000 post, from
which he was technically dropped and
which was nominally vacant.
July Borough President Connolly
wrote TO the Municipal civil Service
Commission requesting that sucn
promotion examination be held, ana
Julv six months to a day after
Brock had been reinstated IN the cias-
sifed service-the promotion eNamlna-
ton was held. Brock passed nr9t on
the list in an examination III when
he had only three competitors, ana Is
now drawing the salary OF Si.OVo'
Mr.. Moss brought out that ~ the
neriod that the post was nominally va
r9nt and II the time that the promo
ton examination was held there was
in existence preferred eligible ilst
from, which il could have been tilled.
II also developed that last January,
after Brock had been reinstated, Mrs.
McGee. who audts the Queens Bor-
ough Hall payroll, refused to certify
his nav and that he had on one occa-
sion at least certified the payroll on
which his name appeared himself.
Additional testimony concerning the
activities of Commissioner klnCSourY's
fortv-seven examiners in the De0art-
mcnt of Public Charities was h~ ut
ont in the testimony Of William S IN
a Brooklyn Papid Transit a. guard,
who earns S13 80 a week. Smith wife
is an invalid. and for the last three
years has been in hospital. He has
two children. girl aged eleven years
and a boy aged five.
Because he had no guardian Tor the
how. Smith testified. he placed him
in a nursery in East 9th St. but with
out his knowledge the lad was subse.-
ouentlv taken to RandalPs Island.
Later. he testified, a woman examiner
from the Department of Charities VS.
tied the witness and demanded that he
nav $50 a month for the maintenance
of his son. The witness pleaded that
he could not do this, but offered TO
nav SO a week. His offer was refused,
he said. and the boy, who is an in
valid. was returned to him.
Since that time the boy has been IN
the Harlem Hospital for a period OF
nine DAYS and in Bellevue for eight
DAYS. At the present time he is being
boarded and cared 70. by a woman
who has five children Of her own.