New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-18
CITY PAID $4,000
TO GIVE M'CALL
FREE AUTO RIDES
Whitney Declares Chair
man Even Had up. S. C."
Taken Off Car.
STOCK OWNERSHIP
CONFESSED IN NOTE
Commission Head Turned Over
MYSTERIOUS IS Shares to Nephew
Sale Melted S2,0l4

The taxpayers Of this city paid Sl2'-
600 for the purchase and maintenance
Of an automobile for the exclusive use
OF Edward E. Mccall, chairman of thu
Public Service Commission, for the two
years ended June 80 last. This inter
esting testimony was given by Travis
Y. Whitney. secretary Of the commits
sion, at the invest: cation OF the Thomp-
son committee yesterday. which has
recommended McCall's removal.
Mr. Whitney also testified that since
last April, which is about the time
the Thon.pso committee made Its mrs.
report, the letters "P. S. c." had been
removed from the Mccall car. when
was thus turned into private
eouipsge, although the city continued
TO pay the bill. 1t was taken care OF
at a garage in Eighty-third Street;
three blocks from McCalPs home ana
the chauffeur in making his reports 70
the commission merely turned IN th@
number of miles travelled, without any
details as TO where the car had pee"
taken, -. =.
Mr.. M,Call travelled quite bit in
,hase tvs years. too. the official mi =
age record of the commission showing
that the car had covered 1884 miles.
or an average of about forty-one miles
a day-including Sundays-for that
period. Mr.. Whitney said that the
commission had eight automobiles an
that all the chauffeurs. with the eX-
cent;on Of the one on te Mccall car.
turned In cards describing their trips.
II developed at the hearing yester-
nav that Perley. Morse & Co., tne
Thomson committees accountants
had finally traced the mysterious
eiphtv-fve shares of the Kings County
Light and Power Company stock whicn
were found in McCall's account WIN
+. r. Chapman & Co. The stock the
accountants found, was turned over
by Mccall on December -; lSO,' 10
his nephew. John G. Mccall. ana on
September 8. 1908. was SOLO 70 haIlo,
well e. Henry. at a price which netted
a profit Of S2,Ol4. ~
4 letter signed by the Public Ser
vice chairman covering this transac-
ton and directed to Waterman, An
thonv & Co.. Which succeeded Chapman
e. Co. was a part of the accountants
report. 1t read as follows;
'This will serve as an authorization
10 accept from e. r. Chapman & Co.
NV account, which contains eighty-hvc
shares of the Kings County Electric
Ligh: and Power Company. When the
same is received by you you are FUR
ther authorized TO place the same 10
the account of J. c. Mccall"
In view Of McCall's admission in this
letter that he had owned the eighty
~. e tIo
mittee were at a loss to understand
his testimony before the committee
about two weeks ago.
Or November 5. when the 387 shares
he said he turned over to his wife
were under investigation, Mccall was
asked by Deputy Attorney General
"Have you had any other stock in
this corporation in any other name
than Mackin's?"
"These are the only shares of stock
/ held" Mccall replied.
A couple Of days afterward Senator
Thompson said 10 Mccall, while he
was still on the witness stand:
"The testimony is that he trans
ferred il (the 3S7 shares) to Mrs. Nc
Call. think you testified the other
day that this was the only stock you
neld.
McCall's answer to this was Eyes"
The committee spent considerable
time yesterday delving into the his
tory Of the New York Edison rate case
and the Kings County Gas Company
rate.
When Hayward took Office last March
he said he saw good opportunity for
thrift by dispensing with s3,000-a
year private secretary and cutting
down the salary of his stenographer
from 81 500 year TO $1,000. Three
months ago, however, the witness con-
fessed, he took unto himself private
secretary and placed the salary of his
stenographer back at the oldtime fig
ure.
The committee hopes to have former
Commissioner Maltbie on the stand to-
morrow to quiz him about the Kings
County gas rate case.