The Detroit times., 1915-06-17
Secret Probe Shows
Hundreds Have
Escaped Tax
SALOON MEN ARE
MOST FAVORED
Blame Laid on Lazy
and Inefficient
Inspectors


There will be general shake.np
In the inspection department of the
water board. following a quiet inVes-
ti-aaou which Hugo Gtlmartin. sec
rctary md general manager. has
been conducting for the past several
mouths lnetiiciency and laziness
constitute The general charge made
against the 25 inspectors employed
by the board Pet'y politics and lack
OF business system are given as the
cause OF condition OF affalrs that
has resulted In the loss OF thousands
oil dollars year 20 the board, In
Secretary Gilmsrtlns candid state
men' Backed BY The present board
OF Wa'er COMM i.sionefs. Secretary
Gilmartin is nov trying 10 remedy
some giaring defects In the permit
and collection system.
Last year The water tax and me.
ter collections amounted 10 81 ,255..
600 IN round agutcs The collections
for II months, ending May !, 1915.
show total OF more than 81 400,
600 During he eleven months the
board added very ii,tlc neN bus mess.
and th, extra $4,000 collected rep
resents mostly pick ups lnvesu
CATION hy secretary Gam1rtiu shows
that hundreds Of Detto.ters have
been getting water for nothing Sa.
looukrepers in particular seem TO
have been favored \ member OF
the inspection, force H. was learned,
did rot pay cent of water tax IN
two yoars A former city official got
ftee water tor three years
Il has been costing The water
board ono dollar a meter FOR meter
readings. says Secretary Gilmartin
TIE cost Of inspection is outrageous
ly excessive
II found hat the inspectors were
readine about 30 meters a day said
SeCrc aty Gilmar'ln About '-5
reading. would be a normal day $
work for a man With a crippled lex
The whole trouble Is that The iuspec
tors have been working about two
hours day They have shirked
work. using all sorts OF scnemes to
pot II over on the board
Recently, Secretary Gilmartin call.
ed an the inspectors to his Office
and ncld Al lmprom ptu exam nation
in meter ,eadinE lie VAS dumb
founded 10 learn that only one ont
OF tho 2 inspectors could read \ va.
ter meter correctly. and even this
ono did NOT have perfect mark
Many OF the inspectors could not
tell whether meter was running
or stopped Some OF them took the
readings backward.
Five trustworthy men. not connect.
cd With tho inspection force. were
quietly put 10 work on the outside
10 investigate the conditions in the
various districts travelled by the reg
ular inspectors They found many
taps on which no water tax was be.
lng collected Also they found that
the regular inspectors. who also net
as collectors for the board were
very careless In distributing bills In
one house they found 100 bills that
tho Inspector had left on the door.
step. Bundles OF bills were found in
sewers. where they had been thrown
by the distributors Some Of the
inspectors. Il was learned. employed
title boys TO distribute the bills.
paying them 10 cents each for their
work
A man named Murphy, employed in
the water board storage yard. was
act 10 work reading meters. He read
600 in one day. When the other In
spectors learned what Murphy was
doing they went to him and pro-
tested, declaring that he was kill
Ing the job"
Secretary Gilmartin recently laid