The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-12-29
CA|EF:SAYSHE2. r. :
BOUGHT ! !! CAR WITH
H|sowN MONEY:
Sends Letter to Council in An
swer to Query From Trades
Assembly.

In answer to the communication of
the Federated Trades Assembly, Chief
of Police McKercher submitted a let
ter to the city commissioners at the
council meeting last Monday after
noon, stating that he had purchased
with his own money the Marmon car
which he uses.
It had been rumored that the auto
mobile had been given him by local
corporation.
Chief McKercher explained that he
came into possession of his present
car by a series of trades, beginning
with the machine he owned when he
was appointed to his present position,
and that he paid the balance Of the
price from his own pocket.
To prove this he submitted, at
tached to his letter, two checks, drawn
on the American Exchange National
bank, for sums of $1,000, and $500,
respectively, which bore the cancella-
ton marks of the banks.
The first check was written. Hay
II, and cancellation May ~. The
second was written May 10, and can
celled May Fl. Both were made pay
able to John T. Armstead, then local
representative Of the automobile COM
pany selling the make of car in ques-
ton. Both bore Chief McKercher's
signature.
John Morrison arose at the conclu-
sion of the reading Of the chiefs let
ter and declared that he had been
reliably informed that the car was
presented by the D. M. & N. railroad
company in recognition Of the serv-
ices Of the chief in taking care of the
special police work at the. ore docks.
He said that while he had no objec-
ton to this if it were publicly an
nounced, he did not like to see it
done ION the quiet"
Jules Anderson defended the at
titude of the Federated Trades as
sembly in making the query, saying
that body desired merely to be sure
whether the report had any founda-
ton or not.
Chiefs Letter Read.
Chief McKercher's communication
follows:
When took the position of chief
of police in 1915 I was in possession
OF an automobile of small type, which
used for all driving in connection
with the department on account Of the
lneff1ciency of the car then in use in
the department and also on account of
the depleted condition of the city treas
ury. which condition made it impossi-
BILE to purchase a car. -.
In the spring Of 1915: my car, which
I had used in the city service, being
pretty we'll worn out, I traded it in
as part payment on a. new five-passen-
ger car and the new car continued in
the same capacity as the former. This
which was appropriated by the city in
lieu of services of said car during my
term as chief Of police.
Then In the spring Of 1917 I was ine
structed by the commissioners to ham.
die the special police in connection
with the D: N: & N: ore docks, and
my doing that work in the night time,
as the duties of my office kept me at
headquarters during the day.
On account of the United States de-.
claring war on Germany on April g.
1917, and it being apparent that a repe-
tition Of the I: w: w: trouble on the
occur, and would Of course affect the
city of Duluth and its industries, / was
compelled to get a larger and more
powerful car as a precautionary meas
use for the transferring Of reserve Of
ficers from one point to another. It
passenger car for a seven passenger
one of heavier type, and consequently
the, car which I bought in 1916 was
traded in as part payment on the new
one, a. 1917, which is now In the serv-
Ice Of the city, the difference being
and cancelled through the bank on or
about the date Of that transaction