New-York tribune., 1921-09-09
Graft Board &c,
Quiz Bureau
Heads ON Autos
Subp9nas Every One of 20
City Commissioners and
Department Chiefs to APP
pear Before 1t ON Monday
Directed to Bring Data
Number, Cost, Purchase
Date, From What Funds,
Seller and Users Asked

Every one of the twenty-nine COM
msssioners and bureau chiefs in the
city administration was served with
subpoena yesterday by the Meyer
legislative committee Investigating
the Hyian regime, requiring them to
appear III person at committee head
quarters, 3S Park Row, on Monday
afternoon.
They have been asked to be prepared
at that time to furnish the committee
with information respecting purchases
OF automobiles, motorcycles and side
cars since January /. 1918, when
Mayor Hylan took office. The data de-
sired by the committee includes the
date of purchase, the price, make and
type, appropriation account from
which the purchase was made, and if
from special revenue bond funds, the
date of authorization. The name of
the official for whose use the car was
purchased also will be requested
Rumors of Misuse Of City Cars
The committee, it is understood, has
gathered a wealth of information said
partments have been employing MANY
more cars than were in use during the
preceding administration. 1t was also
tntlmated that many of these auto
mobiles have been used frequently for
purposes other than city business in
the face of the Mayors declaration
that there was to be no luxury riding"
at the clty's expense.
1t IS not expected that TIE commit
tee. adjourned until Monday afternoon,
will do much il anything then. because
of its coming one dav before PrimaTv a,v
Day, and open sessions probably will
be resumed next Wednesday,
Commissioner OF Accounts Hirsh-
field, in a statement issued yesterday,
said he received one Of these sub
ppnas. After referring jestingly to
the postponement of the committees
hearings because of the illness of Elon
X. Brown, its chief counsel, the Com
missioner goes on to say:
IAN idea of the kind of work this
committee is carrying on at the eX-
pense of the public and the manner in
which that work is being done can be
CLEANED from the fact that ! was this
day served with q subpoena by the
Meyer Committee returnable at 2
o'clock Monday afternoon at the COM
mittee's Offices. SO Park Row. and was
directed to produce record cf all pas
senger autom obiles and motorcycles
with or without side purchased
by or for the Commissioner of Ac-
counts department from January i,
1918, to the date of this subpoena.
Hirshfield Says He Has No Autos
"The funny part of this is that there
is no such thing as an automobile or
motorcycle in the department. / un-
derstand Leonard NJ. Wallstein. an as
sociate counsel for the committee did
have large car when he was Commits
sioner of Accounts under Mayor
Mitchell. The automobile which l use
was loaned to me by the Central
Garage" This is the name under
which the city houses its feet of cars
for general official use.
The Commissioner of Accounts for
warded to the District Attorney testi-
mony taken before him yesterday in
the course of his. investigation into
charges that money had been paid to
individuals for their alleged influence
In obtaining master plumbers licenses
for applicants from the examining
board of plumbers. In some cases,
1t was testified, the payments ran as
high as $500.
According to the testin ony, journey
men plumbers have been paying vary
ing sums Of money to a man, who for