The New York herald., 1921-10-08
SATURDAY. OCTOBER s, 1921.


Mayor HYLAN has sent to THE
New YORK HERALD letter, dated
October 6, In which he says:
'Tn an editorial in your news
paper this morning among other un-
truthful statements you say:
"'The mechanics who according
20 the testimony before the Meyer
y committee did $4,000 of work on
Mr.. HYLAN's private car at the ex-
pense of the city, &c.
'sThe statement you thus publish
the official transcript fails to reveal
any such testimony, Aside from
such alleged testimony. this state
ment Is utterly false. There has not
been one cent Of work done by city
mechanics on my private motor
car nor has there been one mo-
ment's work done by any city me-
chanic on my private motor car"
It is interesting to see the way
Mr.. HYLAN tries to quibble. He de-
nies that any work was done by
''city mechanics" on hts private mo-
tor car. The editorial article in THE
New YORK HERALD did not say "city
mechanics; it said mechanics" 1t
does not matter one tinker's dam to
any taxpayer whether his money
went wrongfully to pay "city me-
chanic" or somebody else so long as
it went wrongfully at all. 1t does
not matter one tinker's dam to him
whether it went to pay for tires or
to the mechanic who put the tires
on; to pay for gasolene or to the me-
chanic who put the gas in the tank.
What the taxpayer wants to know Is
whether his money was spent on the
maintenance of somebody's private
car or on any other kind of graft,
petty or grand.
The question for the Mayor to an.
swer-and every New Yorker with a
sense of common decency will await
tho reply-is whether or not the
Mayor maintained his private motor
car at the public's expense.
1t is a question that the Mayor
must answer, for the charge has been
made before the Meyer Investigating
committee that last year the city paid
cut S3,693.14 for the maintenance
and repair Of a Packard motor car
which is the private property OF the
Mayor. This charge was made by
LEO l.. McDERMoTT, an investigator
for the legislative committee. He
was a witness at the session last
Tuesday, October 4, with LEONARD NJ.
WALLsTEIN interrogating. The fol-
lowing Is taken from the minutes:
@. VIII you read the list OF pri-
vately owned cars which 1t Is stated
in the report Of the Police Depart
nent. submitted in response to the
subpoena, are maintained by the Po-
lice Department at public expense?
A. Studebaker. Department No.
81, owned by Lieutenant THOMAS
O'BRrEN; Packard automobile. De-
partment No. i0s. owned by Inspec-
tor UNDERHILL; Packard, Depart
nent No 1os. owned by Commits
sioner ENRTGHT: Packard, Depart
ncnt No. 1os. opned BY the Mayor;
Oldsmobile, Department No. 81.
owned by Commissioner FAuRor;
Dodge. Department No. ia. property
Of Inspector Thorn; Ford, No. 55.
property of Lieutenant FAIR: Cadil-
lac. No. 7s. owned by some one in the
Mayors Office.
Mr.. McDERMorT swore that he was
able to obtain. from requisitions on
flle In the Police Department, record
of the amounts spent for the main.
tenance of some OF these cars. Main.
tenance, the witness said. consisted
of repairs, tires, gasolene and oil.
lie made schedule Of these. Mr.
WALLsTErN questioned him to make
sure that there was no confusion be.
tween the Mayors official car and the
Mayors private car:
@. In the preparation OF that
schedule. where there was refer
once to the Mayors car. were you
careful to include only those which
could be definitely alIocated to the
one which was the Mayors private
carr
A. Yes. sir.
q. And did you exclude all that
could possibly relate to the Police
Department car assigned TO tho
Mayor?
A. did.
Exhibit 237, placed before the iegis.
iative committee at the same session,