The New York herald., 1922-08-25
.H|RSHF|ELD SNEERS
AT RUS7ON'S inquiry
Commissioner Not Inclined to
Produce Books Of Market
Collectors.
CAN SEE PASSING OF BUCK
One Who Got Pushcart Fees,
1t Is Said, Had $500 Balance
Unaccounted For.

The request OF District Attorney
Ruston OF Kings county for real
investigation" into the administration
OF public markets seemed doomed
through the refusal yesterday OF Com
act upon the suggestion that the books
and records Of the Department or
Markets be impounded to avoid ma
nipulation OF possible discriminating
data.
Neither did there seem to be any
prospect OF independent action by Dis
trict Attorney Banton or any Of the
authorities OF New York county. Mr..
Banton said he had received no evi-
dence of any crime having been COM
mitted, but he added that he felt sure
the Mayor would order thorough in
vestigation IL he felt the situation war
ranted action.
Commissioner Hirshfield accused Dis
trict Attorney Ruston OF passing the
buck" His idea was thai the Kings
county Investigation had not panned out
TO the satisfaction OF the District Attor-
ney and that his letter 10 the Mayor
was nothing more than a clumsily yelled
attempt TO shift the responsibility to the
city administration and ease out OF an
unpleasant situation.
Hirshaeld's Fling az Ruston.
THE District Attorney has picked up
hot COAL" said the Commissioner, "and
he is now trying to drop It as gracefully
as possible. He thought he could lift
himself into office in the coming elec-
tion by picking out popular issue and
making a great noise about II. but It
didn't turn out as he expected. don't
intend to be stampeded into making an
investigation by anything the District
Attorney OF Kings county has to say"
The Commissioner of Accounts en-
phatically stated that he did not intend
to take up his investigation OF the push
cart situation in Brooklyn until District
Attorney Ruston had definitely completed
his own Grand Jury inquiry. His rea-
son was that he did not want 10 do any
thing that might be construed by the
District Attorney as Interference" such
after the collapse Of the American Thea
ter.
The District Attorney of Kings county
wrote 10 the Mayor yesterday reporting
that his investigation showed "glaring
discrepancies" In the supervisors records
and that the Commissioner OF Markets
had demonstrated 'ian amazing iguor-
ance" OF their contents In one case the
accounts Of a public market supervisor
showed balance OF $500 Of which no
account had been kept The same super
visor reported the expenditure Of $500
for "incidentals," for which no vouchers
were filed and no accoun; turned IN. ac-
cording 10 Mr. Ruston.
Asks for Real investigation.
lie recommended that the Mayor inn
mediately instruct Commissioner OF Ac-
counts Hirshfield 70 commence real
| investigation The uae " the phrase
real Investigation" irritated the Com
missioner OF Accounts. He secuted the
suggestion that the records might be
tampered with.
"All the Investigations conduct are
| real, said the Commissioner, The
Meyer committee seized 3,200 records OF
various Investigations ! undertook and
there was no criticism of any OF them.
There is no need TO impound the records
as they are all marked serAally and can
not be destroyed or substituted without
some Of my staff finding II out"
Letter sent ny Huston.
Mr. Ruston's letter reads
investigation by tho Grand Jury ~
this county into tho pushcart peddlers'
markets IN the county of Kings has at
the outset developed a situation which |
think should be called 20 your attention
at once.
THE weekly reports filed by some q
the supervisors show most glaring dis
crepanclcs, and the Commissioner of
Markets has confessed an amazing
| ignorance as TO their contents. They
have been nled in his Office in most
slipshod manner and have apparently
never been audited. They bear no official
| 1le marks. No books arc kept making a
Coutiuucd on Pare Three