Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1841-04-15
POLITICAL.
From the Portland Advertiser.
Land 4 uent's EenOrf.

Land Agents Report.
By an order of the House of Representatives
of February &c, the Land Agent was called upon
for information relative to the expenditures OF ms
department, and particularly those which occur
red in relation to the ciga posse IN 1889 and
l940.
Mr. Hamlin, the present Land Agent, has
made very full report, by which it appears that
the affairs of that office for the two last years
have been very wastefully and improydently
managed, and its accounts kept in such manner
as to battle all attempts even Of the old Agent
and his Clerk to arrive at any satisfactory solution
of them.
In the settlement of his accounts which took
place by the last Council, an error against the
State has been discovered on a revision of the ac
counts, of $3.50 81 The honesty of Mr. Nc
Intire is not impeached, but we think his incorn-
potency for the office is fully shown and that the
State has suffered very considerable losses in
consequence of it.
The following extract from the report will
show his carelessness in regard to his accounts -
s'rhe third branch of the Order requiring a
statement of the manner in which the accounts OF
the expenditures of the Land Agent under said
Resolves have been kept, imposes upon the I'M
designed service some what difficult to perform
On examination of the books of the Land Office
it was found that no part of the expenditures un-
der the Resolves before cited, had been entered
upon them. Although it the duty OF the
Land Agent, under the law of March "a, 1888,
''to make out quarterly trial balances and balance
sheets of the Land Office Ledger, and return the
same to the Office of the State Treasurer, This
provision of the la,c has not been complied ,cth,
as regards these expenditures. The only books
continuing any daily accounts OF the transactions,
receipts or disbursements under said Resolves,
were kept out of the Office, by the Agents and
discussing officers of the department. These
books, except set now in use at Fish River and
Fort Fairfield, have been deposited in the Land
Office. During the past year there has also been
Journal and Ledger kept in the Office, upon
which the drafts of the sub-agents upon their
principal have been charged and in which have
been entered the payments made to men, on GER
tificates issued by the sub-agents. These books
seem 10 have been kept distinct and separate
from the ordinary transactions Of the Land Office
proper, theynature Of the business would fac-
nit. Upon an examination Of these books, it
was found that no general accounts Of receipts
from tie Treasury, or from sale Of treSpasS tim-
Der, nor Of disbursmeatSl Of MONEY, had been
kept with the State and what will appear still
more surprising to every practical, business man,
is the fact, that, although the accounts of the late
Land Agent, settled by the late Council, show
that he received from;th Treasury of the State,
the sum of one hundred filty-seven thousand nine
hundred dollars, and has, by himself and agents,
disbursed more than one hundred serenity thous-
and dollars, he has neper kept cash account
eriM himself or Stale, of any of these receipts
disbursements; thus voluntarily or neggently
depriving himself, if not of the only test certain
~ of the principal reliance, OF every business
man, for the correction of errors in his accounts.
The following statement shows one item of
loss -
"The three items of subsistence, clothing and
medical stores, transferred to the Land Agent,
amount to more than $4,000; and the amount
of sales rendered Of the articles, is less than
$4,000. 1t was supposed that the balance would
be found charged upon the accounts Of the men
and to settlers, as payment for services rendered
the State to the extent Of these charges. But up
on examination it was found that the fuH amount
Of such bills, WithoH credit, an nearly erery IN
stance, charged 10 the StGe; and that the
account of these sales was made up, at or about
the time of the Land Agents settlement with the
Council, from the charges standing upon the
books against the men,"
We cannot follow the report through its
merous details, which however we may say dis
close an unwarrantable degree of negligence not
only in the management of all the of
this important Office, but in the late Council, by
the loose mode of examining and settling the
accounts. The whole amount of money dsburs-
ed in this Office under the resolve relative TO the
protection of timber the disputed territory,
was S171 1923 46, erclusire of stores received
from the Commssary's and Quarter Masters de-
partments.
The following table shows the amounts paid to
agents for days services where the pay exceeded