The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1879-01-21

| Total receipt. OH .0el 81
DisBU RsENENrA
Warrants paid in 1877 49, SS 6Y9 II
Warrant. paid in 1874. 305s 929 A3
By balance vi cash On hand. 472.465 81
! $7.07l. 90 g
This statement shows that on the lace Of
the hooks the Treaaurer's accounts are cur
re, and balance.
| II NAV BE- veil tn sum up in few words
at this part Of the investigation. There
should have been in the hands Of the Treas
urrr, on D~crmb<r 81. 1879, balance in
Cash Of $a72, 463 %. There in actually lin
GLIDING volt scslp-, sl29, 232 81. leaving q
d. 6cit Of $243. 233 Us. Also. LIZ boGd. BE-
longing to the seminary fund. which they
likewise inspected and counted. The .e-
gregate amount of there bonds ct their face
Is 81. Isl 900. An inventory Of the same
will Be found in the appendix to this re-
port. The committee ere unable 70 discover
q single good reason Why THE immense
amount IN bonds should remain in the
Treasurer's Office or that they can serve any
useful purpose for which an Unacceptable
certificate Of Indebtedness will not answer;
bnt they have grave objections to the policy
which permits such accumulation. The
committee urgently recommended that they
10 authorized at once to cause these bonds
and their attached coupons to b cancelled
and certificates OF indebtedness similar to
that issued January I. 1872, substituted.
The committee found on the Treasurer
books large number Of old warrants still
outstanding. These warrants were issued
during different years from 1913 to 1863.
In many instances there 10 no year, IN
others no date, several have neither year
nor date, and one il without number, year
or date. These warrants. probably, are lost
or destroyed; but, in any event. the CON-
mittee recommend thst the warrant no
longer remain = charge against the Treas-
ury also, that an order be passed prohibit
ing forever their payment, without. how
ever, barring the claim. A schedule Of
theas warrants il included in the appendix.
The committee consider the arrangement Of
the counter and vault of the Treasurer
of6ce unsafe. il 10 not probable that there
IL . single banking house Of any note in the
country which would suf5er its money coun-
ter and books to be on one side Of the room
and i's money vaults on the opposite, and
necessarily the greater part Of the day out
Of view Of those engaged with the business
of the Office. The present arrangement
should not b permitted to remain. BY
secsion 2, chapter LIS. Wagner, p. 1891. the
the State Treasurer and the State Auditor,
and their suecessors in Office. are created
Commissioners Of the State interest fund, /
and given the exclusive control. custody
and care Of the sams. By section 10 they
are also made ex- of6cio Commissioners OF |
the sinking fund. Section requires the
Fund Commissioners to select bank in |
New York ~ the States Fiscal Agent, and
section Z allows . compensation for it, ser |
vices . commission Of 1-l0th Of per cent. !
on all bonds and coupons paid. 1t ID Oh !
served that the Fisc.l Aeen, during the
year 1878 disbur.ed, exclusive Of the last !
statement, not yet returned. &3,2S7 COS, all .
Of which large sum not only paced through /
the COmm,ssioners' hsnds. bot By Law vas |
under their exclusive control, custody and |
care.
On inquiry the committee find thst
neither Of the Fund Commissionen gives t
bond a. such, nor does il appear that any
Law requires them to do 70. They do not
keep minu,es Of the proceeding>, nor IN &C. !
count of the moneys BY them received and
di~bur~ed. A ell their payments and r.
ceip,s must pass through the Auditor and
Treasurer. il il considered that the booxs /
Of these officers are Sufficient memorsn-
dums Of the Commissioner acts and &C.
count Of their transactions. The proceed-
ings Of these functionsries in the discharge
Of official duty would seem to b about
this wise Commissioners Gates and Hal
lsday direct Auditor Halliday TO draw .
warrant for the sun required at the time,
which being done, Commissioners Gates
and Halliday instruct Treasurer Gates to
pay over to them the amount Of the war.
rant. When the warrant il entsrd - paid
in the the Treasurer books, the money
forthwith psssss under the exclusive con-
troll end custody Of the Commissionsrs until
expended in the payment Of bonds and
eoupooa Il 10 not within the province Of
the committee to explain Why such singu-
Lar provisions have been incorporated into
the financial Legislation Of the State, nor
Why th1se Comnisioosrs, Who are charged
With most important duties, - we'll - the
exclusive control, custody and disburss-
ment Of millions. are not required to give
bond. They simply report facts - they
End them. The committee respectfully
suggest the Law b % amended - to make
the Governor, the Auditor and the
Attorney General The Board Of Fund CON-
missioner, the Governor the President,
the Auditor the SECRETARY; that there
may b . summary means TO compel the
performances Of duty; vest IN the Governor
the power to remove, subject 10 the ma
jorisy Of the Supreme Coart. the Auditor
OF Treasurer, and to appoint some one in
his place. In the couns Of examinations
the statsmsnts Of The Bank Of Commerce Of |
New York and the Fiscal agent Of the State
were inspected. To their surprise the com
mittee could end no charge for eoomis- |
sions, nor u the hank credited on the Au-
ditors books with any sun representing
such commissions. On further inquiry i, |
was sscertained that since 1877, when the
oct took eject reducing the compensation Of