Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-12-30

were snort Wheh ne lett; Dut not the exact
amount, but they have never taken any
steps 10 prosecute his bondsmen, or to re.
cover any part of the shortage; neither
nave they ever reported the shortage 10
the Governor, or TO the Legislature, but
the entire matter has been suffered To
remain unrevealed, When your commit.
tee called for the bond OF Peter Gardner. no
record or trace ot ii could be found,
and M officer OF the Hospital that knew
anything about ii, and il WAS only brought
10 light by search on the part Of mem.
Der OF the committee among lot OF old
papers IN the back office OF citizen of
Madison, who had formally been official.
~ connected with the Hospital This
transaction must also receive the positive
disapprovsl OF your committee. Ii any
81 the debt OF Peter Gardner was t. be
forgiven, II was the clear duty OF the
Board to report the facts 10 the leglslA.
ture aud for the Legislature to act, not Tor
the Board 10 assume, the authority or awe
any color TO the charge OF covering up.
uNAuTnoRIzEp EXPENDITURES.
We find that the tendency To spend
money IN Unauthorized ways has been
constant. The Energy OF the Suporintend.
cot, aud the lack OF sharp oversight on the
part OF the Board, has led to expenditures
not authorized by the legislature and
of doubtful legality or propriety
For Instance, thore has been con.
slructed IN front OF the Hospital
8 large artificial lake or reservoir, which
must have cost quite sum, for which
there WAS never any appropriation, and
no record that the Board ever authorized
H. OF that 1t cost dollar in money. The
superintendent says he was authorized TO
DC this work by individual members OF
the Board, In conversation with them
which convers,tions ste positively denied
Ivy tho members referred to. The result
is that the State has paid for the conslruc.
iion OF large reservoir OF doubtful utility
and OF exlravagant cost, 10 maintalu the
RESPONSE bllty for which the Super n ,eud
ont puts 1t on the Board anu the Board
shifts II back on the Superintendent
Again, we ind that tho Superintendent
has been accustomed TO exceed In ex.
pendllure specific appropriations
made by the Legislature, taking the bal
ance to do the given work or pay for the
specific article from the general fund
TO Illustrate, the Legislature at one time
appropriated $1,000 Tor tho purchase of
stock, and the SUPERINTENDENT immediate
ly Invested over ~ 600 In such purchases
We ihiUk the Board have been IN fault
for not stopping this practice. They have
kuown this tendency on the part of the
Superintendent aud have evidently given
II a quasi sanction; whereas, on its first
occurrence they ought To have taken such
steps that II would never have been re-
peaIed The Board rs the lswiully-cDn.
stituted authority appointed 10 control the
Superintendent, and they are not Ia be
excused for neclocllng this duty, however
unjustitiable the course OF tho Superin.
tendent may have been.
MIsAPPLCATIoN OF APPROPRIATIONS
1t has also been customary for the Hos
pltal authorities 10 use money appropriat.
ed for one specific purpose ia an entirely
different direction; ior instance, in 1873,
an appropriation Of Sc 600 was made 10
construct the bed OF branch railroad
track from the depot to the Hospital en-
CINE house. This was never built, aud
what became OF that specific $4,000, no
one knows. There has been no report Of
the matter to the Legislature, and no &C
ton by 1t on the sut jeCt. IL seems to your
that sucn appropriations are
placed ia the hands of toe board as trust
fund. to cxpend ia a particular way, and
when It IA expended in different way, it
becomes breach of trust which cannot
he approved, These irregularities show tho
need OF chapter 2S9 OF the laws OF 1880.
INTEREST AND IEDRBrBDNEss
We fud that Il has been usual on the
part OF the Board, 10 permit tue Hospital
to run in debt, borrow money 10 meet the
indebtedness aud pay interest on the same
out OF State tuuds. During the time coy
cred By our Investigation, the Slate has
paid over ~ 500 interest on money Dor
rowed for the Hospital W. much DOUBT
the authority OF the Board to borrow
and must positively condemn the
practice Ia all cases. The Iiospita, can
and should be supported on lis Appropri
atoms. We also find that the Indebtedness
OF The Hospital, instead OF beng $50 5ll,
IS reported to the Legislature last winter,
when chapter 295, lsws OF 1880, was pass.
cd, amounted actually 10 $4,000, on
which Inc State was then paying interest
Mr.. Giles, uf the State Board OF Charities,
In his testimony, gives in detail hls
efforts 10 fad out the exact Indebtedness,
30 as to report the same To the Leglsln
ture, bur he was unable 10 ascertain
tne amount, either from the 70
pors of the Hospital required ny
law 10 be made to the Byard OF CHAR
ties, from the Superintendent or from lhe
Treasurer Of the Board, and finally fixed
it ~ near as he could, and pat u at the
sum provided Tor IN said chapter $50 Or
TINS matter, and where the additional
$lS 900 had been expended, your commit
tes have received no satisfactory explana
ton. Ii was claimed that the construction
OF tbs cross wings above referred 10, to
gether with the necessary furnishing aud
the cost OF maintaining The additional
iak ON In aLier innIE com nlaiI4u-