St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-12
THE WORST OF LOOSENESS
Appears to Exist in Board of Educa-
ton Business Methods.
City Comptroller Holbrook Refuses
to Sign Certain Warrants.

Disclosures were made yesterday that
would indicate the recent overhauling given
the board of education methods were III
vain, and the looseness that prevails Is
shocking. not to say alarming. A. L. An
keny's.rules, if adopted, will correct these
evils, but it is matter of regret that he
has been almost alone in this good and
necessary work Comptroller Holbrook
yesterday refused peremptOrily to sign two
warrants from the school board, and his ac-
ton will probably give such publicity 10th
intolerable irregularity of the boards finan-
cial methods that the needed reform will
follow. One of these warrants was for
5000 for the moving expenses OF Prof.
Bradley from Albany to Minneapolis. The
bill was made out by member OF the
board, or a clerk, and was in the form OF
an ordinary bill, approved on the back by
w. ID. Hale and A. Austin. of the financial
committee. The other was bill of S75 by
John Mccarthy for moving safe from
Miller Bros. u Fletcher'S to the Temple
court. A GLOBE reporter had converse
ton with Comptroller Hoibrook, who eX-
pressed himself as follows:
unless compelled to by the courts. 1 am de-
termined to ascertain, once for all, whether
my position is merely clerical, or whether
am TO audit these claims as the law directs.
1t is evident this claim of $500 is a bonus and
not bill, and it should come in that form.
Mr. Bradley's expenses for moving could not
have been over $3.50, yet here is what alleges
to be bill for $500. 1t is made out by
clerk of the board and has passed two out OF
three of the committee. In this shape, at
least, L shall never sign the warrant. The
law providing for my countersgn was evil
IDENTITY prepared to meet just such cases.
This other is q bill for moving q 4,000-pound
safe from Miller Bros. to the Temple court,
and 1t is simply outrageous. The Hall Safe
company tells me S25. or at most $50, would
be ample for this work
The GLOBE reporter hunted up A. T.
Ankeny to obtain his version, for the reason
that he is member of the committee on
claims and finances and lis name did not
appear on either of these bills as having
approved them. Mr.. Ankeny was lndlS-
posed to say much, for the reason that he
has always objected to the system in vogue
OF auditing bills, and did not now wish to
go over the old story. 1t appears, however,
that he had seen and rejected these two
bills, but they were passed. regardless OF
him, by the other members of the commit
tee. This brings out the story of the radi-
cal lOOSeneSs Of running the committees OF
the board much of which has already been
published in the board. There was no
regular time of meeting and the finance
committee Tor at least those two memberS).
got together when it could and rushed the
bills through. Mr.. Ankeny has been en-
gagged on set of rules. which the board has
been considering. One of these rules pro-
vided that every committee should have a
regular stated meeting once month, and
Oftener when necessary. Maj. Hale
attacked this rule savagely and seemed
to regard it as personal af-
front. Mr.. Ankeny insisted upon it,
but his was the only vote in favor of it.
The result of the absence of such rule is
Obvieus. There is the committee on insur-
ance, which has never had a meeting, and
the insurance matters of the board are in a
very melancholy condition.
In regard to the 5000 bill for Supt. Brad
ley's removal, it appears that the matter
had never been before the board, but that
the entire affair of comforting with him was
done by one or two members, MeSSrS.
Miller and Hale being prominent. Mr..
Miller wanted an executive meeting of the
board to consider him, but Mr.. Ankeny
objected to any executive sessions. The
result was that Mr.. Bradley was engaged
in a secret sort OF a way and this 5000 was
a sort Of bonus. The method of doing it
has Mr. Ankeny'S unqualified cOndemna-
ton and explanations by those who manip-
ulated it would be in order. In the mean
time the comptroller declines to sign the
warrant, the city attorney upholding him
in his position.
Another matter was brought out by the
comptroller which may require eXplana-
ton. 1t seems the finance committee was
instructed to negotiate loan of $50, 900 to
meet current expenses until the new taxes
come in. This loan was negotiated by A.
G. Austin, who told the board the rate was
per cent. Mr.. HolbrOok says the rate
was per cent and the note, at nine
months, was so discounted, the proceeds
being $685. 1881. He pronounces this out
rageOus
There was as good and clean apiece of
paper as anybody could want. A govern
ment bond could not be better, as it is
to be paid out of the first money received
from school taxes; yet the rate is per cent.
There is no earthly reason for paying even
per cent. and it seems to me this matter
should be looked up"
A. T. Ankeny was completely nom
plussed when informed of this. ''It
seems incredible" he SAID, as he prepared
to 90 out and look it up.
Board of education matters, it seems,
are managed by some of the members in
L. IL