The record-union., 1896-02-15
State PROPERTY ABSORBED.
Scarcely Anything Remains to Tell the
Tale.
Secretary of State Brown Has Been In
vestigating Property of the
Board of Silk Culture.

The State Board of Examiners held a
meeting yesterday, Governor Budd,
Secretary of State Brown and Secretary
Narkley being present.
Adjutant-G General Barrett, in re-
sponse to the request of the Governor,
brought in the papers in review of the
case of Captain Bloomberg of San
Francisco and presented them to Gov
ernor Budd, consisting of over hun
dred typewriter pages.
Great scottl" said the Governor,
what is this? Do you expect me to read
all that? He told me I could go over it
in fifteen minutes. Take it away. Life
is too short and people complain now
that I do not answer their letters" and
Adjutant-G General Barrett gravely car
ried it away again, while he winked
the other eye.
STATE PRINTERS POWERS.
A discussion arose between the Gov
ernor and Secretary of State Brown
as to the power of the State Printer to
buy supplies except under authority
OF the State Board of Examiners, the
Governor holding that he could not buy
without such authority, and Secretary
Brown saying that it had always been
held by former Secretaries of State
that only the State officers in the Cap
itol building should be furnished by the
board, through the Secretary of State,
and the officers outside Of the building
or other institutions did not depend on
the board.
The argument arose over a claim for
brief paper which was bought by
State Printer Johnston outside Of the
contract, the purchase of which saved
the State a large amount.
The Governor said that he knew the
State Printer was working hard to
save the State money and his business
was in good order, but if any claim of
authority to buy supplies except by
permission of the Board of Examiners
were made. he would take measures to
test it and settle the matter once for
all. He held that the Board of Exam
iners being, as it were, the supply
agents of the State no board or
institution, in the absence of a specific
law empowering them, should purchase
supplies except through that board.
McMANUS' CLAIM.
The claim of ]. P. McManus for ex-
penses in bringing a prisoner from
Denver came up and Mr.. McManus ex-
planned that he was detained in Den
yer for three days in order to get the
signature of Governor Waite, the At
torney-General having been tarred and
feathered by a mob. Neither he nor
Chief of Police Drew had agreed to
waive a daily allowance, and his pay
was docked during his absence.
The Governor suggested that he pre-
pare a statement that the action OF the
former board in rejecting the claim
was based on misrepresentation Of the
facts and the present board could then
take it up.
WILKINS TALKS BACK.
Secretary Markley read a letter from
PRINCIPAL Wilkins of the Deaf, Dumb
and Blind Asylum in regard to the
criticism of the Board of Examiners
on the prices paid by that institution.
He said that it was not fair to criticize
the prices paid for eggs, butter and po-
tatoes at the most costly time of the year,
He claimed that the average price of
eggs bought was 20 cents, as against
the contract price of p cents at San
Quentin, and that butter cost on the
average a little less than 1712 cents
pound. He thought that, although not
purchased by contract, the average
prices paid were a gain to the State.
The board, however, expressed its
Judgment that Mr.. wilkins must here
after contract for all his supplies.
WHERE HAS IT GONE?
Secretary of State Brown, who had
been appointed to look up the property
of the State in charge of the State Board
of Silk Culture, made the following re-
port:
Sacramento, February IA, 1896.
To the Honorable State Board of Ex-
aminers: Pursuant to your instruc
tions 1 proceeded to ascertain the
whereabouts of the property purchased
during the existence of the State Board
of Silk Culture. Herewith will be found
the correspondence, and list of fur
niture, machinery, ETC., purchased by
said board. After much research, in
different directions, was unable to To-
cate anything belonging to said board,
nor could information be obtained from
the proper source, with the exception of
a few pieces of machinery, stored in
different parts of the Flood building,
where it had been rusting for several
years. Storage had been demanded of
PARTIES who were sent to look at the
machinery, but we have been promised
that no charge would be made. No
clew whatever could be obtained as to
what became of the carpets, rugs, mir
aors, chairs, stoves, desks, lounges,
fancy chairs, scales, etc. In fact, all
the furniture and movables have disap-
peared; and where, no one knows. This
is the first investigation, in looking up
State property, that has ever been made
by the board, and the result is apparent
to the dullest mind that the property
has simply been appropriated. It is as
great a loss to the people to have State
property, which is necessary, and must
be replaced, stolen or destroyed as it
is to take the actual coin from the State
Treasury. I candidIy believe that many
thousands of dollars of movable prop
erty purchased by the State has disap-
peared, and never will be recovered.
That knowledge may be had of what
property the State has lost, I respect
fully suggest that comparison of the
purchases for the past ten years be
made with the inventory which was re-
Gently taken, and if any discrepancy
be discovered, that an effort be made by
this board to fix the responsibility upon
the proper parties. Responsibility
should rest upon some one, and if Off
cials have been careless in protecting
property placed in their keeping they
should be liable for the loss of the same.
The property OF the State should be as
safely and zealously guarded as that of
an individual Respectfully yours,
II