The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-06-18
SAVED MONEY FOR THE STATE.
COMMISSIONER NEsBIr BEFORE
THE BLALOCK COMMITTEE.

The Handsome Revenue Received
From the Inspection of OIL and
Fertilizers Claimed to Be Due to
His System-COmmistee man Swift
Maintains That the Credit Belongs
TO the Governor, Who Introduced
the RefOrmntOry Matter.
Atlanta. Ga. June T-Quite lively lit
tie colloquy occurred al this morning 9
session of the Blalock committee between
Committeeman Swift and Commissioner of
Agriculture Nesbit. The long and short
of it was that while before the commit
tee the commissioner laid claim to having
brought up the revenue of his department
to such an extent that the state enjoys
a handsome return from the inspection OF
oils and fertilizers, whereas before the be-
ginning of his term the amount turned
into the treasury was next to nothing.
Mr.. Swift asked If he thought the i'm
provement due to his personal efforts. and
the commissioner said he did.
Mr.. Swift commended that the commits
sioner was a mere executive officer of the
law and If credit attached to any one
it should go TO Gov. Atkinson who intro
duced the reformatory measure in the
general assembly. There were more
words, but these will give an idea sufl-
GENTLY fun of what happened.
After the committee had adjourned
member said he had called on the com
missioner for a statement for number Of
fertilizer tags used by his office during
the last season. And" he added, ''in
about two weeks he may be able to answer
the question:
Col. Nesbitt admits that the system of
bookkeeping that has prevailed in his Of
fee may have been defective.
According to committeeman seen this
afternoon the commissioner account
showed 400 fertilizer tags to be left over in
his possession, whereas the committeeman
says he counted them and there were in
the neighborhood of q, 900 on hand. Again,
according to the commissioners figures,
there should have been no cotton seed meal
tags whatever on hand, whereas the COM
mitteeman counted them and found about
$1,000.
The question of tags is a small one and
the committee does not seem to have
stirred up any big questions, but the
amount paid for paste board during the
past season must have been nearly $4,000
since 3,7O6, 400 tags were bought.
DR.. B. L. Mcintosh, the assistant COM
missioner points out that where $1.60 was
paid for tags, $40 were received by the de-
partment when they were used for ferti-
lizers, and s. when used for cotton seed
meal. The tag shows that the tax is
paid, he added, not that the oil or meal has
been inspected. In fact, the law especially
provides that no inspector shall discharge
his duty while the goods are in the factory.
He must catch and sample them elsewhere,
where interester parties can have no warn
ing of what is on hand.
DR. Mcintosh said the existing law was
the fairest, and if properly executed, the
be5 to protect the interest of the far
mers that could possibly be devised.
The dispatch to the Morning News
which credited Commissioner Nesbit
with owing the state $211, was founded
on information given by himself, but he
says he referred to the shortage claimed
by the committee against his inspectors,
if he should be held liable. There is no
shortage charged against the commits
sioner himself.