The herald., 1897-02-21
ANOTHER ROW IN PROSPECT
Over the State Printing Office
Investigation
APPOINTMENT OF EXPERTS
Will Be Made Without Advice From
the Minority
Of Whitewash, Taxpayers to
Pay the Freight
Special to The Herald.

see revival of the row over the print
ing office. The senate has resolved to
insist on allowing a majority of the in
vestigating committee to appoint all the
experts. instead of allowing the minority
vestigation will, therefore, not require
a very shrewd person to guess.
The committee on conference consist
ing of Morehouse, Voorhies and Larue,
was appointed to meet a similar commit
tee from the assembly to agree on the
compromise, which will undoubtedly re-
suit in the assembly receding from its
amendment.
The committee will have to do its in
vestigating after the legislature ad-
journs, and report at the next session.
when the whole matter will be forgot
ten. The state printer today sent to
the state board of examiners a letter
in the course of which he said: ION July
/, 1896, there was available in the state
treasury for the support and mainte-
nance of the state printing Office for the
fiscal year beginning July l, 1895, and
ending June 80, 1897, the total sum Of
S103, ,99941. The legisla ture Of the state
of California met in Sacramento on the
4th day of January, 1897. Prior to that
time, for work that had been ordered
through the regular channels, your hon.
orable body allowed claims aggregating
$91, ,231.83. That left in the fund avail
able for the support of the printing Of
flee for the balance of the year the sum
of $12767.5S. In this connection 1t ought
to be stated that the sum of about $1,000
was expended on claims allowed by your
honorable body, in preparation for the
legislature. Since the legislature con-
vened the state printing office has print
ed bills that have been introduced, as
provided by the constitution, and other
work as ordered by the Legislature and
state officers, the total amount Of claims
for which is the sum of about $4,000.
"Your honorable body has allowed
since the beginning of this year, claims
aggregating $11,625.40, which still leaves
in the treasury available for the use Of
the state printing office the sum of ST.
z42.1S.
ut is difficult, If not impossible, to es-
innate the amount that will be required
to be expended for the necessary uses
of the legislature; but I will say, how
ever, for your information that the
amount expended for this purpose two
years ago was the sum of about $4,000,
and I presume it will be fair to estimate
that like amount will be necessary this
year.
ut will be equally difficult, If not i'm
possible, to estimate the amount of
money that will be required to supply
the demands of the state institution and
officers for the remainder Of this fiscal
year. If could know in advance what
these items would be could make an
approximately accurate estimate. 1t
would be fair to estimate, under normal
circumstances, that the demands upon
this office for this purpose, for the bal
ance Of the year, would be $4,000; but
1t will probably be greater than this
sum, because all the departments and
institutions are refraining from sending
me orders, knowing that am unable to
fill them, not only from lack of funds,
but also because the demands made up
on me by the legislature are so great
that I can attend to nothing else; and
1t will be fair to estimate, therefore,
that the demands will approximate $15,-
900.
I'm order to carry on the work required
by the legislature it will be necessary to
have an additional appropriation Of $75,-
900, and In order to run the state print
ing office so as to do the work required
by the other departments of the gov
ernment until the first day of July,
1897"
This Is quite change in Johnston's
position, as he now asks the board of eX-
aminers to allow his deficit and it will
undoubtedly be allowed, and Dibble's
bills, amended so as to avoid the con-
stitutional question raised by the gov
ernor, will be passed
The governor in his message to the
assembly this morning has called at
tention to fraudulent schemes to sell
land in the east and Europe originating
| in this state, and proposes that the state
board of agriculture be given power to
investigate all such concerns and to
prosecute offenders.
A determined effort is being made to
have the state fair held in Oakland in
the future While it will hardly sue
ceed it may possibly result in killing all
appropriations for the state fair and
local fairs also. The sentiment against
all fair appropriation seems strong and
growing.
Bullas bill providing that no street
car company can use another's tracks
for more than five blocks passed the
senate this morning. Comparatively
little legislation, however. was done in
either house. as hardly quorum was
present, and the senate adjourned un-
til Tuesday.
Early in the afternoon the assembly
continued the second reading of bills
without quorum present until o'clock,
when it also adjourned until Tuesday.
Nearly all the members of both houses
are going for Monday, when grand pa
rade will be held there. Invitations have
been received by the legislature to at
tend the San Francisco fiesta or carnival,
but for some reason Los Angeles seems
to have taken no action in this matter,
although no doubt many members and
the governor would come If invited.
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS.
SACRAMENTO, Feb 20.-In the SEN
ate this morning the bill of the COM
mittee on finance appropriating $12.5O0
for contingent expenses of the assembly
was passed. Wilmington objected to
the amount. voorhes stated that the
amount was estimated by the controll-
er. The Dill bill, appropriting $4,000
for contingent expenses of the assembly,
also passed. st
Senator Wolff's report that the senate
do not reoede from the amendment made
to the resolution to investigate the state
printing Office was adopted, and Sena-
tors voorhies. Morehouse and Laure
! - E'sass 81 = 95 sx SiS