The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1898-01-22
MADE A RECORD !
First Year of Roscoe ID. Dix as
Auditor General of
Michigan.
BUSINESS WELL IN HAND
Careful Planning Prevented the
Issuing Of BOnds-RespOn-
sibilities Enormous.

The Lansing correspondent of the
Grand Rapids Herald writes intel
/ ligently of one of the most import
ant departments of the state SER
vice as follows
In that busy beehive, the Michigan
I state capitol, there is no more lively
section than that occupied by the
auditor generals department., and
Int is indeed remarkable record of
! business ability and efficiency that
( General Roscoe d. Dix has made
during the first year of his admins
tration. The routine business of
this most important department OF
the state has more than doubled
during the year 1897 as compared
with 1896 The routine letters and
! applications IN 1896 numbered Z6,-
lS6, and for the year 1897 the enor-
nous total of 56, 666 was reached,
and this does not include the large
number of personal and special let
ters which the auditor general is
constantly receiving. To accommo-
date and care for this multiplied
work the Office force has been only
slightly enlarged, proof positive OF
the increased efficiency of the ma
chinery of the department. When
General Dix assumed control of the
department the first Of last January,
he found the monitor and timekeep-
er system in vogue, and the chief
duties of this official seemed to be
to spy upon and report the conduct
of clerks. Believing that Il better
way would be to rely upon the honor
of his subordinateS of every grade
and description to faithfully and in
dustriously perform their duties
{ airing Office hours, the auditor gen
eral at once dispensed with the SER
vices OF the monitor and timekeeper
and his action not only placed him
in high favor with the employees of
the department, but secured results
far larger than was possible by the
odious system he terminated. The
entire force nobly responded by
cheerful and largely increased in
dustry and greater interest and ac-
curacy,
on A BUSINESS BASIS.
At date all of the work in every
division of the department is well IN
hand, and this statement is made
more significant when it is known
that year ago some of the divisions
were nearly two years behind in the
routine. This has been accomplished
under increased burdens. "a fact which
speaks to the point. When General
Dix made his first trip of inspection
through the department he found the
Office in badly overcrowded condi-
tion, some of the rooms being SO much
SO that the health of many of the
clerks was seriously impaired. He
Immediately resorted to energetic
measures to remedy the evil and
finally secured by concurrent resolu-
tion of the Legislature, the assign
ment of all the basement rooms late
ly occupied for the storage of sup
plies for the quartermaster general S
department These rooms have re-
Gently been thoroughly renovated
and refitted, and their acquisition
has greatly relieved the overcrowded
condition of the department and inn
proved the sanitary comfort of the
employees. General Dix has been
untiring in his efforts to place his
department, with its multiplicity of
intricate details, upon thoroughly
practical basis, and devotes his en-
tire time to closely supervising and
directing every division of this great
business machine. He is splendidly
equipped for this work by reason of
long and successful business career
and thorough familiarity with
state affairs and the more important
Michigan laws during the last 30
years. He has promptly solved the
many perplexing tax problems
which the famous and far-reaching
decisions of the supreme court have
precipitated upon him.
BROUGHT OUT OF BANKRUPTCY.
Probably his greatest feat as comp
troller of the state finances was his
successful bringing OF the state
treasury out of the impending bank
ruptcy in which be found it at the
beginning of his term of Office, to u
comfortable condition of solvency.
In doing this he has been greatly
! aided by the earnest and well di-
rected cooperation. Of State Treas
urer Steele When the auditor gen
erals department was turned to him
by his predecessor, Gen. Dix was in
formed that the state treasury was
Gin the hole 42l, ,93334, and on top
of this the legislature was about