Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-03-16

being substitute bill, requiring each
State officer or employee who is en-
titled to reimbursement for personal
expenses and railway or steamboat
fares to file with the auditing officer Of
the State an itimiZed account of all
such expenses, accompanied by GER
tificate that such expenses have actu-
ally been paid by him in full.)
Mr.. REYNOLDS: l wish to make a
statement in regard to the position of
the committee. The action is taken in
this way to avoid fling a minority re-
port. Our committee has kept together
so well that we dislike, l guess. filing
minority reports. and decided that in
asmuch as l was in the minority. l
would take this course.
The bill as originally presented, in
corporated these features. that each
employee and officer of the State should
file an itemized statement of his ex-
penses, including railroad and steam
boat fares and mileage. and should be
reimbursed for these. | am at liberty
to state as the action of the committee
that the first thing we did was to elm
mate the matter of mileage. That par
ticularly applied to the Councillors VINO
come from some distance ana receive
small compensation. While ~the~fuie
measuraby holds to them AS l DeheVe,
at the same time it would seem 10 me.
after further consideration, to be wise
that that should be adjusted by
change of statute rather than by a bill
of this character. so that it would re-
duce the matter right to the one prob
lem of reimbursing the State officials
for their actual expenses. The other
problem is whether or not there should
be filed in the office of the auditing
officer or the State treasurer an afli-
davit to the effect that those expenses
were actually incurred in the business
of the State.
Upon inspection of the bills that have
been approved in our auditing office,
on presentation of them in the commit
tee room, the committee were unani-
mously of the opinion that the bills
were not in proper shape and that there
should be an itemiZed statement.
These bills were of considerable size
and if you will look through the vari
Gus appropriations as they have grown
from time to time in the different de-
partments, ranging somewhere from
$1,000 to many thousands of dollars, You;
will find that they do not specify how
much is incurred for hotel bills. how
much for railway fares or anything of
that kind They are not all of the
same character, but without reading
any names, ! will read this, for one:
To services and expenses ......,.,.... SO,
Expenses to Hartford ........-........ III
Making a total of ............... $ley
To expenses in January and eFebru-
airy, attending hearings. motel DIS,
railway fares, etc. ................... $llS
And so on. That is something on the
plan, and this matter developed in the
committee, so that the members, al
though they do not agree with me in
the report. will agree. l think. that
there ought to be a different account
ing Then they said there would prob
ably be State auditor later on, and
the necessity of having this done would
he obviated, so that the majority
report comes before you requiring that
there shall be an itemiZed statement
and that shall be accompanied by 4
certificate stating that the account
was for expenses incurred Tor the
state. and the only feature upon which
we QlSaRTep at Tie PlCoClil' tiiiAN 40
whether or not the railway fares shall
be included and that simply gets to the
question of whether or not persons
holding passes given to them py rail-
roads or street railways shall use those
passes and shall file an account stat
ing that it was for expenses incurred
and shall receive reimbursement fof
those expenses. 1t is on that point thal
our committee on legal affairs divides
two being with me, making three Tor
the minority and four for the majority
report.
Now the acceptance of the majority
report means this: That the use OF
masses carries with it the right TO ME
a statement, that these passes shall De
paid for and that the person who holds
them shall have the benefit OF the
passes The amendment means that
that shall not be the case, that II a per-
son who is State official has pass.
the State shall have the benefit OF tnat
mass. 1t has been argued tand argued
openly in the committee, so that can
refer to it, by some of out State OH
Gals that it is a purely personal thing
that these passes have been given 10
them to be used and that the railroads
expect them to use them for their own
good and they further say, ana TO thal
extent only will | crtcse their posi-
ton. they further say that providing
they are not allowed to collect thus
money for themselves. that they should
nav the money 10 the railroads. II
seems to me that those who have been
fortunate enough to have good posi-
tons under our State government, WIN
all that that means in the present anu
in the future should be loyal enough
to the State to give the State the ben
eft of the pass. The whole question IS
narrowed right down to this question
of passes and it is only a question VI
whether we endorse the idea OF state
officials holding such passes and heihg
reimbursed when they make no actual
expenses for the rides they take on
railroads, steamboats, and street rail-
ways.
Mr.. PLIMMER of Penobscot: 1t
mi