The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1901-04-27
THE REPORT ON
THE LAND OFFICE
The Committee of Clerks Shows the COndi-
tiOn of Affairs.
The Shortage of George W. Davis Shown to be 0,o28
39>>The Books of Napoleon Davis are Found to BE
Substantially Correct.


Oregon. 90. ... - .''' 'V'o-o %
r,,,, S3O.052 OS
The report on the books OF Nalo" Oh
Davis is as follows:
"1'o Hon. d. Il. n. Blackburn At'or-
uey General for Oregon:
.rNNe. the undersigned clerks APP
pointed under and in pursuance of
Concurrent Resolution No. 23. of the
lote session of the Legislature, to fur
ther investigate matters connected
with the state Land Office School
Funds. etc, beg leave to report at
this time as follows:
"We have thoroughly investigated
these matters for and during the peri.
od commencing February /, 1887. and
ending July 81, 1891, at least as care
fully and thoroughly ms we could, con
sldering the manner I'm which the
books and accounts have been kept
For instance, we have often found in
checking up the cash book from the
receipt stubs, that cash was charged
on cash book. but no mention made
of this on the stub. Another matter
seems worthy of attention, and that
Is that we find $50 1850 on the ledger
hut not on the cash book. This is un
der Tide and Swamp Land Funds.
"A Tide and Swamp Land cash book
! Is frequently referred to, hut we have
thus far been unable to find any such
book.
sour only alternative IN this matter
OF Tide and Swamp Land Funds has
been to take it for granted that the
ledger Is right, unless we checked M
the deeds to Tide and Swamp Lands
and find 1t in this way. Wish to say
chat we have gone over the records
to Tide and Swamp Lands in this way
TO verify the ledger. This has made
the work unnecessarily tedious and
long The other funds we have been
able to check up without so much
trouble.
1--WE stlll believe that receipts should
| be given for all money received and
the purpose for which II Is paid should
be carefully noted on the stub. Had
this been done we could have reached
o conclusion In our work much EARL.
er. We are glad to note that the
present clerk has adopted this method
1--WE still wish To recommend that
the deeds TO State Lands be indeXed
"In conclusion we wish to say that
we have annexed hereto n statement
showing the amounts collected and
Treasurer's receipts for same. Each
fund Is shown separately and his re-
ceipts In connection Herewith. The
statement will show that during the
four and half years the clerk col
lected and turned In over SlO00,0O0
and during all this time had given but
5000 as bond and could settle at
any time. 1t Is evident from care
ful examination of the work that the
money was not turned over promptly,
and at the close of the first year the
clerk had some $4,000 he had not
turned over. At the end of the second
year he paid up TO within about S10,-
600, and then ran behind again and so
on till the close OF his term. This
makes it evident that the money
should be paid over promptly as is
now required by law
The present clerk has lot of old
and worthless notes ON hand and some
disposition should be made of them.
IL Is not justice 70 hold his responsible
for the safe-keeping Of such mass Of
worthless rubbish Wish TO say the
present officers have been uniformly
kind and courteous and furnished any
and all papers and information called
for, within their power
win say that the clerks published
report during this period Is wholly un-
reliable when compared with the re
cords, as a careful examination will
show.
trhe amounts collected and trans
ferred during the term arej: