The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-03-27
BOARDS
CONTROL
ROAD CASH
Double Payment
for AnahoIa
Grade.

An interesting chapter of the inves.
tigation of the Wilcox shortage is dis
closed in series of letters which while
they were in possession Of the man who
made the investigation for the House
Committee did not come out. They
acquit superintendent Cooper entirely
of connection with the second payment
of moneys.
The correspondence shows that S. N
Hundley, chairman Of the Hawaiian
road board. was notified by Superin-
tendent Cooper that the bills unpaid
were included in the shortage in the
office under Wright, and that he would
ask for an appropriation for them, and
notifying him that the department
could not accept a memo. which he had
placed in the account as voucher.
In answer to this in letters, one I'M
der date Of December 4th, Mr.. Hundley
says that on June IA or 16 James H.
Boyd told him to take money out of
the road taxes and use it to pay labor
I ers on the Anahola grade, and to re-
place it when the appropriation was
received. Not until the signatures of
two members of the Board were re-
ceived to tags showing this disposition
of the fund, would Mr.. Cooper approve
the accounts. Mr.. Cooper called at
tention at that time to the fact that
approval of expenditures from the
Road fund rests with the Road Board
and not with the Superintendent"
All this is summarized by Chief Clerk
White in letter to Sims, the man who
made the report assailing the legality
of the second payment, which after
going over the fact that Hundley SUBJ
mitted the statement of the board with
the entries for advances to pay the
defaulted items, shows these were sent
back to him with orders to charge him
self with them as the office could not
subsequently on showing made by
him, he was allowed in accordance with
letter from this Department to include
the amount of s125SS5 in his statement
of December 81, 1902. Vouchers for the
respective amounts of s475.65, $359.10
and $424.10 were accordingly returned
with financial statement of December |
81 1902. with signatures Of two members
OF the Road Board. The following note
appears at the foot of each voucher:
These amounts were paid to the
above parties and their individual re-
ceipts are on voucher sent to the Pub
lie Works Department. Warrants were
issued in payment of same, collected I
from Treasury and deposited with b.
II. Wright. who defaulted for same.
Payments now made out of the Road
Tax Fund. If payment of loss is made
by Legislative appropriation the same
will appear as a receipt of the Fund
II cite you to instructions to Road
Boards, etc., which while it places con-
troll of appropriations in the hands of
the Superintendent of Public Works,
also provides for disbursement out of
the Road Tax Fund at the absolute dis
erection of the Road Board. The Road
Board was not directed by the Super
intendent to disburse the amount of
sl25S.S5. This was left to the discretion
IF the Road Board, the correspondence
thus principally resulting in substitu-
lion of vouchers for cash tags.
1T would indeed be a hardship If the
nen who performed the labor should
De kept out of their money by an Of
ice shuttle. In making this disburse- I
nent the Road Board assumed the risk
If reimbursement by the Legislature.
I'm view of the above maintain that I
he action of both Superintendent of
Public Works and the HAWAIIAN Road I
Soard was Legitimate and proper"