The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-02-10
MR.. GANTT'S ANSWER.
(ContinucG from First Paec.)

ment Of the office has been deficient.
The only reply which is in my power
to make to this charge is the dendi
ton at once Of a full statement O
every financial transaction of the Of
flee, properly balancing the cash
found on hand, during my term of Of
flee. | assert to be true that. though
prepared upon less than twenty-four
hours notice, this statement is sub
stantially accurate, and I will forth
with and Immediately resign as secre-
tary of state if | cannot prove to the
satisfaction of any competent and un-
prejudiced bookkeeper that it is sat
isfactory statement of the conditio
of the office, and that the statement
of the committee purporting to be
such is not a true statement Of It's al
fairs and contains many errors.
Replying TO the several remarkable
assertions of the committee. | wish tc
quote them as follows:
" When we went into the office
we were informed that we could con-
clude our labors in ten minutes. |
deny absolutely and unequivocally
that ] made any statement at all in
reference to the time it would re-
quire to make the investigation 70
any member of this committee.
"'On insisting that we came for a
real examination we were begged for
time to prepare books
Il neither begged nor cared for any
time whatever; l suggested that l
would like to check over the entries
that had not been checked, for pos
sible erors; I suggested that the ex-
animation would be facilitated if the
committee would permit me to make
a complete statement of its affairs,
showing proper balances. Both Of
fers were declined and evidently mis-
construed. AS result Of the refusal
of the committee to accept any help
or suggestion in their work, nothing
whatever was accomplished during
two entire weeks, and when Hollis,
the expert, came, everything that
had been gone over was rechecked.
Many erasures and corrections
were made on the books.
"Mr. MCGOWAN says that he made
one or two corrections, with the
knowledge and. he thought. permis-
sion of the committee.
"A charter had been granted in
the sum OF SI5,ooo; same was record
ed as having been issued in the sum-
of S5o,ooo.'
This has never been called to my
attention and I have no idea as 70
what is REFERRED I would suggest
that record must have been accessi-
BILE to them, which showed the prop
er capital stock.
In many cases we found where
over collections had been made ag-
gregating s5o7.55.
Il beg to say that. owing to the
change in the law Tor recording GER
tain papers, reducing the fee fifty
cents, the reduction has been fire.
quently overlooked by applicants for
charters, in spite of the adoption OF
every means by the Office to appralse
the public Of it. As every declaration
on which it is paid is followed gener-
allv in two or three days witha re-
turn upon which further fee is pay
able. it has been the practice OF the
Office to deposit the additional fifty
cents to the credit Of the official ac
count of the Office. to be applied to
the return fee In some cases the re-
turn has been delayed, and III others
it is never made. There is now un
refunded OF these matters the sum
OF S4I25. which is i'll the bank TO the
credit of the state.
Improper amount credited to the
state: Puckhaber Brothers. Charles
ton, S. c., charter fee $50; amount
state credited with SIS.
1t Was discovered bv the commit