The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-12
ASKS FAIR BOARDS
ACCOUNTS BE PROBED
SeIb Is Not Satisfied With
Skeleton Reports of
Management

1t is expected that the Minnesota
State Agricultural Society'S accounts
will be examined by the house COM
mittee on public accounts and expend-
itureS.
Representative John F. Selb of St
Paul has called the attention of the
members of the committee to the pro-
priety of an examination of the books
of the fair association. Speaker
Clague's attention has also been di-
rected to the society as offering OPP
portunity for his committee, which rs
1aboring in the various state depart
mentS.
A recent decision of the supreme
court held that the state agricultural
society is a department of the state
government. 1t is therefore amenable
TO examination of it's books and ac-
counts by a legislative committee. A
board of audit annually examines the
books of the society, but it is pointed
out that the auditing committee makes
no pretense of inquiring into the bust
ness methods employed. 1t simply
passes on the correctness of the book
keeping of the officers of the society.
Report of Receipts
The receipts of the society for 1904,
as shown by the report of the board of
audit to the governor, were $205,S09.
1t had total disbursements of $157, 129.
The report on file with the governor
shows bare outline of a financial
statement. The disbursements are
classified in eleven different items
These are: Account of former years,
$291 attractions, $13,293.S0; advertis-
ing, $14,377.65; forage and fuel,
$2,S76.59 labor, $9,132.62; officers SAL
aries, $1,000; postage, kilograms and
express, $675.90; premiums, 22,914.30;
purses, $19,S8S.55; superintendent, as
sistants, judges, police, gatemen and
ticket sellers, s13,956.66; permanent
improvements, S40,456.33; miscellane-
Gus expense, 81, 967.23.
The report of the society for 1904 is
not yet published and will not reach
the legislature until its next session,
but an examination of the 1903 report
resulted in Mr.. Selb's suggestions to
the public accounts committee and
Speaker Clague of the propriety of an
investigation. He said yesterday:
Now that the supreme court has
affirmatively declared that the state
agricultural society is a regular de-
partment of the state government,
have called the attention of the proper
committee of the house to the reason
ableneSs of an investigation of the So
cietyS books. The report for 1903 is
merely skeleton in form and does not
go into details. 1t contains an outline
there is not the detailed statement that
should be made by state department
IN accounting for the money that has
passed through it's hands. The only
department of the disbursements which
has been properly specified is the pay
ment of premiums by the association.
The account Of tickets sold is detailed
in tabular form, and there is a forage
department table and a privilege de-
partment accounting in some detail
These are among the larger receipts.
Handle Much Money
'The disbursements include over
$4,000 spent for attractions, $4,000
for advertising, nearly $4,000 for Off
GERS salaries, $4,000 in salaries to SUI
perintendents, judges, police and ticket
sellers and over $11 900 for miscella-
neouS expenditures None of these big
accounts are itemized in the report.
am not accusing the fair management
of anything wrong, but it seems to me
that a legislative examination of these
disbursements should be made, and
some system established for the eco
nomical government of the society.
The possibilities for graft in a DEPART
ment of the state which is the sole
judge of its expenditures can scarcely
be overestimated. Speaker Clague has
assured me that he believes the fair
management should be examined sim
ply as a precautionary measure and
In justice to the officers of)the associa-
ton"
The public examiners office does not
examine the books of the Societu