The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1905-10-27

Methodist conference the special COM
mittee appointed to investigate the
report of the auditing committee on
the Red River Valley university sub
mitted the following report, which was
unanimously adopted by the confer
ence:
To the Members of the North Dakota
Conference:
Your committee does not deem itself
to be an auditing committee, and has
not assumed to do the technical work
of such committee. We have, however,
carefully considered the pamphlet put
out by Messrs. Carter and Baker con-
corning the business management of
the R. R. V. U.
We find that the principal charges
are as follows:
1. Large sums of money have been
paid by the treasurer without warrants
signed by the secretary of the corpor-
alton, upon checks or orders signed by
Dr.. Robertson alone, and that the treas
it has been spent
2. OF the $4,000 already received
from the trustees of the science school,
$4,000 has not been turned over to the
treasurer and no account has been rem
dered to him concerning it.
3. The accounts of the Red River
Valley university have never been
properly audited.
In regard to the first charge: A
large part of the money paid by DR..
Robertson's order, without the warrant
of the secretary signed by the presi-
dent of the board, was for bills in.
Cured in repairing and finishing the
building.
Messrs Wallace, Robertson and Car.
ter were appointed committee to at
tend to this work. They left DR.. Rob
ertson to attend to the details and set
tie for materials and with the work.
men. These bills were numerous and
amounted to from 80 cents to several
hundred dollars each. 1t would evil
IDENTIFY been announcement to require
every person having bill of so cents
to secure an order from the secretary,
have it o. KID by the proper person,
send it to MI. Lynch. president of the
board, at Casselton, for his signature
and then present to the treasurer for
payment. The usual way might be to
set aside a sum of money by vote for
this purpose; the way actually chosen
was by tacit consent to allow DR.. Rob-
ertson to pay them by checks, which
the treasurer honored. Of all these
bills DR.. Robertson has an itemized &C.
count.
A further complication arose from
the fact that after the secretary. MI
Wallace. resigned last May from the
board, he refused to surrender to his
successor the warrant book until the
book should be officially audited.
Concerning the second account,
namely, that money has been received
and expended without passing through
the treasurer's hands, we find that GER
tain parties in Wahpeton have declared
that they would apply to the courts for
receiver and thus hold a subscription
list of $4,000 while they attempted to
prevent the removal OF the school by
legal means. The board of trustees,
therefore, appointed DR.. Robertson.
Frank Lynch and Mr.. Robinson a COM
mittee to receive and disburse money,
thus superseding any action taken by
the executive committee as to method
of procedure in paying bills. More
than this, the newly elected treasurer,
Mr.. Robinson, elected upon resignation
of MI. Carter in May, was within a
very few days after election taken into
the hospital at Rochester, Mimi, for a
very serious operation, which kept him
confined untP after the close of the
school term, at which time it was nee
essary that the teachers be paid 1t
was impossible, therefore, for him to
receive the money which Dr.. Robert
son had collected, and DR.. Robertson,
therefore, paid the bills from money in
his hands, taking in each case proper
receipts therefor which had been at
the disposal of the auditing committee
at any time. 1t was evidently impos-
sible for Nh. Robinson to attend to this
business.
We find also that up to May 4, 1905.
Dr.. Robertson has Treasurer William
Carriers signature to his memoranda
of all moneys collected and disbursed
by him, Mr. Carter thus becoming
Jointly responsible for the same.
Concerning the third account:
We have reason to believe that the
accounts OF the corpora ton have never
been properly audited, though a COM
petent committee has each year salts
fed itself that everything was properly
and honorably administered and has so
reported to this conference. Inasmuch
as in the past there has not been suffi-
cient caro- in examining the accounts
of the university. We recommend that
in the future a competent accountant
be employed by the auditing commit
tee to examine all accounts before
making written report to the confer