Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-18
INQUIRY NOT CONCLUDED
The Matter Referred to Public Printer
Stillings.
DMITS OF EXPLANATION
Inadequacy Of Methods Alleged to
Be often the Cause of
Trouble.

The expert accountants OF the Office of
the controller of the treasury and auditor
for the State Department who spent a
number of weeks going into the accounts
OF L. c. Farrell, superintendent OF docu-
ments of the government printing office
recently completed their work and made
report direct to Secretary Shaw. The
latter forwarded 1t to Public Printer Still
ings. who has been giving It his consider
alton.
The period covered by the examination
of A J. Whitaker of the controllers Office
and ]. L. Chase of the Office of the au-
ditor for the State Department which
handles the accounts OF the government
printing office. was the fiscal year 1905.
which ended June 50 last. 1t is learned
that the experts discovered q shortage in
the accounts of Mr.. Farrell. The figures
are placed at STA. The controller's Office
Informed Secretary Shaw that the matter
of continuing the examination into other
fiscal years was not a business of theirs
and should be carried on by the experts
OF the government printing office 1t is
supposed that Public Printer Stillings has
given orders to have the examination ex-
tended into the seven other years Mr.
Farrell has been In Office.
Susceptible of Explanation.
Just what will be the outcome of the
well posted do not know now. They say
that the shortage that was found Is liable
TO explanation. not being on the same
plane with the ordinary accounts OF a
cashier or other officer. Mr.. Farrell, it
Will be recalled. was some time ago laid
off from his position pending thorough
overhauiing of the business of his office.
As superintendent OF documents he had
charge of the sale of all public docu-
ments for which the government exacted
money. A great deal of money is received
by the government In that way, coming
in letters in various quantities. usually
small amounts. There has been little or
no method, 1t is alleged, In accounting
for these payments and the sale of docu-
ments at least. the method, has been far
from a satisfactory one. judged from the
views of the Treasury Department ex-
perts. The result has been tangie that
it has been hard to unravet The experts
were forced to go over every letter ana
remittance received during the fiscal year
of which there was record, and after do
Ing this the result was small dlscrep-
ancy that Mr.. Farrell may easily explain
when called upon to do So
It is stated that loads of documents nave
been dumped on Mr.. Farrell, no account
having been kept of the number ana no
particular number charged TO him at any
| time There has been absolutely no method.
| jt is declared. of charging him with so many
documents and having him account for that
many, either in cash difference in doCu-
ments. The system appears to have pre-
vailed before Mr.. Farreii went there. AT
any rate. its inventor is not known.
Loose Methods Elsewhere.
officials OF the controllers office say that
the same loose methods prevail IN different
places in government branches In Washlng-
ton and have prevailed for years. POSSIBLE
tiles of mistakes and wrongdoing are GER
tain. and losses to the government are in
eyitabIe even IL not Intentional II Is this
ina of q h1t res
trouble for nearly everybody concerned.
Mr.. Farrell is well known In Washington.
He can easily make good the shortage that
has been found against him, Ii Is stated.
either personally by the bond he gave.
unless there should be shortages IN other
years that are greater than in the fiscal
year gone over. Mr.. Farrell was for many
years private secretary to Senator Cullom.
and he has a named for that states
man.
Making Careful Examination
Mr.. Charles A. Stlllngs. the public
printer, informed a Star reporter last night
that he was going over the Farrell case very
carefully, that no injustice will be done
He did not charge that there had been any
criminality on the part OF Mr.. Farrell. bur
he added that the matter certainly snacked
of carelessness on the part of some one
IF Mr. Farrell found that his predecessors
had been wrong In their conduct OF public
ditions," said Mr.. Stiilings, and he had
allowed such conditions to continue under
his administration OF the office, then il
shows he was not qualified to act as super
inten6ent of the document department
The public printer added that he was
going back over Mr.. Farrelrs accounts for
a period longer than seven years. as lie (Mr-
StilIings) Will have to make good to the
government any deficiencies in the docu-
ment accounts and that Mr.. Farrell VIII
have to make good to him.
HE has given bond TO me-" concluded MIR.
Stillings, land l have given bond to the
government"
The public printer did not indicate when
bs thought the investigation would come to
a conclusion or what will be its result.
MI Farrells Statement.
When seen at his home. 1343 Girard street
northwest last night, Mr.. Farrell said he
had not as yet received any intimation from
the public printer or from the Treasury De-
partment auditors that the investigation or
the mast years work of his Office had been
completed, though he had heard in a round
about way that such was the case.
"Of course. I cannot attempt to make an
explanation of any Sort" continued Mr..
Farrell until I know what there is to be
explained 1t Is usual In such departmental
Investigate for the chief of the bureau
under scrutiny to be present SO that ne
may give what aid is in his power to clear
thev are encountered. but l was suddenly
suspended and the Treasury Department
auditors were called in to examine things
1.-THE whole trouble. l am satisfied, is due
to the fact that tried to run the office with
too small a force of assistants. had forty
five clerks. or only one more than was en-
ployed seven years ago when took charge,
and in that time the business of the office
has increased from 300 to 400 per cent. We
handle approximately 100000 to 100000 doc
uments annually. and the receipts last year.