The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-11

800, and not under bond. to certify the | fact that they were destroyed at all.
 The total amount of stamps recorded as destroyed at different times between June 2, 1905. when the first issue of stamps began, and December 29, 1906, two days before Comptroller Glynn as- sumed office, was s5,S11.65s. Two lots reported as actually burned represent ed respectively $174,000 and $2,2S3,- 507.Io. Another lot said to have been destroyed at the time of manufacture because of one or more stamps in each sheet was defective, amounted to $685. 042.60.
 The balance of the vast total of over S5.0O0, 900 are recorded as destroyed in some stage of the process of manu- facture According to Comptroller Glynn the entire business of printing and caring for the stock transfer tax stamps was in the hands of Charles M. Watkins of Penn Tan, Chief Clerk in the stock transfer tax bureau, who was superseded early in January by an appointee of Mir Glynn's and 1t was in the process of checking up the stamps on hand that the alleged state of affairs was discovered.
 The stamps were printed by Quayle and Son of this city The plates were in the custody of the comptroller's rep  delivered to Quayle. The paper hrst used was of an ordinary commercial sort which Comptroller Glynn said was stored in the QuayIe shop under an ordinary lock in an ordinary room ana while the sheets were counted out De- fore printing there was no safeguard to prevent their being abstracted.
 Moreover. the comptroller declares the count of sheets does not tally, the exclamation that some of 1t was useo for other purposes.
 The first issue of stamps was rouno to he susceptible of counterfeiting anu the removal of cancellation marks anu in May or June of last year the print ing of this was stopped and new is- sue was begun on patent paper nc finished stamps were stored Tn the saie deposit vaults of the Albany Ctty SaIe- ty peposit Company under slnsle key system. Of the first issue $l,56l. OOS are recorded as having been de> stroved in manufacture. About Octo- her l. 1905 MT Glynn said, the record shows that a lot of S174,000 which had bcen accented and sealed as good and placed in the deposit vault where the stamps were kept, were removed ana recorded as burned" and the state ment was made that they had been re placed by the printer. as not naVing been LID to Ine SLdHudiu OA WI hNAAA~~" ship but the comptroller said there was no record to this effect.
 X statement was made to him by Watkins. the comptroller said. adding: He says that early in October he took all, that remained of the old issue or stamps from stamps down to Quaylei shop in Green street, boxed them up and they remained there without guard or watchman at least one night.
 There is conflict of testimony on this point. The safe deposit people say they were not returned until December 26
 "There were over two millions in the lot, $1,256,211 which had been return ed by the bank of Manhattan Company. the official distributors of the stamps, and $1 027396 which had never been issued. According to Watkins state- ment, they were brought back here to the state house and on December 29, two days before I assumed office, they were burned in the furnace downstairs without being counted or checked up and without witnesses save a clerk who was in no way legally responsible ! for their care. The record of the burn ing of December 29 was not entered until Dec. 31, the day before I took of- l flee