The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-01-15
COMMITTEE IS APPOINTED
 TOZ1ROBE INTO 1906 FAIR.

curdy. backed by majority of those present, insisted on the reading. and the President put the question with the result that the motion to consider the 1906 report of Mir, Cole passed by "a large majority.
 suppression of Report.
 The Fair Association by a special resolution offered by Mr. Zirkie gave the press the right of access to Auditor Coles report, but on due consideration The Advertiser does not print that doe ument now for these reasons:
 In the first place. the report It. self does not conclusiveIy establish any charge. It calls attention to a lack of business methods and to sew eral apparent irregularities in the con duct of the Fair of 1906. It advises the Association to investigate these things and to take such action as 1t sees fit.
 In the second place, the different per- sons concerned deny the accuracy of the auditors report in various par ticulars. and offer explorations of mat ters which are cited as irregularl- ties.
 In the third place, the Association in It's annual meeting did not put its seal of authority upon the report. but on the contrary raised special com mittee for further investigation of the alleged irregularities, giving that com mittee power to follow whatever course 1t deemed just end expedient.
 The Advertiser will, therefore post pone the publication of the report un. til that committee considers the mat ter and takes some formal action.
 Immediately after the reading of the report by Mir. HaraIson, an expert ac- couHtant, who attended the meeting, having audited the 1907 report and al- so gone through the 1906 report. R. ]. Chambers was rer pgnized by the pres ident. Mr. Chambers explained that he had introduced a resolution iu the meeting of the Executive Committee. held Monday night to the effect that while there were apparent serious discrepancies in the report. tbat the blame for the alleged deficit of S20,000 could not be fastened upon any one man or group of men and counseled the meeting to consider their action care- fully. ."rhe report of Mr. Cole" said Mfr. Chambers, cannot be sworn To Dy the Executive Committee."
 MT. Haralson. the expert accountant who audited the report of 1907. had been over Mir. Coles report aud said that "he approved 1t. Some features of it are not good but as whole I think 1t Is full of merit"
 Mir. Chambers then reiterated his statement that ''the Executive Commit tee of the Association does not say that it holds anyone responsible for the de- felt of ss0,000." and that in his opin- ion the Board of Directors to be elect ed at the meeting should take the matter up.
 MT. Class asked MT. Chambers if the Executive Comrnittee thought that the report should be put aside and ignored. MT. Chanhere repiiaA that e Execu- tive Committee was satisfied that tn ere was large deficit. hut that the new executive Committee to be elected by the Board of Directors should handle the matter. Mir Chambers said that Messrs. R. O. Blakey, J. .. Adams and IL. B. whitheId, who had immediate charge of the Fair of 1906. were sum- monsd before the Executive Commit tee at its meeting of Monuay night. and that they had made explanations of several matters. which he thought was satisfactory.
 In answer to question, Robert Tait, secretary of last years Fair. said that MT. Blakey and Mir. Adams had been asked several times by the committee to make snsw% to Mir. Coles report.
 MT. Davidson said from the cnaaF: While I don't doubt that there are great many discrepancies and errors in the book keeping. might say that chere was absolutely no book keeping by Mfr. Adams or MT. Blakey, so that there could be no checking Of accounts. MPA Blakey said that hrs vouchers could be found in MT. Vandlver's ot- fee and soms of them were and some of them were not bat I believe that the deficit will not b5 so large"
 Mir. Chambers again secured the rec- ognition of the president end again counseled delay and investigation be- fore bringing any cnaPgss whatever.
 For Good of Montgomery.
 F. P. Glass insisted that the case was very serious. He then told the present financial condition of the Fair Association and the regard in which it Is held by the business men of the city. "The Fair Association" said MT. Glass, Ifs in almost a bank rupt condition, and we must bond the indebtedness We can do little with the cloud on the Association by the 1906 report. I know that business men will not put their money into 1t because they say that they will never see their money again. We can af- ford. to lose the Fmoney involved. but can we afford to put black eye on public-enterprise in the town? l am not prepared to charge anything against these three gentlemen but they cannot afford to let this cloud rest on them. The duty of the shareholders Is to take hold of the situation and go
 to the bottom of it in order to clear tn