The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-12
COMMISSIONERS
GIVE LUNOBERG
CARTE BLANCHE
Pauper Clerk Distributes $780,
600 in a Year Without For
NAL Warrant or Voucher.
HIS OWN SALARY is
ILLEGAL EXPENDITURE
WRITES CLTNToN's SIGNATURE
IN COMMISSIONING
CHECKS.

No appointment was made by the
county commissioners at their meeting
yesterday to fill the place Of Anton
Lundberg, pauper clerk, who has re-
signed. but who is an applicant for re-
appointment. There is more than a
little difficulty over this position. ana
the manner in which the county poor
tund has been administered has been
causing no little adverse criticism.
The law makes an allowance Of $500
for the work Of dispensing this fund.
1t makes no provision for a pauper
clerk, or indeed any clerk at all. The
commissioners are supposed to do the
work and the $500 was provided by the
legislature to cover their expenses
while so doing.
In spite of the fact that there has
been no authorization by law for his
salary, the commissioners have handed
over the whole work to Lundberg. and
he was allowed by them TO draw 500 a
month, to which they certified, and 1t
was regularly paid.
The county auditor has frequently
called The attention of the commission
ers to the fact that they were proceed
ing Illegally. but no attempt was made
to remedy it until this year
Want TO Fix Matters.
Commissioner Walter J. Burton is re-
spOnsible for an attempt to make q
change TN this method OF doing bust
ness. 1t is now proposed TO introduce
bill in the legislature giving the COM
missiOners authority TO employ what
assistance they may need in the Office
It is probable that two men will be ap-
pointed If this goes through, one to do
the Office work and the other TO repre-
sent the commissioners outside.
No county officer. elective OF ap-
pOintiye, has had the same power as
has been delegated to Lundberg since
he has administered the fun. Nominal
- the department has been under the
control of Commissioner J. +. Clinton
but actually LundbeTg has been the
whole works. He has given out all the
pauper orders, bought railway tickets
for those whom he thought il best to
ship out Of the county. and handed out
the money as he thought best. He has
never filed a voucher for any of the
amounts he has paid cut as is required
Of other county Officers, and the only
check which the auditor has on what
has been done has been the returned
checks.
Signed cIinton's Name.
Examination of these checks shows
curious condition of affairs. The
checks are signed by Anton Lundberg
and ostensibly coUnteTsigued by Com
missioner J. i. Clinton. But in most
cases LuuGberg. after signing his own
name. has added that of Clinton. This
is shown by the writing on the checks
and is admitted by both LundbeTg and
Clinton. Commissioner Clinton. not
caring to bother with the paupeT work,
has delegated to LundberE everything
in connection with it, even to the sign
ing Of Ciutcn's own name on county
checks.
The fund is a large one. amounting
even in prosperous years to about s36,-
600, and sometimes goes as high as $50
900 in hard times. A good deal of it
is disbUrsed in orders or stores for
goods which are made by LundbeFg
himself and on which there j. sbso-
lutely no check.
There Is no charge that Anton LtnA
berg is not and has not been absolutely
honest. but the fact remains that no
other county officer iu any capacity has
been entrusted with such sp0nsibility..
The items in the accounts Of the city
auditor merely show that certain
amount was paid 20 somebody. There
is nothing i'm the way Of voucher
from the person to whom the money
was paid. Until the present auditor
came into office there was not even the
old checks.
Lundberg has been . very busy man.
Besides the pauper fund he has had on
his hands IS Justice Of the pu1ce the
handling OF many county cases. Last
season he was the terror Of evildoers
at Saltair and other county resorts
He is also the county registrar Of vital
statistics. He has some private enter
prises that take up a great deal Of his
time. That he has not been able To
give the proper amount Of time % in
vestigation of claims on the bounty OF
the county IL certain.
No Warrant for Salary
The legislators intended that the
county commissioners should do the
'eo~l- Cor which they ordered salary
Of $500 10 be paid Lundberg. AL the
morley ne has drawn has therefore been
paid him illegally The commissioners
have known this All along, for the su--
ditor has called their attention to f.
Continued on Page 2.