The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1909-04-02
SMELLERS COMPLETE JOB
Ployhar and Putnam Finish Alleged In
vestIgatlon Of State Officers.


to the governor. Their report
contains a statement of condi-
tions found in the office of
secretary of state, commission
er of agriculture and labor,
land department, state auditor
and state treasurer.
The report of the secretary of
states office contains in a
modified way part of their pre-
lin1inary report submitted to
the house while the session
was on, claiming that some of
bills for Legislative supplies
were too high. But in the
main Secretary of State Blais-
dell is commended for the
numerous new systems of main
tanning records and accounts
he has invoked since his ad-
ministration commenced. The
land department was found to
be in good condition, and the
system of bookkeeping much
improved over what was in
vogue some years ago.
The commissioner of agricul-
ture and labor is somewhat
scored for the manner in which
he has used the appropriation
for immigration purposes. The
committee believe in their
statements contained in their
report that the people of the
state would favor the commits
sioner havin ngliberal lee-way in
encouraging immigration and
advertising the state, but con-
slider many of his items of ex-
pense somewhat excessive, and
recommend a different method
of having those accounts audit
ed.
The state auditors depart
ment is highly complimented
for the excellent condition of
the various accounts kept in
that office, the only comment
the committee had to offer was
that the state auditing board
should meet oftener and that a
large number of unpaid bills
now in that department should
be audited by the board and
paid more promptly.
The state treasurer's depart
ment also received quite a
scoring from the committee for
a lack of system and an in
sufficient record maintained.
Complaint is offered to the
effect that there are thousands
and thousands of dollars in
bonds filed in the Office, and no
bond register is maintained 80
that it is difficult to ascertain
Just what bonds are kept in the
Office. It was also discovered
that state money had been de-
posted in banks that were
never designated as state de-
positories, and that a number
of the banks that had been de-
signated as repositories, had
more money on deposit than
they had been designated for.
The department of education
was not given anything to
speak of in the way of an in
vestigation, but the committee
held that all fees received there
should be covered as provided
by law, into the state treasury.
In the office of Insurance
Commissioner Cooper, the COM
nittee found that the bank had
charged that office with $1,O13
in exchange and in fees on
deposit and on checks issued
by the department. The smell
ling committee recommended
that the commissioner either
make the bank make good this
or do it himself.
The only department in
which the committee devoted
any length of time and the only
only one in which they were
accompanied by the state ex-
aminer was that of the secre-
tary of state. Some ten days
was devoted to this office, and
every detail was checked over
thoroughly. The balance of the
departments were paid hur-
ried visit, and how two men,
not schooled as accountants
could attempt to probe 80 many
large departments in the time
devoted outside of that spent
in the secretary's office, is apt
to make their report appear
questionable as to thorough
ness.
The officers of the new Odd
~ VII