The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-06-14
Accounts Of Village and Town lnvesti-
gated !. Result Of Yelled y
Political Charges.
RECORDERS HAVE ISSUED
OVER IS, 900 ILLEGALLY?
Payment. Of $2,47s.s7 Made 10 Mem
.x bers of Council Should Be i.
r. ~ Refunded. -=1:..

a.
Auditor Hayner has$received the
reports made by specialstate examin-
ers who took look into the
financial condition Of, the village of
Kelliher and the town Of Kelliher.
The report on the village runs from
its incorporation in October, 1908,
to April %, 1910 and the report on
the town covers from October 10,
1904 to April Is, 1910. The ex-
aminers were asked % come up and
investigate yelled Charges made
by a faction in a recent political
fight. ..~". @":% - z..,s =
The report on the Snlage. shows
that Recorder Magill and Recorder;
Pfund have collected money and
paid it out again without turning it
into the treasury. Consequently,
the treasurer has been unable to
pay the outstanding bills. Most Of
this money SO paid out was paid
on vouchers, but about $500 has
been paid out legally, but without
vouchers. r.
$5,122.62 has been paid out by
Maeill which the report says that
that he owes to the Village treasury.
OF this amount, about 81, 800 can be
covered by warrants issued by the
council, but Magill IS responsible
| for the balance. One 81 the. 5a1n,ounts
paid and charged as illegal was the
$25.12 sent to the sufferers of the
Clinton cyclone in july, 1908.
The examiner says in his report
that Recorder Magill owes the
treasury $5,122.62 but should receive
warrants for the vouched payments.
It also says that the illegal pay.
ments are chargeable against him.
Recorder Pfund, who has been in
Office since this spring, owes the
treasury $3o4.96 according to the
report. OF this, $192.44 has been
paid out and the balance is on hand
as cash. The amount paid out can
be receipted for by the. city war;
rants.
The accounts of the treasurers
show that to 1909, $2,o52.17 was
paid out illegally, and $83.45 paid
out that was untouched. Treasurer
Reeves was found short $685. cash
for receipt No IS issued to A. A.
Magill September 4, 1908. The
treasurers have also paid some or
ders ahead of others, allowing Ger
tain bills to wait after their turn. -
! In his comments, the examiner
said that the council was much to
blame for it had allowed Magill and
Pfund to pay out the money they
collected without first passing it
through the treasury; that the dis
bursements made by the recorder
kept the treasurer from meeting his
bills promptly; and that the village
property was not insured against
fire. The examiner also found that
the salary of the recorder was $3.50
per annum until O7-O8, when it was
raised to $500, and that at present
it IS $40. He finds that there are
no records on the council minutes
of these changes. +. .@
In the town of Kelliher, the illegal
payments and amountxto $2,479.96,
and unvouched payments to $229.17.
The illegal payments were all made
to members of the council. A state
Law says that no member of the
council shall be party to or have
any interest in any transaction
which involves in money payment
10y the council. The illegal payments
}itemize as follows:
Road contracts. $1818.84
Labor on roads,. 55o.11
/ Materials. 27.91
| Road exI ense ................. 74.1O
$2479.96
One Of the payments found to be
illegal was that for contract with
| Mrs. Tim Craig. She pue in the bid
and cot the job, but the examiner
= 4 q Il *