The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-22
employees SEARCH
FOR LOST PAPERS
Clerks Turn Agricultural Depart.
, ment Upside Down Looking
for Receipts and Vouchers.
BELIEVED To BE STOLEN
Motive Lacking, However, as
They Were of No Value Elk
cept to Commissioner koiner.

Employees in the department Of Ag-
rtcuiture were busy Friday ransack-
ing every nook, Granny. niche and
crevice in their renewed search. for
receipts and vouchers representing
about 81. 100, which were lost or stolen
many months ago and which State Ac-
countant Carlton Mccarthy says are
necessary to straighten out the books
Of the department. The efforts OF
Chief Clerk Miller. Financial Clerk
Lawrence Berry and the other en-
ployes was without avail
Search for the receipts and vouch-
ers has been going on In the Depart
ment of Agriculture for more than six
months. Satisfied that the papers,
which are of no value. except TO Com
| missioner OF Agriculture koiner to
show that the money entrusted to his
care was property spent and account
ed for. were stolen, officials of the
department have kept their records
under lock and key since the mystic
rious atsa appearance. II might have
been that the receipts and vouchers.
showing the expenditures for conduct
ing farmers institutes, and which MI
Berry remembers distinctly having
placed In the files. fell out Of the steel
rack to the floor and were swept up
as trash. II they were stolen the Of
ficials have no suspicious. clues or
knowledge OF the thief's motive.
Nothing Wrong.
There Is nothing wrong with the
accounts of the department. OF this
the State Board OF Agriculture is con-
fident, having been apprised OF the
loss of the vouchers months ago and
given MIR. Koiner a clean bill The
arH6nnfa We
Subsequent TO their being audited by
a committee of three from the board
Mr. koiner informed the body Of the
ability OF his employees to find the
receipts and vouchers. The auditing
committee again went over the books
and signed statement which was
given to Mr.. Koiner. to the effect that
all the money had been accounted for
and everything was regular and bust
ness-like. except that the vuochers
had been mtslaid. lost or stolen.
Tempered With.
Commissioner koiner is on his VA
cation. In his absence Chief Clerk
Miller gave out the following state
ment;
There can be no doubt but that
the files of the department have been
tempered with and receipts and
vouchers taken therefrom, The mat
ter WAS brought to the attention OF
Mr.. Mccarthy as soon as the papers
We're missed, Commissioner koiner
has kept quiet In the hope that the
documents might be traced.
The facts are these: AT the board
meeting In October last the accounts
of the commissioners were audited.
and found correct with proper youch-
ers. and Approved and turneu over to
the financial clerk. who carefully filed
the same In case for this purpose.
An inventory OF the files several
months later disclosed the fact that
the accounts OK the institute .ork for
the year 1909 to October had been
removed. Tho commissioner at once
ordered strong locks for every section
OF the case containing vouchers and
receipts.
1T is but proper TO state that the
money for this institute work had
been all properly and regularly ex-
pended in the work and every dollar
accounted for. The board at the
spring meeting gave the commission
a statement setting forth the fact
that at the previous meeting the ac-
counts had been examined and found
correct with proper vouchers. 1t is
therefore not a question OF any short
age OF funds. but simply loss OF re-
ceipts and vouchers after the accounts
had been closed up and settled and
the papers filed away for future ref
erence.
TN this statement it may also be
proper for me to say that the rail-
roads and the steamship companies
have furnished these trains and boats
free Of cost, but other expenses are
heavy, The speakers. and their ex-
GO q &1O n la zach
with three or four lecturers for Pc
RODS of from a week to ten days. and
the stocking OF these trains makes
the aggregate expense in connection
with this work very large