The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-29

What chance has the state auditor,
the state treasurer, the state board of
land commissioners got TO protect itself
from fraudl When. MS IN the case of
Jose Bettenscn, as signed on the So
called payroll as ''pur. s. M, - and
the endorsement on the back Of the war
rant No. 460S2, appears as Jose Betuen-
son, per Lura j, Stark What is there
TO prove that first Jose Bettenson ever
existed as a laboring unit on the Piute
prolectl Second, that he authorized
SiIas Munson to sign his name on the
authorization roll to Jesse ID. Jewkes.
the state auditor, TO pay his warrant If
nught were due to Caleb Tanner. and
third, if he did exist and did authorize
SiIas Munson to so sign his name, what
evidence is there that he ever received
the money due him? Not one iota. Lara
j. Stark signs his name ON the warrant,
but on no more authority, apparently,
than Silas Munson Did he get the
money! The people Of the state of Utah
would like to know. On a previous
payroll the names of Earl Bettenson and
Jose Bettenson were signed by the same
person, either one for the other or some
body for both. This appears from the
signatures to the payroll both in the
stare board of land commissioners and
Another Queer Payroll,
The next payroll prepared. who shall
say where. apparently by Joseph Jen-
sen, reached the office of the state audi
tor with its authorization plalDl y,
clearly and Enthusiastically written by
the hand of one man, whose, il is not
possible at this time to say. but the
! letter of Mr. Jensen to State Engineer
Tanner. a portion of which is quoted as
follows
Panguitch. Utah. Oct. %. 1909.
Mr. Caleb Tanner, State Engineer, Salt
! Lake city. Utah-Dear Sir-I have your
letter Of 22nd inst. incosipE payroll iol
September with the statement that ,iio nc
| state engineer on the payroll submitted
for the reason that the signatures of the
various parties performing the services
! were. according TO his opinion; written
! wish to state most positively that the
state auditors opinion is wrong. III Is
| has signed for two or three parties, wan
authority to do on this particular
payroll these arc as follows The hrs'
/ three signatures were written oy i. A:
| Alger These men worked together and
discontinued without notice on Septem-
/ ber Is. Al the end Of tho month Mr..
| Algcr came back To sign his payroll, and,
with authority TO sign for hls TWO com
panions. naturally nc was allowed 10 dc
so Bert Barlow discontinued work
| without notice September H. At the end
of tho month his payroll was signed. bT
request, by his companion, Ira NJ Ray
William Wilson was a transient VINO was
discharged by the foreman on June -
/ a timc check was iasued for his time
| which he sold to n local merchant and Is
stu held by him. His payroll was signed
by the tlmckcepcr. as were also the
names of Arthur Woocy, G. j. Snyder
and Sllas Muuaon. all of whon had dis
continued 10 work regularly before Sep
| tcmber 3 when we had no payroll blanks
| ou hard All the other names were writ
ten by the individual men who per
formed the services.
Respectfully yours,
JOSEPH JENSEN.
After close and critical inspection
The Tribune cordially indorses the
statement Of the state auditor.
Opportunity for Frauds.
With tho initiation Of this authorize
ton sheet and its immense and almost
unlimited opportunity for. If not In