The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-10-17
ANSWERS
HEMAN'S CHARGES
AUDITOR GENERAL STATE S
STATEMENTS MADE BY DEM
OcRATIc CANDIDATE ARE
VERY MISLEADING.

Lawton T. Hemans, Democratic can
didate for governor. is going about
the lower peninsula counties repeat
ing the assertion that while the bust
ness Of the auditor generals office
has decreased greatly in the past de-
cade the expense of conducting that
department has rapidly increased, says
the Escanaba Morning Press.
When in this section, Mr. Hemans
made no reference to the auditor gen.
erals department but TO support his
claim that the expense of conducting
the state department was too high as
compared with the business transact
ed said that the state land depart
ment in 1880 advertised for sale $4,000
description of land in 1890 and carried
on the business OF that department
with a far less number OF clerks than
required in 1909 when but $1,000 de-
scriptlons of land were advertised.
After going to the lower peninsula
Mr.. Hemans. has substituted the name
of the auditor generals department
for the land department and using the
same figures for a comparisons
Either Mr. Hemans is unfair i'm his
criticism or his knowledge of the
workings Of the departments is woeful-
" incomplete for those conversant
with the affairs of the two depart
ments know that the number of de-
scriptions of land advertised for sale
each year is by no means a criterion
Of the business for transaction for in
the land department of the auditor
generals Office alone there are thous-
ands Of descriptions of land that are
handled each year and which are new
er advertised for sale but which re-
quire as much or more attention than
the lands that are advertised.
In reference to the unfair criticism
of his department being made by Mr.
Hemans, Auditor General O. b. Fuller
says:
in reference to the department. he
refers to the fact that in 1890, u.s.
600 descriptions of land were offered
for sale and I'm 1909 $1,000 descrip-
lions were offered for sale, a reduce
tion of 21,OOO descriptions of land
while the expenses of the department
were increased The inference TO be
drawn from this statement is that the
volume of business transacted i'm the
department is the number of descrip-
tons Of land advertised for sale. This
is Incorrect as the total number of
descriptions returned TO the deparv-
ment for non-payment Of taxes In
1907 was 17S,9S6. while the number of
descriptions advertised FOR sale i'm
1910 for taxes Of 1907 and previous
year was $685., leaving 12S,O91 de-
scriptions to be carried through the
records and disposed of by payment
at the county treasurers office, or
at this department or by the cancel
lation of taxes.
in either case. the clerical work re-
quired is practically the same and
all Of the records must show what
disposition was made of each de-
scription that was returned to this
department.
in the descriptions returned TO the
department for 1907, 1902 were acre
age property and 106,OS4 were de-
scriptiomns Of land in plated proper
~. There were returned i'm 1907 from
the county Of Wayne 1859 descrip
tons and only 1904 descriptions were
advertised FOR sale, the other 36,645
descriptions were disposed of in some
other manner which required consid
cradle work
while Mr.. Hemans Is not exact. he
is practically correct in his statement
in regard TO the number of descrip-
tons advertised for sale. His state
ment II misleading in regard to the
volume Of business transacted in the
department"
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