Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-04-19

House has been Used for personal pur-
poses, This matter is gone into very
fully in Mr.. Browns report. and l VIII
not duplicate what he has therein said,
but simply can your attention to 1t.
I'll. 1t will be observed from Mr.,
Browns report that the department is
defective in organization, lacking In
executive management: that the rela-
tons of the head office to the agencies
are not properly correlated; that there
is no adequate system of charging when
sending TO the agencies supplies of reg
istration certificates, etc; no proper
returns made of the certificates issued,
and that from the records of the de-
partment and agencies it is impossible
to know wha supplies were delivered
to the agent, and what n how many
registrations were received and fees
collected, what registration cards and
other supplies were OIL hand at any
given time, and, therefore. 1t cannot
be told whether all certificates issued
have beer paid for. Agents do not
make returns at any time of the stock
on hand. and when the year expires, in
stead of returning to the department
the unused certificates and numbers
on hand, they are instructed to destroy
the same.
1.-The necessity for a complete reor-
ganization of the department and the
placing of 1t under the charge and
direction of an officer who would give
It personal and undivided attention is
manifested clearly. Very truly yours,
WILLIAM E. DRAKE,
Auditor of Accounts"
Auditors Probe Report.
Department of Accounts. State of
New Jersey.
Audit of Department of Motor We
hicles, State House. and thirty-six
branch agencies, from October 2, 1905,
to January L, 1910, D. R. Brown, auditor
in charge, assisted by A. B. Bishop and
William j. Schmauder.
Hon, William E. Drake, auditor of ac-
counts, Trenton.
Dear Sir-I herewith hand you re-
port of the examination of the books
and reports of agents Of the Depart
ment of Motor Vehicle Registration,
office of Secretary of State, for fifteen
months from October 2, 1908, to January
/. 1910.
Having been introduced by you to
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles j.. B.
r. Smith, and Mr.. Smith having in
PRODUCED me to and referred me to the
cashier and bookkeeper of the depart
.ment, Mr.. Otto Dahl. 1 Immediately
asked for access to the cash drawer
for the purpose of making a memoran-
dun of the ash on hand at the begin
ming of my examination. Mr.. Dahl
showed embarrassment, and left me
standing by the cash drawer while he
went into Mr.. Smiths Office. When he
returned he opened the drawer and I
made a memorandum Of its contents. I
append this list:
slip of paper marked Due
drawer So 90
Check, Grace A. Gilchell. ......... l 90
Slip of paper marked Protested
check, H. Clay waldeman, jr.'. 1 90
Check dated soon after Jan. 1,
1909, signed by j. B. r. Smith. 80 90
Check dated Nov. Il, 1909. pay
to the order of cash signed by
j. B.. r. Smith So 90
s9S 90
II questioned the cashier as to the
history of the six-dollar and one-dollar
slips and the o~ne-dollar check, and his
explanations were reasonably satisfac-
tory. l asked for an explanation of the
J.. B. R. Smith check for $50, now
nearly a year old. Mr.. Dahl replied
the check for $50 was to cover a short
age of twelve months previous. This
check had been counted as cash for the
entire year. I asked the cashier o
the shortage occurred. He explained
that Conrad Walvogel. justice of the
peace, had RENTED $50 early in the
autumn of 1908, the one being a fin
collected for a violation of the motor
vehicle law; that the money was re-
ceived in currency inclosed in a letter;
the letter was opened by some person
now unknown, and the letter and the
cash laid IN Mr.. Smiths desk. Suisse
quently the cash disappeared, and, in
spite of the most diligent search, it
was never found.
Cash Taken from Drawer.
The cash account had been debited
with this $50 and later on Mr.. Dahl
called Mr.. Smiths attention to the fact
that his cash was short that amount,
and asked what was going to be done
about it. He put the matter before
Mr.. Smith several times, and finally
Mr.. Smith, shortly after January 1,
1909, gave him a check for $50. 1 asked
Mr.. Dahl why he failed to promptly de-
post the check, and he replied that
when Mr.. Smith handed him the check
he instructed him to hold it Dahl
held it.
II inquired for the history of Mr..
Smiths check for $50, which was dated
November IA, 1909. Mr.. Dahl stated
that Mr.. Smith had taken the money
from the ash drawer and had left the
check in lieu thereof. Immediately
after 1 found a discrepancy of SIS, and
it was then stated that Mr.. Smith had
taken s45 from the drawer and was
going to take SIS additional. This
check was being treated as cash..
Il think 1t was the next day hat 1
discovered that Leo J.. McAuley had
the custody of currency and checks
which he received in payment of regis
trations made and licenses granted to
persons applying therefor at the office
in the State House. I felt that my
ignorance of this fact had led me to
make a poor start, n oil the second
or third day 1 made an examination Of
the contents of both drawers.
I'm Mr.. Dahl's drawer the $50 check
was gone, and In place of it was $50 In
currency. In Mr.. McAuley's drawer,
under date of December 8, 1 found
checks, money orders and cash aggre-
eating s511, among which vas a check
of Commissioner j. B. r. Smith for $50,