Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-03-09
FINANCIAL INVESTIGATING
COMMITTEE MAKES REPORT,
Representative Davies Fights Before Com
mittee for the Protection of Yarmouth
Clam FIats===Little Change in
the Somerset Classes.
NET DEBT OF STATE.

| The joint special investigating com
mitt"e af the 18th Legislature appoint
cd to inquire into the financial condi-
ton Of the State has filed its report
which is as follows:
To the 18th Legislature of the State ot
Maine:
'"The special committee appointed by
this Legislature to investigate the ac-
tual condition Of the finance of Maine
and 20 report thereon. beg leave to
present the following report:
THE net debt of Maine on Jan. l.
1909 was $1.1s7 .326.15. According to the
statement made up by Charles P.
Hatch, state auditor, which is record
ed on Pages IS and II OF the AUDITOR S
report for 1907 and 1908"
TIE items making this total are
quoted by the committee from tine
auditors report already published. The
report continues:
To the amount reported by the au-
ditor should be added S34S,2475S for
unpaid bills for 1910, reported to the
Legislature since Jan. L. 1911, making
the total net debt Of Maine as nearly
rs can bc aScrrtained by this commit
tee on Jan. /, 1911. 1854, 70S.26.
1T may be that a further and fuller
investigation than it is possible to
make at the present time would dis
close other liabilities than those which
lee. But the committee believes this
statement to be at least approximate
ly correct Comparing the net debt of
the state on Jan. /, 1911 with the net
debt on Jan. I. 1909, it will be seen
that during the preceding two years
the expenditures of the State exceeded
its revenue by $1,367.3S2.11
1t is Imperative that some provision
should be made by this Legislature
for taking care of large portion OF
the states liabilities. Those liabilities
consist in part of current unpaid bills
amounting to $34S.247.5S and of un-
paid warrants amounting to $3S4 644.75,
total III these two items of $732, 1872. =
33. .hcsc amounts are due now and
should be paid at once; in fact. many
of them ought To have been paid long
ago.
Entirely aSil" from this $139, ,S92. .33
the State owes a temporary loan of
100000 which should be taken care
OF during tn" present administration.
thus making it necessary for this Leg
iSlaturc tn provide revenue sufficient
to meet more than SIo01,000 in excess
of tn" expenditures authorized by it.
1T IS not Il part ut this committed S
duty t. make any suggestions to the
Legislature with regard to raising
revenue or Curtailing expenses. Meth
ef Is II It part of our duty to make any
comment upon the honesty or fidelity
Iol any public officer who has appeared
before us or to criticiSe business
methods employed by any of the State
departments or Institutions The com
nIttee does recommend, however, that
the fuller investigation of State af-
fairs proposed IN the joint order re-
Gently passed by the Legislature be
undertaken and because of the ex-
tremc variance between the statement
presented by this committee and thai
presented in the annual report of the
State treasurer, the committee deem:
it proper to state that the liabilities IL
the state treasurers report is who'll.
inaccurate and admittedly incorrect.
The committee presents herewith
full stcnographic report of the evi
dencc taken before it.
Respectfully submitted
CHARLES w. MULLEN.
GEORGE H. SMITH,
w. NJ. OSBORN,
w. r. PATTANGALL.
HARRY STETSON.
EVERETT w MACOMBER
L. Il. MALLET.
G. l.. FARNHAM.
G. NJ. SLEEPER.
HERBERT w. TRAFTON.