Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-02-15

| is made UP 80 caretcSSiy that III the
| liabilities of the State Of Maine the
treasurer reporting on Dee. II. 1910.
does not even report the $4,000 note
which the State had outstanding ut
that time in the hands of Mosely and
Company and which we have renewed
during the first two weeks of the Leg
| islaturc. If anybody in the House VIII
examine the report they will find that
that $4,000 loan which has been car
ried for over Il year by. the state Of
Maine does not appear in the treasur-
er's report as liability.
Now. with that condition of affairs
SO far as the official documents go we
have been obliged to call before us
| men who know something of the stand
| Ing of the different departments and
State institutions to make summary
for the use of this Legislature. ! think
| by working evenings aS we have work.
ed We can complete that so as TO re-
port either the latter part OF next week
| or the first part OF the following week.
| In order to carry ON simultaneously
while we were getting at the financial
facts. an investigation of the methods
Iemployed by the different departments
and institutions in doing their busi-
ness. would have placed the committee
where it could not have reported to
this Legislature earlier than the very
last part Of the session, when a report
would have done, the Legislature no
good as far as making out its budget
and arranging its revenue was con-
cerned
With that view of the matter in
mind l presented the amendment
"a to the order offered by the gem.
tleman from Ellsworth. feeling sure
that he would not object to it because
I knew when he was informed with
regard to the work which the COM
mittee was doing he would realize,
as member of experience and a man
who has served on many important
committees here, that We were SO
situated that we could devote only a
small part OF our time H. the work
we had undertaken. Tho amendment
"B' somewhat changes the aspect Of
the order, for the order IN It's earlier
terms was mandatory ns originally
proposed and as 1t would have gone
through last Friday had II not been
tabled by the gentleman from Au-
Suotd NuA. NIllHfllHOH w HD,--nuDudtOTy
upon the committee 10 report whether
or not they found any dishonest prpc-
tees or violations of law, and to re-
port in time which would not have
permitted the committee to have gone
into the matter intelligently. Now the
time has been extended by the amend
ment and discretion has been given
the committee to decide. as I read
Amendment b." whether 1t will go
any farther or not. Such being the
case, there can be no need Of any
haste in passing the order. 1t Is
most important order; 1t has been
amended twice, and 1t seenla to me
that it might perhaps be subject to
further amendment which would
make it a more useful order: and
without disagreeing at all with the
general purpose of the order, would
suggest that the further amendment
be printed and the matter lie over,
because il the committee are to go
into that work on their own initia-
tive, it seems to me the language of
the order should be altered little
further. The order reads dishonest
practices or violations of law"
would be of the opinion that il the
committee were to so into that work
the language OF the order ought to
be broadened and they should also be