Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1912-08-29
CHAPTER FOUR.

CHAPTER FOUR.
The portion of the report of T. j.
GuiIfoil, of the travelling auditors de-
parjment on Socorro county with
which the New Mexican is dealing to-
day. deals with the inability of the
ditor to find an entire carload of
cement a the payment OF excessive
amounts lor bills rendered together
with the purchase of fountain pens,
cigars and typeWriters with county
warrants the aforesaid property in
several instances being unaccounted
for. .1
As a sidelight on the regime in So
corro county during the past few
years, the disclosures in this portion
of the report are, if anything, even
more startling than the exposures
yesterday when furniture was sent to
the home of f. Howard Sweet, then
probate clerk, and which the auditor
reports, was paid for by county war
rant.
The auditor admits today. his in
ability to check UP the receipts for
mercantile and liquor licenses be
cause NUMEROUS STUBS ARE
MISSING AND NO RECORD IS
MADE OF SAME.
One carload of cement, the auditor
reports, which contained some 400
sacks and was valued, according to
invoice at the sum of $3.50 could
not be located. The auditor says he
was given to understand that this ce-
ment was turned over to Road Eng-
neer MeTiweather, but Mr.. Merri-
weather gave him the rather startling
information that he had paid for his
own cement ont of the road fund and
that he did NOT receive cement from
Socorro county Who got the cement?
The auditor sag he could not find
out
As on yesterday, this portion Of the
report is so plain that it needs no eX-
planatory note. 1t consists almost
solely of figures, so arranged as to
speak for themselves. They are of
interest to every tax payer in the
county Of Socorro and of the state at
large, This is what Mr.. GIilfoil
says:
Little regard and no regularity was
maintained in the demand for proper
endorsement of warrants and the
proper execution of vouchers. Stat
ute requires that fall itemized ac-
counts be filed for all claims against
the county. Your auditor was unable
to find regular itemized accounts to
support all warrants issued by the
county. In fact in but few instances
do the accounts filed against the
county represent sufficient account
as is contemplated by the statutes
which should be required of the pro-
bate clerk before accepting them A
great number of warrants and voucn-
ers were not endorsed by the payee
hut bear endorsement without uues-
assistants. Many warrants are here
with returned that show endorse
mcnt not the honafide endorsement
Of the payee, but an endorsement that
IS without doubt that of the probate
clerk. The original warrants are re-
turned herewith and themselves are
conclusive of this statement Your
auditor attempted to verify the var
ious purchases of typewriters by the
county and with this in view, re.
quested several typewriter firms to
render itemiZed statements of their
accounts for Socorro county for the
past five years. but failed to receive
complete returns upon his requests.
In this connection. he is of the belief
that if complete itemized statements
are obtained it will be shown that at
least one typewriter was paid for by
the county of Socorro that is being
used for other purposes than county
and not in the possession of the coun-
ty or its present officers.
But one complete telephone bill
was found in the files for toll and
phone service. although it is presum.
ed that bill was filed monthly. In
one bill that was found in the files
$3.50 charges are found that were not
properly chargeable to the county and
evidently the personal account of E.
H. Sweet.
License Issued for Which No Remit.
tance is Recorded in the Office of
the County Treasurer.
Your auditor attempted to verify
the full list of these items, that are
fully scheduled Schedule "a and
Al of this report. 1t was not pos
sible to get full returns upon all items
but upon the showing of the items
which returns were received, it is
only reasonable to suppose that this
same condition obtains in the items
upon which, for various reasons re.
turns were not obtainable.
Irregularities in Issuance of Licenses.
In addition to detail lists of the
licenses issued for which no funds
are accounted for in the treasurer's
office.
In every book of licenses flor hoth