Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1913-07-06

had been lost except through careless
ness and neglect on the part of the
custodans and the failure of the
state to provide proper facilities for
storing. caring for and handling gov
eminent property.
The gravity of these conditions
made it necessary for the secretary OF
war, under date Of June "a, 1917, TO
address to the governor OF Arkansas
a letter in which attention was in
vited to the situation and the state
ment made that unless the War De-
partment regulations for the proper
storage and preservation of United
States property in the hands OF the
| state were enforced and complied
] with by October /, 1872, no requlsl-
lions from the State of Arkansas Tor
funds or supplies from federal APP
| nominations would thereafter be ap-
proved.
October 1 found matters in no way
improved. and the action OF the sec
retary of war as indicated was car
ried out. and since that date requisi-
lions have not been honored and the
state is now deprived of the benefits
of it's apportionment OF federal ap-
preparations for the support, supply
and training of the organized militia.
Since the failure of the. Arkansas
legislature at the last session to ap-
propriate funds for the further sup
mort of it's organized militia, numer-
ous communications have been re-
ceived by the War Department from
state officials and United States rep
resentatives from Arkansas as to the
policy of the War Department con-
cerningfederal appropriations for the
support of the Arkansas militia. In
each case reply has been made. that
the withdrawal of federal funds from
Arkansas had not been made on &C
count of the action of the legislature
of that state, but because OF the ex-
cessive loss of federal property and
the failure of the state to proVioe
for the future protection, care and
preservation of such property
Report has been made by the aa-
infant general Of the state that con-
ditions have been very much lnproV-
ed in the last six months and that the
state is now prepared to protect ana
care for the property and that the IN
spection reports will reveal very
decided Improvement not only IN the
facilities for caring for the properly
hut also in the amount OF property re-
covered. and now on hand as COM
nared with such property OF year
ago.
Due to these statements very
careful analysis has been MADE OIL
tho animal inspection reports, Dut
,.talv received in this division, and
# is very much regretted that thls
ANALYSIS fails to bear out the state
ments Of the adjutant general, puI
On the contrary forces upon the War
Department recognition OF the tact
that instead of improvement in the
care Of federal property there IS a
practical continuance of the condi-
lions to which exception is taken
To make this matter entirely cleal
to your excellemcy. it should be statec
that two returns of property are 1liee
in the militia division. One is the an
nual inventory rendered December II
of each year by the governor OF the
state concerned. This inventory con-
tains the amount of United States
property for which the state is ac'
countable. The other is an inventory
compiled from the inspection reports
submitted by the regular army officers
as a result of an actual personal count
of the property found on hand in the
state. These officers, it should be un-
derstood, not only count the property
in the hands of the troops, but also
whatever else is stored wltnln the
state, and their count is taken by the
federal government as an official ex-
hibit of the actual amount OF United
States property in the hands OF the
organized militia.
AS stated above, after the shortage
of property in the state had amounted
to the sum of $4,000, further
shortage developed in four years time
which, from the data on hand, ap-
peared to be .$41,5O0, but which, from
complete analysis proved to have been
s54,93919, as is shown by the accom-
panying statement; and it was this
last shortage and failure to correct
same by October i, 1912, that led to
the withdrawal of federal appropria-
tons from Arkansas. This shortage
of 354,939.19 was ascertained by a
comparison of the governors return
dated December 81, 1911, and the in
ventory of property actually on hand
as reported by the federal inspection