Norwich bulletin., 1913-02-19

Hartford, Conn, Feb. 1S.-Although the legislative sessions were very brief today, it could be fairly said that most of the legislators settled down to work Many of the committees sat with scores of bills under consideration. Of the hearings that on Workingmen's compensation drew the largest audi ence.
 5 Governor Baldwin sent into the sen ate the nomination of Charles J. Ben nett city engineer and superintendent of streets Of Hartford. as a successor to Mir. Macdonald. Only a few min utess before the contamination was received, delegation of democrats had waited on the governor to present the name of Sydney J. Lynch Of West Haven. MT. Bennett is a republican in politics, generally speaking. although the governor is quoted as saying that MT. Bennett voted for himself Cover nor Baldwin, twice. and also for Woodrow Wilson last fall.
 Bennett Makes Favorable impression. The. governor is also quoted as say ing: T don't see how the democratic senators can object to the politics of MT. Bennett, seeing that they elected a man as president pro tenn. of the senate who had been a democrat only six months.
 The committee on executive nornira- tions met MT. Bennett during the af ternopn and had a chat with him. Members later said he impressed them
 
 of confirmation will come up at noon Thursday.
 The committee on the judiciary will meet tomorrow. probably to act on the nomination of Justice Prentice for chief justice and of MT. Beach for as sociate justice. Senator McDonough, chairman of the committee. has been informed that delay in filling the places on this bench is likely to delay the business of the court
 
 The nomination of NIr. Bennett nat urally turned attention directly to the office of highway commissioner Comptroller Dunn states that lie be- Heves his office has the authority to audit the accounts of all departments condEct the audit. He adds that while no money goes through the highway commissioner office, and all vouchers are In the comptro1ler'S office, an audit would be to make examination of the office accounts to. see if the state got what was called for by the vouchers. MT Dunn said that not alone should the highway commissioners office be audited but every other state depart ment which has not been scr4tinized- He points out that the states business is loosely done.
 Laxity of the Audits.
 For instance" said Mir Dunn; the state pays for children in the county homes and for prisoners board in jai1s. Payment is on vouchers, but does the state ever look into the mat ter to determine whether there are ac- tually the number of children in the homes or prisoners in the jails that the vouchers call for"
 Mir Dunn said that nearly the en- tire states business is run this way. Said he: Does the audit of county accounts and state accounts actually meet what is intended? The auditors get together. One takes the vouchers and calls them off and the other checks up the items on the books. Then together they cast up the totals Is there anyone to say whether the vouchers are honestly made out? We have always accepted them as from honest men. But 1t is a, loose way to do business, just the same"
 Futile for Superior Court Bench.
 MT. Dunn said that if the people want an audit of the state department his office will do it. All that will be necessary will be for the general as senbly to give the order
 It was reported that MT. Bennett. if confirmed as highway commissioner, will ask that the department ac- counts be audited before he takes up the new duties.
 Death having caused a vacancy on the superior court bench, Governor Baldwin sent in a modified nomination of Joseph P. Futile for that place. The committee on senate appointments took up resolutions making appoint ments for various places on state boards during the afternoon