Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1913-02-21
WANTS To SEE
WHERE MONEY
IS SPENT
GOVERNOR HAlNES PROPOSES TO
KEEP EYE ON EXPENDITURES
OF HIS ADMINISTRATION.

Governor Haines and his admins
Iration propose to know how the
money of the state is spent. They
hope to accomplish this by the en-
actmen into law of senate bill No.
6s, which was introduced some time
ago by the state affairs committee.
This is understood to be one of the
regular administration bills. It pro-
vides for a radical change in the
methods of the State board of ex-
aminers. It proposes, according to
its sponsors, to establish an audit of
state accounts that means something
to have an auditor who will audit.
Captain Davis Explains.
This measure was up for consid-
Grafton in the senate in committee OF
The whole Thursday and during its
discussion CAPTAIN f. C. Davis was
granted the privilege Of the floor to
explain what the bill means. Cap
tain Davis, who is secretary to the
governor, said in his remarks that
dnder the present system the gov
ernor, auditor and secretary of state
constitute the board. All claims
against the state, he said, go first to
the auditor, where a complete record
is made of them; then they go to the
secretary of state, where another
complete record is made of them
This double record is a waste of time
and energy as one record is an exact
duplicate of the other.
These claims then go the round of
the governors, AUDITORS and secre-
tary of states office. where they are
examined, nof by the members of the
board, but by the clreks intheoffices
Then they are paid.
System Declared Loose.
nUder this loose system. saws Cap
tain Davis, all bills are allowed. He
does not know, he says. of a sing
instance where a bill has been re-
jected The trouble is that all de-
partments of the state government
are authorized to contract bills and
no officer, deputy or clerk is re-
quired to give a receipt for the money
paid out or to present vouchers with
the claims
CAPTAIN Davis te4d of having just
the day before examined a claim Of
f11s presented by Of the deputies
in one of the departments for travel
Ing expenses. The claim was marked
20. k. by the head of the depart
nent in pencil. There was no. re-
eeipt, voucher, ne certificate to I
show that the travelling WAS done for
the state, or to show where it was
aene, or II the claim was a proper /,
sns. He has sees claims as high as 8
lice for meals. he said, with nothing 1
10 show the time, place or oircAm- {,
stances in relation to the claim.
-stssts Deputies Liss Well. r.4 l.
When IT wss suggested by Senator .
q
Tor meals should be- eliminated from {
lhe operations Of the sbul because Of
the difficulty In & getting receipts In Z
travelling from place to place in the
state. Captain DAvh said he had just :
passed on one claim Of a deputy for a
neaH for one day. In this claim /
he breakfast is said to have cont Z
u 20, the luncheon s1.4s and the din
ser s1s5. That closed the argument :
IN that point.
Provisions OF New Law. Z
1t ts proposed under the new law g
= make the auditor an audito- in 4
act, and to compel every erpley OF
he rtste. high er lew. to produc. :
ecejpt for every dollar expended IN
he service of the state, to establish D
complete voucher system and to "
ave every expenditure properly GER
fled by the head of the department ,s
! which the money Is expended. n,
When the committee arose It was fr
18th the recommendation that the e,
II pass Judging from the expires ~
ons heard there will be little oppo- h,
tion to the passage Of the bin any
here as it is felt that it is in line
It'll a proper business system.-States- w