Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-05-07
Illuminating Figures from Au-
ditor Show Where Much of
Money Has Gone.
DETECTIVE SERVICE EXPENSIVE
Cost Rises from S651 for Year
to $34,930 for Ten Months
through the Office of
AttOrney-General.

MONTPELIER, May 3.-State Auditor Hor-
ace f. Graham has prepared an inter-
,sting and valuable comparative state
ment of revenue and expenses OF the
state from July l, 1901. to July i, 1918
which will be of special service II en-
abing taxpayers to see wnere expenses
can be avoided for the State.
The legislative expenses paid at the
end OF the session were as follows: In
1901, SCI, g7e35; in 1903, s74477.79; in 1905,
$40. 4as. 40: in 1907. ss1,75919 in 1909, $l34,-
$3.50; in 1911, s1i6 1920 in 1918, s190,577 H.
The Governor in 1901 cost the State
u,7so and with the increased salary at
tached s3,47291 in 1918, and the executive
expense account varied from s64.77 in 1901
10 ss92.O5 in 1905 to s35l2S in 1913.
The auditor Of accounts office cost
t2,66S64 in 1901 and with the new system
ordered as a result of the report Of the
commission. in 1913, slo9S7.49.
The State treasul>er's account in 1901
was so,1si66 and in 1913 s4494.17.
The expense of the secretary of state
in 1901 was sl952.16 and in 1915 with the
publicity department attached to the Of
Zee, sl5,S9i.45.
Under the head OF the administration
Of justice 1t appears that the expense
Of the Supreme Court of Vermont in 1901
vas s23,63s.s0 that the sum dropped to
n2s743i in 1905 following the appointment
OF superior judges and in 1913 reached
:21.261.79. The superior Judges cost s21.
1900 in 1905 and s27,e3317 in 1918
The attorney-general's office newly
created. Is charged with s3,32327 in 1906
s3,3S9 in 1907 and s9,1SSA in 1913.
The most astounding increase for which
the encouragement Is chargeable is in
the single item OF detective service.
COSTLY DETECTION.
In 1901 before the office of attorney
general was created the State paid for
detective service s65175 Following the
appointment of encouragement it cost
under c. c. Fits in 1907, the sum Of
N9453s.
Under Attorney General ]. G. Sargent
the detective service cost the State in
1911 ;lO595.e2.
Under AttorneyGeneral r. E. Brown
the detective service has jumped so that
In 1913 the total sum paid for detective
service alone reached the alarming
figure OF ss4,7O6.1s.
This development led to a scanning Of
accounts and the still more astounding
discovery was made that from July /,
1913. to April %. 1914, Acknowledgement
Brown had approved detective accounts
aggregating no less than s34. s3Os1, at
which rate the total for the fiscal year
would reach the aggregate sum Of s4s,-
Sass
DETECTIVE CONCERN GETS s24 $50,
1t also develops that Of this total of
S3i.a30.s1 spent for detective service dur
in the past nine months no less than
$A, 451.71 was paid to a single concern,
the Wood Morgan Detective agency
1t also transpires that while F. H.
Tracy of Montpelier was allowed 81 019 SO
for trip to Europe to get track Of a
party. the start was made with such a
flourish of publicity that naturally the
bird had flown and the Wood Morgan
agency were paid nearly half as much to
do the work, with results that might be
expected with such handicap.
These developments led to further in
quiry and It was found that at tho he
ginning OF the legislative session in 1912
Governor Fletcher. disturbed by the dis
covery that Attorney General Sargent
was allowing detective fees to rise at