The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-05-16
M'N6AL MAKES REPLY



Editor State Journal:
Journal rs having said In q recent
campaign speech that when left the
onice OF state printer I turned over q
deficit OF $3.50 which had to be taken
care OF by the Democratic administya-
ton.
Now. if the governor viii tell the
truth l have NO particular objection
to his dragging me into his campaign.
but insist that he stick to facts.
!, Chapter ;. session laws 1913, contains
to. It contains the following items:
Deficiency in labor account. q, IA 90.
Deficiency; in Incidental ACCOUNT . Ss0ol.ss
Deficiency In printing and binding
Deficiency in equipment fund. 57 s
Totai ~. 81
A trifiing difference from the COVER
nor's statement. as you will note. Of
nearly 5000. Now, the facts in regard
to that deficiency are as follows: When
left the Office Of state printer.
turned over to my successor, al shown
by the invoice, printing and binding
material to the value Of 81. 353.70.. On
that amount the state owed the sum
Of $4.437.18. The sworn vouchers for
this last named sum were filed July /,
! 1911. the day after I left the office.
The state auditor held that as this ma
1 tck1a1 was QOrC088e0 curing the nDC0l
year 1911. 1t could not be paid for out
Of tine appropriation for 1912 notwith-
standing the fact that it was on hand.
In making that ruling the auditor may
have been within the law. but 1t was
certainly technical and not q real
i deficit
The legislature of 1911 appropriated
5000 with which to purchase additional
equipment. AS the bill was originally
drawn it made the appropriation inn
| mediately available, but in passing
through the hands Of the. committee
ON ways and means 1t seems to have
been changed so that the appropriation
did not become available until the be-
ginning Of the fiscafyear 1912. Suppos-
ing that this appropriation was avail
ment. purchased machinery for the
press room and bindery to the extent of
&,7O4.53. Some of this machinery was
| taken on trial and the option of the
state to purchase or not to purchase it
did not expire until two weeks after
had gone out of office The attorney
general held that the s. 900 appropria-
| ton was available for the payment for
this and all the other machinery had
contracted for, Mr.. Austin. however.
oinered from the attorney general and
refused to approve the vouchers of the
companies furnishing the machinery.
although the state kept the machines
and has them now. The result Of this
was that the money appropriated lay
unused in the treasury for two years
and the payment was finally made
from q deficiency appropriation. The
item OF H.720 for labor was for work
on the agricultural college catalogue
done at the agricultural college print
ing plant but charged to the state
printing plant. The item of $6O1 Incl
dental. was mostly for freighting
think the vouchers for this were not
nled until after I went out of office,
but the service was performed during
the fiscal year 1911 and in that case
also the auditor held that although the
bills were not presented until July of
the fiscal year 1912, as the service had
been performed in 1911 it could not be
paid for out of the 1912 appropriation.
To sum up. then, the state printing
plant, when I went out of office had
| on hand printing and binding stock to
| the amount of 81. 20 and S. 600 cash
in the treasury and owed, all told, So
464.31. When a business concern has
on hand in perfectly good assets and
cash SIS. $780, 20 and owes s., 464.31 1t Ger
tainly il in very good financial condi-
| ton, and shows surplus instead Of a
deficit, and that was exactly the condi-
ton of the state printing plant at the
expiration of my term of office.
| 1 do not wish to quarrel with the
governor but would mildly and kindly
suggest that he ought to take some
thing for this habit Of misstatement he
is getting into. 1t seems to be in the
unless it is checked is liable to become
chronic and incurable
T. A. McNEAL.
1