Weekly journal-miner., 1917-02-21
NO CHECK EVER PLACED UPON
 STATE OFFICES
BOOKS WILL BE AUDITED H E R E A F TER IF BILL BATTERED BY COVER NOR CAMPBELL PASSES THE LEGISLATURE.

THE LEGISLATURE.
 PHOENIX, Feb. 20. - Only this year appears to have come apprccia- ton of the fact that Arizona's State offices and institutions have been op- erated without financial review or oversight, and that millions of dollars have been expended by officers and boards with only the check of the State auditor, whose scrutiny of claims covers only the points of le- gality and correct form. There IS a State examiner, but by law his duties are confined to investigation of the accounts of county and precinct off ccs. task which he can hardly com plete in the time he has at command. It appears to have been assumed that the State officers are honestly and economically managed and that from them correct reports arc being re- ccivcd. It is considered probable that this admirable condition exists, yet Governor Campbell suggests that the legislature provide for an auditing such as would be known of the books and affairs of any large corporation. A bill to that effect already has been drawn. while to the new State eXam- iner. George w. Smallcy, has been assigned the task of outlining the character of auditing that should be demanded. The university and nor nal schools, State Fair commission, land commission, corporation com mission, prison, insane asylum, live stock sanitary board, and many other institutions and offices have collateral sources of income, for which no adc- quatc checking system is in effect. considered from the standpoint of the State In the counties, as well, the receipts of the tax collectors for per sonal property taxes have no adc- quatc scrutiny. There is no checking of travel costs or of the use of scrip books, and the dependence placed up on the personal good judgment and honesty of the interested officials is declared to have reached the degree of rank carclcssness. No particular scandal has developed, but the gov ernor feels that better safeguards should be provided to secure against misuse of the public moneys.
 Talk of Extra Session.
 The talk about a possible extra ses- sion mainly is confined to the house, where a number of the members arc not avcrsc to continuance Of q N-a- day job. Tn the senate, the members all are rcstivc and want to get back to their businesses at the end of the 23-day period still before them. There is some claim that the tumble over the govcrnorship has caused delay, but this could hardly be, for only ono completed bill has gone to the govcrnor-that for the pay of the leg islators. The appropriation bill came out of committee in the house much earlier than usual, but 1t has advanced little after Q week of wrangling. Ii is probable 1t will not get into the senate for another week. The senate is expected to finish it within a week. probably amending it materially and doing considerable looping on the sums allotted to the State institutions.
 House Is Liberal
 The house has shown itself moro than liberal in its consideration of the appropriation bill, this to the disgust of Green and other members of the appropriations committee. About everyone who came before the com mittcc of the whole and asked for more. got all he asked. There was trouble after the members from Pima county had succeeded in getting a second dormitory for the university and a gross dormitory appropriation oi S200,000. Lines moved that the ] bill go back to the appropriations committee with instructions 10 give | all State institutions whatever they asked for. He said he meant just | what he said--that he had tired of continual wrangling over Q bill that i finally and surely would be amended . right back 10 the point where it had . entered the appropriations commit tee. The senior member, Mr. Cook. 1. spoke fcclingly of the fair dream of economy and of its passing. Speaker Johns stated his belief that the appro- priationS committee had TO. ---l 1. treated fairly. Several others iuti- mated that the house had 2 hrrcll Of good fellows who cared not for cx- pcn,c. Baxter spoke of the necessity for considering efficiency, as well as economy. but referred to the present status of the appropriations bill as merely bring home the pork After about an hour of this exchange of ideas, the Lines motion was killed and the bill went on its regular way
 Governor Visits Prison.
 Governor Campbell has patterned after at least one of the habits of his and has made a Sunday visit to the State pcnitcntiary, at Florence. He had his first official in sight into prison conditions in com