Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-07-11
COMMISSION FUND
PROBE COMPLETED
EVIDENCE SUBMITTED TO JURY
WITHOUT REVEALING ANY
WRONG DOING.
STATES ACCOUNTING
SYSTEM DEFECTIVE
Former fSscrstary Of Executive Coun.
Former fsserstary Of Executive coun.
Gil Shown to Have Used Ancient
: sstimony Of Bales,
Newspaper Correspondent, Fails to
Develop Promised Sensation.

Special 10 Times Republican.
Des Moines, July 1.-THE hearing
Of witnesses has been completed py
the retrenchment and reform commit
tee iri the hearing on the Pierce charg-
es Of irregularities N the accounting
of the expenditure of funds by the
Iowa commission to the Panama Pacl-
fic exposition. The committee will now
proceed to work on its report.
While the full plans of the commit
tee have not been decided upon IL -
probable that, after going over the
evidence and discussing it in an IN
formal way, the final report VIII Dc
framed by a subcommittee in which
the ideas of the committee as whole
will be embodied.
During the closing days OF the IN
vestigation much attention has been
given to the methods followed by the
office of the state executive counciI
in handling reports and vouchers filed
with IL. The evidence brought out ~
the commission shows that many
vouchers which were filed with sthe
secretary OF the executive council are
missing. No explanation can be given
as to their disappearance other than
that the accounts have been checked
over by several different persons ana
that the vouchers were lost in that
way.
Former Secretary A. H. Dawson,
Assistant Secretary A. U. Swan, Eilyn
Gustafson, Of the office force, ana
Della Keltner were among the witness
es examined Thursday. Miss GUSTAV
son, who checked over the vouchers OF
the Panama Pacific commission re-
ports as they came in, testified that as
she remembered it there were com
paratively few missing vouchers as the
reports from the commission came IN.
Secretary Dawson and Assistant
Secretary Swan were asked particu-
larry to explain why the filing OF the
reports in the secretary's office did
not all show filing date This they
were not able to do. Swan testified
that formerly all reports were merely
stamped on the date Of their receipt
but now they are entered on a book
of record.
While the members Of the retrench-
ment and reform committee have been
anxious to not permit the hearing TO
drag out any more than possible their
fixed policy has been to give all par
ties concerned full opportunity to pre-
sent evidence or testimony and to go
to the bottom of the investigation. A
report is looked for not later than
State Accounting System Faulty.
When the commissions fifth report
was filed with the executive council. 1t
was referred to the accountant for
audit. He returned the report with the
statement that it was unsatisfactory,
but made no list of unsatisfactory
vouchers, or other errors. to enable the
commission to correct the report.
The executive council again re-
ferred the report to Mr.. Paul, who
kept it until it was taken from his
hands by the retrenchment and re-
form committee of the Thirty seventh
general assembly.
Travels Of Paul Report.
The fifth report was referred back
to the executive council by the COM
mittee, and again referred to Mr.. Paul
who has had 1t ever since.
He afterwards testified that several
vouchers were disapproved because
they were ont sufficiently itemized.
One Of these bills was>for meat during
a specified time.
DO you think the commission should