The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-09-05

mcnts. looked into the work and
made startling discoveries.
None Of the work had been com-
pletcd. In several instances II had
not even bcen commenced.
In the Pushm1tlha county case.
the work was not only unfinished
but had not been commenced More -
over, tho stakes had not been set for
the bridge, nor did tie engineer yet
know which county line roadway the
bridge would be- built on.
In one oklahoma county case the
contractor very naively admitted he
had not commenced tho work, and
would not, for nc had made the Bit
when material was cheaper and 1t
would now he impossible to COM
plctc the work for anything like the
contract price
Parkinson Threw the Grenade
MIR Parkinson completed his in
Vcstigation and called for confer
cnce OF the Interested departmental
heads state Auditor Carter, moro
,xcitablc. wanted 20 call for a sheriff
and have contractors aud depart
mental heads who had sworn that
the work had all bccn satisfactorily
completed arrested and sent to jail.
\ conference In which at icnst
governor Robertson, Fred Parkiu-
son and State Highway Commits
sioncr Iirnry wool took part, was
held M Tho governors office.
Mr. Wood stated that the MONEY
had been withdrawn for the purpose
OF keeping the fund from lnpsing
and going hack into the treasury, cN-
planning that nv withdrawal. the
work could be completed when ma
n. -
hlndcrcd by Having to he rcappro-
priatCd. Iic admitted that the affi-
daNits n. to the work having lccn
completed were not true, but wcr''
necessary tu cIrcumvcnt the statute.
iIo explained also that the warrants
had not bcIn .uTnad oyCr to tho con-
tractors, but had been deposited In
an Oklahoma City bank, in the name
OF former employc OF the, highway
department. but who haG since re-
signed.
This rathcr extraordinary state
ment was followed by q peremptory
demand on the part OF the state In
spector that tho warrants must be
turned over to tho state depository
ana that state Treasurer A. n. Lee
craft WAS alone the representative
who could handle moneys taken
- q III NV ''A'' : t>NiNie' ~ 'N''''HN w
part mcnt.
Governor ,Sidc-StcpDcd
Governor Robertson disciaimed
knowledge OF the transaction which
had caused the eruption in state
house circles and issued, verbal or
der to carry out the demands of the
state examiner and inspector, and
while IT required some little time to
convince all interested that this was
mandatory edict, II was compiled
with.
Deposited I'm the depository fund,
II could again be )aid out on an or
dor for completion OF the work as
per contracts let in the former
cases.
These and other occurrences in
the highway deDartment seriously af-
feet the proposal for another road
bond issue in that accidents have
been Nso frequent and the checkups
come so often II IN believed ncces-
sarv to make amendments 30 the
laws relative to the highway depart
mont before tremendous sums OF
money commence to flow through
that department. The federal motor
truck department. Is conducted en-
'irely outside OF state laws: Is fl
nanced by individuals and the emol-
uments are not necessarily those
which can be legally turned hack
into the state treasury. il Is also
true that the state did not do any