The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-15

Of education all monies belonging to the
board as soon as received; or, that you
advertise for bids and loan out the FUNDS
Of the board 20 the bidder offering the
highest rate of interest with the security
required by law; and, i'll no event shall
Won nav over to the board of education the
funds belonging to it less often than each
thirty days BY reading over Exhibit
A. of the Newman report you will see
cation from April Is, 1921, to July II,
1921, approximately $4,000 of taxes col
lected prior to June /, 1921; this money
was distributed by you and credited to
the board of education account on March
81, April IS and so, and May 81. You
knew or could have known by looking
at your books the exact amount of money
in your hands belonging to the board of
education and the money should have been
turned over to the board of education
soon as distributed by you, TO say the
least
Your action in Withholding funds Of the
board of education has caused the board
loss of interest on monthly balances at the
on warrants stamped not paid for want of
funds in the amount of S1.756.1S
THE situation is most extraordinary, and
without any moral or legal justification
whatever. Why should the county treasurer
withhold funds of the board of education
after their distribution by him. and loan
it to any bank at per cent interest when
3 per cent and 315 per cent can be obtained
for the asking
We have come to the parting of the
of Topeka will no longer submit to having
its financial interests sacrificed by loan
ing money at banks at per cent and with
holding funds when they are needed to pay
teachers salaries and other school ex-
penses.
Il have been authorized to bring an ac-
ton IN mandamuS in the supreme court of
Kansas to compel you and the board of
county commissioners of Shawnee county,
Kansas, to correct the wrongs against the
board of education above referred to, and /
reuire an answer by IL o'clock Monday
noon, October 81. 1921, as to what you pro-
pose to do in the matter"
To County Commissioners.
Drennings letter to the county COM
missioners differed from the letter to
the county treasurer in that Dreaming
cited the commissioners to a few
points in law, among them that 1.-The
county treasurer holds funds of the
board of education subject to the order
of the board of education" The letter
also called the county commissioners
attention to this:
I'm the face of the provisions of Sec
ton 90I9, General Statutes of 1915 the
county treasurer has assumed and ex-
ercised the right to withhold the funds
supreme court of Kansas holds that
the county treasurer is merely a min
isterial officer"
A "Favorite Bank %
Dreaming also informs the county
commissioners to this effect: g..
In other years the board of education
has paid out from $1,000 to s.. 500 a
year upon warrants stamped mot paid
for want of funds simply because the
county treasurer has arbitrarily with
held its funds. presumably to place
them in some bank or banks in order to
get as much interest as possible on
daily balances, and loaned the public
money at per cent to some favorite
bank, while interest at 8 per cent to 4
per cent is easily obtained"
Mandamus Threat Worked.
The threat of mandamus proceed
lngs evidently brought the matters
complained of by the board of educa-
| ton forcibly to the attention of the
county tFP3 nd tho county