New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-11-11
BOARD OF EDUCATION
INVESTIGATES FULLY
UNFAVORABLE CHARGES
(Bv Guthrie SMITH

(By Guthrie SMITH
Charges of reckless expenditures of
public funds by the state department
of education will be refuted in every
particular, it is emphatically declar-
ed by ]. H. Wagner, who was state
superintendent of public instruction
during the greater part of the period
in question. Wagner is now presid-
ent of the New Mexico Normal I'm
iversity, at East Las Vegas. He has
asked the board of trustees of the
university to relieve him temporarily
of his full duties as president, in or
der that he may give his full time
to assembling the records necessary
to show complete accounting Tor
every dollar expended
Whittier Makes Charges
The charges against the department
were contained in report made by
A. G. Whittier, travelling auditor, in
response to request of the state
board of education for a report on
the financial condition of the dep
artment The board spent all day
last Saturday, considering this report,
and discussing other important mat
ters. The report by Whittier con-
tains some 80 pages, and the mem
bers of the board, at the meeting,
made no effort to read or digest the
lengthy document. Col. James w.
Wilson, of Roswell, chairman, said
that a large part of the report would
be disregarded. Another member
characterized some IS pages of the
report as "backstairs gossip"
To Summarize Report
The boards formal action was to
request Attorney General Bowman
and State Educational Auditor Joerns
to study the report, and the general
situation thoroughly, and to make
their report. with recommendations,
at a meeting that has been scheduled
for Dec. 2 and 3. Joerns, in the mean
while, will make digest or sum-
mary of the Whittier report. This
will involve, of course, going back
to the original records, to verify the
Whittier report, and will be nearly
the same as an additional audit.
Wagner Wants Investigation
Wagner appeared before the board
and made a statement in which he
said he demanded the fullest inves-
tigation and courted the widest range
of publicity 81 am ready to go to
bat on these charges" he declared
"All that ! ask is reasonable length
OF time to gather up the records OF
vouchers, receipts, cancelled checks,
settlement statements, ETC., needed to
account for every dollar spent" He
NlT.IaeIa.. e tb,e ,.,aal, 81, at
he had secured all the records re-
quired and was ready to submit them
for the examination of Whittier and
Joerns.
As to Mrs. Ruth Miller
Late in the afternoon session, the
board passed a resolution to ask for
the resignation of Mrs. Ruth c. Mil
Ter, director of vocational education
n the state department Mrs Mil
Ter declined to accede to the request
of the board, explaining in a letter
to John V. Conway, state superintend-
ent, that, under the laws governing,
the board is without power TO take
such action. Mrs. Miller's letter is
published elsewhere in this issue of
The State Record.
Another Meeting Saueo
On Wednesday, Conway issued a
call for a meeting of the state board
on Nov. IS and 10. The call recited
that on those dates. c. H. Lane and
Frank J. Clayton, both representing
the federal vocational board, will be
in Santa Fe to make an audit of fed
eral vocational funds expended through
the state department of education and
the state board for vocational train
ing. The general belief here is that
the ordering of this audit grew out of
the publicity on the controversy over
the expenditure of funds by the dep
artment. Before this announcement
was received by Conway. George r.
Craig, United States district attorney,
received a telegram from Washing
ton asking him to look into the situa-
tion.
Conway Needs Beard
Conway said that for the best in
terests of all concerned he believed the
board should be present when the aud
il is made, and therefore he made the
call He said also that until he had
discussed the matter again. he would
take no action with reference to the
boards request for Mrs. Miller's re-
signation. Mrs. Miller shows in her
letter that she recognizes the right
of the state superintendent, with, or
without, cause, to remove her; but
suggests that so drastic action should
not be taken until she has been Civ
Ell an opportunity to be heard. As
shown, Conway has indicated that he
will take no action of any kind un-
til this next meeting OF the board.
Textbooks Up Again
And at that meeting on Nov. Is
and 10. the board will take no once
more the subject of textbook con-
tracts. Last December, the old board
made new contracts to cover text
books to be used in the public schools,
the current contracts having expired.
Several times since then. the board
has gone into the subject, in an eff
fort to arrive at clear and definite
understanding Representatives Of the
publishers who now have the textbook
l. E. -