The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-15
SCHOOL BOARD
FORCES COUNTY
TO Give UP FUND
City Finds That It Has Lost
Money on Interest.
Threat by Attorney Drenning
Ends in an Agreement.
1T MEANS $6, TOO INTEREST
Treasurer Formerly Held Up
Funds for County Use.
Low Rate at "FaYOrite Bank"
Declared in Letter.
City Finds That It Has Lost
Money on Interest.
Threat by Attorney Drenning
Ends in an Agreement.
IT MEANS Sc, 700 INTEREST
Treasurer Formerly Held Up
Funds for County Use.

I agreement" entered into by the To-
peka board of education and the
county treasurer and county commits
siOners the board of education here
after will handle its own funds i'm
mediately after distribution of the
taxes. The agreement also proYtdes
that the taxes shall be distributes By
the county treasure to the school
funds not less than oAce every thirty
days.
| The agreement between the two sets
/ of officials was reached at an infor-
NAL luncheon at the high school cafe
| terra last week. The luncheon fol-
] lowed demands made Jointly on the
county treasurer and county commits
/ sioners that the interest accruing on
! school funds during the period such
| funds are in the hands Of the county
| treasurer be credited to the school
funds. Sensational charges were made
/ by the school board thru Frank Dren-
| ming. attorney member. in the corres-
pondence conveying the demands OF
the board to the county officials.
According to Drenning it appears
that the school board annually has
| paid out from $4,000 to $500 in in
| terest on board of education war
I rants which were returned marked
! Not Paid for lack of funds
BOard Was Aroused.
I Inns IpituillOl dIOuHtU the OOaEd
and brought about a quiet investiga-
tion on the part of the board of edu-
cation to find out why their warrants
were dishonored.
Following the investigation Frank
Drenning was authorized by the board
of education to act He did.
On October 10, 1921. he sent the
! following formal demand to the
| county treasuer and a similar one to
| the county commissioners:
/ .tTha Roord of
| OF Topeka demands that in your dn-
| nual settlement soon to be made you
turn over to the Board Of Education
all interest earned on funds OF the
Board of Education while in your
hands. Money deposited by you as
| positories has drawn Interest on daily
balances. and we wish to have you
| account for these different sums earned
| during the last fiscal year Just clos
| ing and the Board of Education also
! demands that in the future Won keen
an accurate account of the interest
| earned on moneys Of the Board of
Raasa RRdueation' of ,,,il and turn same into. the
| stead of into the county general fund"
County Took Interest.
/ This letter in its last few lines in
dico tes that it has been the practice
! OF the county treasurer and board of
! commissioners to assign for their own
| official all interest earned on
| board of education funds before such
| funds were turned over to the board.
Dire nning in interview declared this
to be the case. and asserted It has
been the usual practice and custom Of
! the county treasurer and commissions
fers for many years past.
Acknowledgment of the receipt of
| the letter was made by T. B. Boyd,
county treasurer, under date of Octo-
Der 10.i No reply was received from
the county commissioners.
/ Drenning's next move on behalf Of
the board of education was to attempt
| to get an audit of the books of the
| county treasurer insofar az they ap-
Piled to the funds of the board of edu-
/ cation. The following letter from J.
i NJ. Wright. deputy county treasurer.
atttsts this fact. Under date Of Octo-
| Der 8 Wright wrote Drenning as fol-
lows.
Deputy Was OverruIed.
| when I promised 10 look into the
matter Of determining the amount Of
bank interest that might be appor-
| TONED to the Board of Education funds
| yesterday. had not reckoned on any
opposition from Mr. Boyd. especially
: when / was to do the work at odd
hours and entirely upon my own time;
But he overheard my remark and
promise, and requested that do not
Il am very sorry that Mr.. Boyd OBJ
jects. but as he Is my chief. and the
treasurer and custodian Of the records
/ Of the office. ] cannot afford 10 go
contrary to his wishes in this matter
"Perhaps closer acquaintance and
| 4 private conference of the Board of
Education and Mr. Boyd might be the
means Of lesseniug bis objection to ths
/ proposition to have some other
accountant secure the information from
the records of the office.
Thanking you for your kind offer
ana trusting that some way may be
found to overcome this objection. am,
/ Very truly,
/ (Signed) y NJ WRIGHT"
Blocked by Treasurer.
This letter was marked personal.
and it blocked an accounting Of the
books of the treasurer's office by a
man in close touch with the entries
in those books, and one who might
have turned in an accurate account-f
ing instead of an approximate one.
However the board of education
went ahead with its plan and en-
ployed W. T. Newman & Company. an
/ accounting firm with offices in the
Aetna building. to make the audit.
This the firm did and submitted the
report under date OF October %.
! Among other things the report OF
the Newman company set forth that
there was due to the board Of educa-
ti0n from taxes collected in the city
| of Topeka for the year 1921 a total Of
35.5 per cent Of the total city taxes
collected. The firm then draws the
/ conclusion that the board OF educa-
tion would be entitled to its propor-
tion Of the interest collected" on the
total taxes for ths fiscal year 1t puts
the conclusion in definite figures. say
ing that the board of education should
receive as Its share Of the interest