The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-10-12
STOP THE WASTE

important appointive positions shows him
to have had little or no regard for the
amount of money expended and who in
the last 81 months exceeded the highest
biennial expense of his predecessor by
nearly three-fold?
State records show what the cost of con-
Quoting the state engineers office under
William M. Kearney, who was succeeded
by James q. Scrugham, present Democra-
tic candidate for governor, amounted to
and also what Scrugham asked for, was
allowed and expended in conducting the
affairs of the office. 1t might also be
added that during the Kearney admins
tratlon as state engineer all the necessary
survey work on the Humboldt river system
was completed, thus eliminating from the
Scrugham cost bill one of the biggest items
of expense and one of the most difficult
tasks with which Engineer Kearney had
to contend
The biennial reports of the state engi-
neer and the 1921 statutes present some
interesting comparative figures bearing on
the costs of conducting the affairs of the
state engineer. They show that for the
T.,
100000 was appropriated for the state
engineering department and for the years
1915 and 1916, $4,000. William M.
Kearney was state engineer during those
years and the unexpended balance for
1856 was $2057.88, leaving net ex-
pense for those years of $26,94212 From
1911 to 1914 the survey work of the Hum
boldt river system was undertaken and
completed, the entire river being SURVEYED
and mapped out.
In 1917 and 1918 the appropriation for
the state engineer was $4,000 William M.
Kearney was state engineer to May Is,
1917, when he resigned and J. G. Scru-
CHAM was appointed by Gov. Boyle as his
successor. Scrugham served as state
engineer till January 1918 when he was
relieved temporarily by Seymore Case. Of
the $4,000 appropriated for the state
engineer for the years 1917-18 there was
an unexpended balance of S481.37. This
period was for the most part during the
war time when activity in all state depart
ments was kept at minimum. On the
recommendation of Case an appropriation
OF $4,000 was made for the state engi-
neer's office for the years 1920. Case
was relieved as state engineer by Scru-
CHAM in April 1919, and Scrugham has
served as state engineer to this date sub
hitting his resignation afetr he had be-
come an active candidate for governor.
effective on October 2. In addition to the
$4,000 appropriated by the legislature
there was contribution of SIT, 500 made
by the water users and land owners along
the Humboldt river. This contribution
was made after Scrugham had informed
those water users that the appropriation
made by the legislature was far too small
to permit him completing the program he
had mapped out for adjudication and de-
termination of their rights. This brought
the total available funds Of the state engi-
neer for the 1920 up to $42,5OO. There
was no unexpended balance for those
years. The $17,5OO contributed by the
Humboldt land owners was spent after
Case resigned as state engineer and the Of
nee was again taken over by Scrugham.
Coming down to present day figures we
lind that Engineer Scrugham received ap-
preparations from the legislature amount
ing to $4,000. He asked for more than
this but the legislature after looking over
the amounts spent in previous years and
under previous administrations decided
that he should be able to struggle along
on $4,000. One of the big items asked
for by Scrugham and turned down by the
Legislature was $4,000 to be used in en-
ploying special legal talent. Now, with
three months of 1922 yet to be accounted
for, it is found that the $4,000 appropria-
ton for the state engineer has been practi-
cally expended. AS matter of fact he