Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-07-19
HOME BUILDING
A WIERD MESS,
WITNESS SHOWS
fcontinued from page ~
Exnenditures unaccountetl For.

After the investigation WIS CouI-
pleted and the, materials checked the
auditors found $4,000 had been ex-
pended which could not be accounted
for. This amount, Thatcher said, was
distributed to the costs of the various
houses on a pro rata basis. Five.
were@not charged with the extra
amount, he testified, these being a
barn and house in Underwood: the
willman house in Bismarck and the
william Lemke and Seeley houses in
Fargo. With respect to the Lemke
house, he said, an accurate record of
material going into the house a
been kept.
Out of a total Of approximately
$1sO,ooo of materials purchased his
employees could ocate but about $685.
200 Of the expense from records OF
the association, he said. There was
no Inventory Hom which to work in
distributing the cost OF the houses,
he s4fd.
The witness saAd that the exact
expense of each house as claimed by
the Home Builders is probably not
accurate. because Of he lack Of rec
ords And the, fact that estimates had
to bs&used. He said he claimed the
method was accurate only as to the
arithmetic involved.
Mr. LANCER attempted to show
that he, while attorney general and a
member Of the industrial commission,
had been ignored by former Gov
ernorE Frazier and John N. Hagan.
Thatcher said he had not metIanger
B at any meetings.
The witness testified that he vas
askedsto install a bookkeeping sys-
tern Ia May, 1920. and that because
( delay. in choosing forms, and a
printer to print them, the constrdc-
ton work on houses was under way
before a bookkeeping system was in
stalled. The system was ready, he
thought, IN September, 1920. but was
mot USE until later, % records being
kept before November.
LANCER attempted to show that the
industrial commission was willing to
lose money on the first houses con-
structed in order to get houses built
Thatcher would not admit this as to
the general construction, but said the
~ commission vas willing to use the
100000 appropriation from the leg
islature in paying administrative TX
Commission Knew 1t.
.rrThe Industrial commission was
entirely familiar with the losses but
didn't worry about them, until they
became serious in July, 1921" the
witness said.
In pursuing the matter of waste lor
graft.aMr. Wallace's attorney induced
the statement that out Of about 81, 200
Of material shipped to Hazen. from
81. ooosto $4,000 Of it disappeared. A
fargo plumber, Thatcher said, had
hauled back to his shop a few hun
dfedsss;of dollars worth Of plumbing
materials, but that the association
6ot credit op the amount when it was
traced. The sale OF lumber in Grand
W. made at a ridiculously Low
prfce,s.sapparently without effort tt
Ind 4 good buyer, he said.
kFs%xWall4ce, who was the mrs,
W1tn10 called by Assistant Attorney
General shafer. conducting the cas-.
for the Home Building association
az his transactions.
#forrneE manager; James Baker
4Ornn4k superintendent Of instruc
n ". a. Anderson, former sec
4WrqtAfy&so6 h industrial commission
Ibid Inn they would like to have hin
sMgosAhNAd and build a house, that TIL
1secfAtion had on hand a lot o
MMiatefyA1 IT. couldn't use md from
EhScss II had no income; that il h,
#NA1ont6HEtAke the house he could stgI
sMaNcOntract and the Home <Buildinl
g#~s66occtation could use It In negotiat
saSE III more funds with which I,
S&1ldsashouSes.y BIAkemore told hin
Ssxhsy..h ~ made some rare buys OF ma
house, he sad, w&s moaele,
4~tlegEaothsr almost finished. ana b,
S9666 TIA the cost would be ont
faand later some Setxras wer
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