Tombstone epitaph., 1922-03-26
SUPERVISORS TO
 DETERMINE LEGAL RIGHTS.

ors in session today have instructed | County Attorney J F. Ross to investi- 1. gate the law thoroughly with view of taking legal action to establish Co chise county's contentious in the con troversy between the county and the state engineer over the 75 per cent fund which has been hanging fire for the past year
 Following the report of the auditor received over week ago, the board has decided that if necessary t will take legal steps to ascertain just what right the state engineer had in creditins. as the recent audit has shown. money due to the Cochise 75 per cent fund. to the 25 per cent fund. over which the board has no joint con trol with the state engineer
 The burden of proof, it is fisared by the board lies with the state en- aineer. since the audit authorized by the county and male by II. T Cath bert, recognized public accountant. shows that over Sl2o.ooo duo Coohi,e county's 75 per cent fund from feder al aid had never been credited back. but was placed in the state engineers 25 rer cent fund from which ha makes the claim that h. ha. -pent more than that amount in this county on various projects Just where the money was spent or what project il went into. the Cochise board has never been able to ascertain. since they have no joint control over this fu,d with the state engineer, which is the method provided by law in the handling of the -5 per cent fund
 In letter received yesterday from the state engineer. no further lieks has been cast on the subject as far as the Cochise county board is concern ed. and as il would cost several thou sand dollars probably 10 make an audit of records. which the state eli gineer has not seen fit to furnish I'D 10 the present time. proceedings will be taken in court to force such actior if it can be done. the Cochise board has decided.
 The matter of eyasions has reach ed the point where the question will never be settled unless the state en- gineer is forced to do what he should have done long ago" said one mem ber of the Cochise board today and all we want to know is what became of that money If it was spent in Co chise county as Maddock claims it was. he should be able to show il. and where and how. and should show i; in all fairness Although if Maddock's claim IS right and he has spent il in the 2J per cent fund, in this county. our recent audit shows that We re ceived from the 9 Der cent fund only s12.000 more than the sum Cochise was entitled 10 in the form of federal has paid nearly s200.000 into the 25 per cent fund and should be entitled to much more than the total amount he claims he has spent in the money that should have been credited back to our 75 per cent fund from the fed eral aid money received. One can plainly see that if Maddock did spend the s120.000 in question through the 9 per cent fund. over which We had no control. We are left in the dark as to where it went. since we have no way of checking it in this county, while on the other hand, the motive for his doing so can be laid to the door of the fact that we have been short-changed out of more money that should have come to this county to the 75 per cent fund.
 "Maddook's claim that he can show that the money was spent here will not bear much weight until he actual ly shows it, and why the delay. when all we have requested is that he fur nish Cochise county with an itemized statement, we cannot understand"
 County Attorney Ross will report at the next meeting of the board his findings as to the proper procedure, which will force an accounting.
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