Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-09-06

ty acres of land in the name of w. A.
Grassland. That Judge Tut succeed.
ing in buying this seventy acres of
land for thirty-five hundred dollars
and took a deed to same to be held in
escrow by an Atlanta bank till the
sum Of thirty-five hundred dollars
should have been paid. Mr.. Alston
testified that he loaned thirty-fiva
hundred dollars to H. L. Wigs with
which to take up said deed and which
money paid for said seventy acres.
That after the thirty-five hundred dol
lars was paid the title to this seventy
acres was In w. A. Grassland. and
that w. A. Grassland decided the said
seventy acres to the highway board
for consideration of one dollar
($1.OO); the members of the state high.
way commission at that time to-wit.
Or. G. M. Strain, Judge S. S. Bennett.
and re. Nicely, testified that the title
papers were taken and passed upon by
Mr.. quincy, then the attorney for the
highway board, and that no member
OF the state highway board had any
dealings with Mr.. Grassland, or any
knowledge of his connection with the
matter as they did not read the deeds
but left that matter entirely in The
hands of their attorney.
There was no evidence before tho
committee to show that any member
of the highway board had any knowl.
edge of Mr. Crossland's connection
with the transaction. Mr.. Grassland
in the meantime rendered his resiena.
tlon as United States engineer, but
this resignation was not accepted and
MT. Grassland remained continuously
IN the service of the United States
government and is now in the United
states service as its road engineer in
Georgia. These are the facts as pro.
duced at the hearing in reference IN
the purchase of this quarry.
vi.
Your committee is convinced that
the Quarry was well worth the money
which the state paid for it and from
evidence your committee is of The
opinion that same is now worth con.
siderably more than the price paid
1t was brought out in the evidence
that all the dealers In crushed stone
in the state were holding up the price
and as soon as it became known that
the state had bought quarry thew
Immediately materially reduced their
prices, thereby saving the state large
sums of money. Your committee
finds that the purchase of the quarry
was at fair price, and that the state
highway department was wise in ac
curing this property, as the holding
or 1t absolutely pr otects the state
against any possible combination of
dealers in crushed stone.
VII.
Your committee carefully investi.
gated all the charges of discrepancies
in the bookkeeping department of the
state highway department and the
board furnished your committee the
information requested at great labor
costs on its part The highway de-
partment furnished list of the names
of every employee of the whole de-
partment, in every county of the state
covering every cent which every en-
ployee had received, and this list con-
tanned between five and six thousand
names, covering all positions from the
humblest laborers to the chairman of
the state highway board. Your com
mittee finds that the books of the
state highway department had been
son, appointed by the governor of the
state SO to do. And that report of the
sald auditors showed no discrepancies.
Your committe further finds that all
moneys received by the state highway
board and expended by them are audit
ed by the United States government
as the state highway department uses
FEDERAL funds along with state funds.
Inc audit OF the United States gov
eminent shows that the books of the
state highway board are kept in a
manner entirely satisfactory to the
United States government and with.
out discrepancies.
Your committee finds that in ad
dition to the two audits the state
highway department has its own books
audited and the report of the state
highway department auditors demon
strates no discrepancies.
In view of these three reputable
audlts your committee did not fee
Justlfled in putting the state to the
expense of having still another audit
made, deeming the same superfluous
VIII.
Your committee finds that the
state Highway department covers the
entlre state of Georgia in it's opera
lions, and that it's chairman, the Hon
John N. Holder, last year visited ev
cry county in the state and MANY OF
them several times. in general super
vision of construction and mainte
nance work, and in securing propel
cooperation of the various county an
thorities.
I
Your committee finds that wonder
IuI progress has been made by the
state Highway department in cons,d
eratlon OF the fact that it is less than
i've years old. It's system of book,
keeping has always been well haIanc
ed and correct, and the State High
way department has now adopted the
same system of bookkeeping as requir.
ed by the Interstate Commerce com.
mission in it's reports. An immense
department like the highway depart.
ment must go through a certain form
OF evolution before it reaches perfec.
tlon. Your committee believes that it
mas make remarkable progress and
has no suggestions to make to the
OFFICIALS at the head of the same.
X.
Your committee finds that an
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