The Winslow mail., 1924-04-11

I briefly, but the one involving the
greatest sums were the ones in re-
ference to the missing motor vehicles
and the expenditures for the State
Highway Building.
/ The motor trucks, not the property
of the state but held in ownership by
the War Department, simply vanish
ed. The report shows that 1874 OF
them disappeared, but as there were
no reliable records as to the number
received from the Federal Government
the number of missing vehicles
might be augmented, were the records
in proper form. There was no clew
as to where the trucks went, not
a trace of them was found, the re-
port stated: Trucks worn out and
consigned to the scrap heap could be
followed up, it was shown, but none
of the missing vehicles, or part of
one, was there.
Instances of sales of motor trucks,
but from which transactions no
money was received by the state,
were disclosed, and sales at unusu-
ally low prices we're recorded. Three
! trucks delivered to the Department
from the Army camp at Douglas,
two of which were entered on the
highway equipment list as in good
condition. were sold for the lump sum
of $4,000.
The Army trucks, or the most of
them, were delivered to the state
from Army camps within the state,
and we're not sent in by freight,
hence in the absence of a reliable
equipment record, the report stated
it was difficult to ascertain complete
information in regard to them, such
as their value, condition when re-
ceived. and the number given into
the keeping of the state.
Various records of sales of trucks
were found, but by obtaining access
to the books of the purchasers, and
not from the Highway Department
records. One was purchased by the
Salt River Valley Water Users Asso-
citation at $4200 hoist Of the value
of 5000 going with it, making the
total $4409. The State Treasurer
was paid S2265 of this sum; $1144
went into the estate Engineer. H.
Allen" bank account, and was never
paid to the state and the remaining
S100 went into the general imprest
and was never paid to the state.
The Committee, although denying
the right of the Department to sell
the truck or any other truck of the
kind, at ALL stated that, if legal ground
for the sale had been obtained, the
entire sum should have been turned
over to the state Treasurer.
Federal Government records show
| that the state of Arizona received
from the War Department $50 motor
trucks SO automobiles. 26 ambulances.
and So tractors. The auditors found
accounted for Ala trucks, % automo-
biles. II ambulances and 80 tractors.
The Department records showed the
sale of thirteen trucks and one auto
mobile for an aggregate sum of
$7,367.50. Several trucks were classed
as "iunk", four were transferred to
another Department of the State.
The Highway Department build
ing, which according to the report
was built without any authority un-
der the law, was represented to have
cost approximately $4,000, figure,
the report intimates, trimmed down
by manipulation and transfer of
items to other places. The report
states that, although the data avail
able makes plain the indication that
the structure cost $113, ,O02.74, it must
have been even more than that, since
there was an incongruity in the ex-
penditures for materials, leaving the
obvious conclusion that materials
were taken from other projects and
used in the structure without q
charge being made. One specific ci-
tation was the fact that the sand
listed as having been used in the
building cost $442.86 more than the
concrete.
The first portion of the supplement
tary report is devoted to the history
of the Committee. the manner in
which it reached its conclusions, the
obstacles encountered, and the need
for such survey as reflected in the
disclosures. The second and last
portion deals with the findings and
observations.
The report pays a tribute to Smart
Gore & Company for the diligence
thoroughness and ability of the ac-
countants it placed upon the job, and
for the cooperation of the company
with the committee in all phases of
the investigation. The Committee
agreed to pay the accountancy hired
the regular rate charged for such
work, and the company took the last
eighteen months of the administra-
ton of the Highway Department pri-
or to January 1, 1923, as a period
that could be audited for the sum
of the Legislative appropriation
$4,000. The committee reported
that it had spent 49,68541 in carry
ing its program of inquiry to com
pletion, and that there would be no
further expenditure.
Smart, Gore & Company, however,
before the completion of the task
assigned to it's auditors, realized the
cost would be more than the money
set aside for the work, but, rather
than leave the undertaking incom-
plete, the company agreed to go
ahead. This it did at a cost of
$4,000, for which it has no assur-
ance whatever of reimbursement.
4