The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-08-09
TREASURER
NOT AUDITOR
IS DECLARED
Brummitt's Statement 10
This Effect Challenged
By Johnson
The Timcs-News Bureau
Sir WaItpr Hofn

RALEIGH, Aug. Gin the
course of his discussion of the
proposed new constitution before
the state convention of Young
Democratic clubs in Asheville last
week, Attorney General Dennis
G.. Brummitt made the statement
that under an act Of the 1888
general assembly, the state treas
urer audits his own disbursements
of public school funds from the
state treasury and that the state
auditor is denied this right. In
statement made public today,
State Treasurer Chas. M. Johnson
declared that the state treasurer
in no sense audits his own ac-
counts or disbursements, as At
torney General Brummitt charged
but merely supervises the audit
of disbursements made in the
counties by the various county
, superintendent. He also points
out that he did not favor the en-
actment of the 1888 law that
placed this auditing under his SUI.
pervision as director of local gov
eminent, but that he was entirely
willing for the state auditor to
do the work.
In fact, those who recall the
contest in the general assembly
over this particular act, point out
that both Attorney General Brum-
mitt and State Auditor Baxter
Durham tried to get the bill
| amended three different times to
require this auditing of school ac-
counts to be done by the state au-
ditor instead of under the joint
direction of the state school COM
mission and the director of local
government, but that each time
the house refused to consider the
amendment. The reason for this
was that it had been pointed out
that it cost the state $4,000 a
year more when the state auditor
did this work than it did after it
was transferred to the supervision
of the local government commits
sion. 1t was also rumored about
that the state auditor was plan
ming to greatly enlarge his staff
and put on five or six additional
full-time auditors to do this work,
although the only time it could
he done was in the summer time,
after the schools had closed. So
the general assembly refused to
give the job back to the state au-
ditor and insisted that the work
continue to be done under the
supervision of the director of To-
cal government, who in this case
also happens to be the state treas
urer, and the state school commits
sion.
When the time came for the
school commission to order this
auditing done, State Auditor Dur
ham went before the school COM
mission, armed with an opinion
from Attorney General Brummitt
and maintained that he should do
the work and that the 1888 law
was unconstitutional. But the
school commission ignored both
the state auditor and the attorney
general and followed the 1888
law, ordering the auditing done
by auditors approved by the di-
rector of local government. All of
which has never been forgotten
by either the attorney general OF
the state auditor. And ever since
the attorney general has maintain
ed that the state treasurer is thus
auditing his own disbursements.
But this is not the case at all
since the state treasurer, in his
other capacity rs director of locaI
government, merely approves the
auditors which the state school,
commission selects to audit the
disbursements Of state funds BY
county superintendent of school