The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1940-11-20
Investigations


During past Of the legislature nvest
cations departments commissions and boards
of the administration have been ordered and In some
instances resulted in the of such gross den
duences that while small attempts have been MADE
by officials remedy conditions brought to light yet
thew have had their influence in bringing changes in
the administrations of the present state admin
istraton.
If the legislative 1889 had ordered nvest
cations liquor control board and other boards and com
missions and brought reports which showed clearly con-
dtons existing which carried strong implications of graft and
corrupon conditions of which the executive head of the
government should certainly have had accurate know
edge he did not the outcome of the recent election might
have different The failure of the to come out
the open and cooperate with the investigating connttee
and apparent subsequent failure to make moves to
vndcat administration of the charges made to make
any effort to remedy conditions in this particular state bust
ness undoubtedly contributed to his defeat for reelection
Ample reasons for criticism of the administration of the
welfare board found by the committee which IN
yesgated the administration according to the
report submitted to the legislative body But apparently
nothing has been done to remedy the conditions which the
investigating committee criticized.
investigation of the highway department was conducted
quite vouminous report submitted However, this
ee failed to anayze its findings to great extent This
department been investigated several times and in the
of proceedings of the investigating committee of the
session. certain facts brought which certainly
should have merited still closer scrutiny However, the re-
port that committee made only casual mention of those
things of them not alluded to in the
mees report So this be classified of the white
washing" variety of committees.
comparison of salaries of the executive heads of this de-
parmen of the state government shows that the highway
parmens holding offices of comparable responsibility AS
the secretary of the commission paid
$500 month which good salary for that job but he
draws S5400 year Incidentally he of those dis
charged by Governor Holt when the started to clean
OUT the highway department; job which terminated
his for reelection and the highway officials then
under cloud reempoyed by Governor Ayers. And
have been there that time with increases in their salaries
Investigations made by special committees appointed by the
legislative sessions they conscientious in their intent
the operations of the particular department board
commission assigned to Them face almost nsuperabe diff
ficues rendering the required of them The
bers usually to the session committed programs of
economy that appropriation made to committee
for its investigating work. usually of the nggary variety
1t takes money for committee to send others in
vegae matters about which the truth only be found out
by questioning outside people, these outside people
be brought in for questioning that costs money So many
placing those whom they actually investigating the
stand and questioning them concerning certain charges that
have been made against them their departments The
suit obvious These officials certainly not going in
crmnate themselves Moreover most of them adroit
ab artists expert dodgers and smooth politicians gener
ally able to make monkeys out of the straightforward
perienced legislator
The Voice believes that department
eminent should be thoroughly and eXpey investigated This
would cost but reasonable to believe that the
ngs that might be effected without loss of the
public in any department would repay the taxpayers many
times for the expended for this purpose With the
vesgang job done thoroughly and efficiently only would
economical administration of the
agencies be effected but those departments which possibly
conducted in that would be cleared the
stigma of odium which
mnistraton in the minds of great numbers people
state at the present time.