The Wrangell sentinel., 1949-08-26
THROUGH
THE SENTINEL
PERISCOPE

Report of the Territorial audit
which was presented this week by
Arthur Anderson and Company re-
yeals Unauthorized disbursements
in the Treasurers office during the
period 1914 to May Z, 1919, of
$31, 015.97. The auditors have now
been authorized to go back through
the Treasurer's records to April l,
1885, when former Treasurer Os-
car G. Olson first took office Oh
son was recently charged with en-
bezzlement and was bound over to
the grand jury under $40. 900 bond
A shortage of $555.20 was found
in the deputy tax collectors office
in Anchorage, the report reveals,
but the full amount was made up
by Deputy Collector Archie Brown,
who was removed from his post.
All other accounts of the Territory
were reported as being in order.
Territorial Representative James
Nolan of Wrangell, chairman of
the House Ways and Means Com
mittee, and Senator John Butro-
vich, chairman of the Senate Fin
ance Committee, few To Juneau to
go over the report with the audit
ors and afterward issued the fol-
lowing statement.
1.-The report of the audit of the
biennium 1947-194S recently com
pleted by Arthur Anderson and
Company was presented to the Of
ficials of the Territory on August
%, 1949. Recommendations for
improving the accounting proceed
ures of the Territory and the con-
troll and protection of its funds
will be presented to the interim
committee at an early date.
IAN examination of the Treas
urer's office has been completed
for the period October 1, 1914 to
May 7, 1919, and has disclosed un-
authorized disbursements from Ter
ritorial bank accounts by means of
checks signed by the Treasurer,
totaling $9I,0l5.97. The Auditor
has now authorized the independ-
ent accountants to extend the per-
iod covered by their examination
to April l, 1885.
Copies of tie audi: will be fur
nished all members of the Legisla-
ture as soon as printed"
"a &,&
The old adage is that it always
gets little worse before 1t gets
better. AS this is written it begins
to look as if the Territory's dear
old general fund has hit the little
worse" low and things might be-
gin to look up. Attorney General
J. Gerald Williams vas in Seattle
this week following up another
deal to get the Territory a little
advance so it could pay its current
bills. Jerry's report sounded optim-
istic. Meanwhile, Treasurer Henry
Roden, never a man to show his
hole card, was almost ready to
shove in a stack of blues. He had
something, and it was better than
an outside chance it would work,
if Jerry's proposal didn't. School
boards who were justly worrying
about borrowing more money TO
start paying teachers salaries in
a few weeks because they hadn't
gotten their Territorial refunds,
might yet get a break. Could be
those refund checks might be COM
ing along. Treasurer Roden, who
has been around doing things in
the Territory for some 81 years,
worded it this way;
1--WE been in some Pretty bad
holes, and so has the Territory.
There's never been one we couidn
pull out of. That's going to be
true this time, too. We are going
to pull out"
Alaska Delegate to Congress Il
l.. Bartlett is expected to arrive In
the Territory this week end. He's
coming north for a meeting OF the
Statehood Committee, schedule
for next week in Juneau. The
House of Representatives h a
knocked off work until Sept. Fl.