Newspaper Page Text
B.
IP
mn
Pursuant to the resolution introduc-
that no auii mi'. vViggs, by
said quarry, could make It
return on two hundred
dollars ($200,000). Mr.
Insisted on selling the quarry
state and Mr. Crossland then
to Mr. Wlggs that he could
anything to the state, as ho
was a United States road official as
signed to work in Georgia. Mr. Wlggs
then purchased Mr. Crossland’s In
terests in the quarry for the sum of
$16,000. Mr. Wiggs then sold the
f£ p p !!!L^tfttive at B th H 1 McMldiaeL ! quarry to the Btate for the sum of
of Marion, and concurred in by the
Senate, providing for an Investigation th ® position that the state only ac-
of the State Highway Department, a t Quired the mineral interests ip the
committee of five members from the j property and that this would be es-
Senate and ten from the House was — W '‘ ,J "
appointed, with authority to subpoena
witnesses and an authorized expendi
ture of $760.00.
At public hearings held in the Sen
ate Chamber, every .criticism which
Jiad been made of the Department
through the press or otherwise, which
WAB brought to the Committee, includ
ing those listed in the Resolution, was
thoroughly investigated, special atten
tion being given to the Elbert Quarry,
the Equipment Depot at East Point,
likewise to the titles and leases cover
ing land on which buildings are erect
ed. The entire committee visited and
made searching inspection of the
State Highway Department’s property
and shops at East Point.
At conclusion of hearings the com
mittee appointed a sub-committee
composed of Mr. G. W. Lankford from
the 16th District, Messrs. J. B. Moore
pf Appling county, and C. M. Head
pf Cobb county, to draw up tentative
report for consideration by entire com
mittee.
Following this plan, the sub-commit
tee’s report was road to the Commit
tee at its final meeting and with but
one dissenting vote, that of Mr. Mc-
* Michael of Marlon, was adopted.
Tills report was adopted in the Sen
ate unanimously and in the House by
g*vote of 95 to 17.
Following Is full report of findings
by committee as approved by 1923
General Assembly:
'’To the President of the Senate,
"The Speaker of tho House,
"The General Assembly:
’’Your committee appointed under
the terms of house resolution No. 15
by Mr. E. H. McMicliael, of Marion,
respectfully Bubmlt tho 'following re
port:
I.
"The Hon. Stephen Pace acted as
chairman and D. P. McClatchey acted
as secretary of the committee. Your
committee held various meetings and
alBO inspected the highway depart
ment’s headquarters at East Point.
Your eoinmitttee had before it officials
of tho highway department and all
bookB and papers and reports for
Which your committee called. Every
request made for information by your
committee waB promptly complied
with by the highway department, and
exhaustive hearings of witnesses were
conducted.
II.
"Your committee under the resolu
tion were instructed ‘to investigate
irregularities, mismanagement, ineffi
ciency, extravagance and burdensome
overhead expenses, which were alleg
ed to have consumed the greater part
of tho state fundB, leaving a small
percentage of the said state funds for
the actual maintenance of tho state
system of highways.’ Your committee
finds that the highway department of
Georgia has been managed honeBtly,
intelligently and efficiently. Your com
mittee failed to discover any irregu
larities, mismanagement, extrava
gance, or burdensome overhead ex
pense. On the contrary, your commit
tee reports that the Georgia highway
department has a smaller percentage
of overhead expense than the depart
ments of mauy of the other states*
and is conducted in as economically
a manner as is consistent with tho
beBt results.
III.
"Your committee finds that the
State highway board has invested the
proceeds of some of the war materials
given to the state in warehouses and
general headquarters In East Point,
Ga. That the state highway depart
ment has a most excellent and effi
cient plant and one absolutely essen
tlal to carrying out its work and by
building said plant In a suburb of At
lanta the board is Baving in office
rents alone more than enough to pay
the state 10 per cent on such build
ings, not eyen considering the ma
chine Bhops and storage acreage. Your
committee commends the action of
the statp highway department in refer
ence to the East Point headquarters.
IV.
"Your committe finds that the titles
of the real estate on which said build
ings are erected are in good shape
and that the interests of the state are
fully protected.
V.
"Your committee made a full and
complete Investigation of the pur
chase of the granite quarry in Elbert
county, and found the following to he
the facts in reference thereto:
"Negotiations for. the purchase of
this property were made by Dr.
Charles M. Strahn, then chairman
the highway board, and Mr. H. L.
Wiggs, of Elbert county, Ga. Mr. H.
L. Wiggs and W. A. Crossland, a
United States officer, never in the
employment, of the state highway
board, had employed Mr. R. C. Alston,
of Atlanta, to procure for them a
charter for a company to be known as
Granite Products company. While
Mr. Alston was preparing the papers
for this charter negotiations for the
sale of the Elbert county quarry be-
. gun between Dr. strahn and Mr.
Wlggs. When Mr. Wiggs informed
uls associate, Mr, Crossland, that he
desired to sell said quarry. Mr. Gross-
sential for the Btate to hold a fee
Bimple to the agricultural and all
other interests in the land. Dr.
Strahn’s reason at the time was that
under the terms of the law abolishing
the convict lease system convicts
could not be worked In Georgia on
privately owned property.
"Mr. Wiggs was called upon by Dr.
Strahn to furnish a deed to seventy
acres of this land and Mr. Wiggs tes
tified that his relations with owners
of the land were such that they would
not knowingly sell to him, that ho
employed Judge W. D. Tutt, of Elber*
ton, Ga., to buy the title In this seven
ty acres of land In the name of W. A.
Crossland. That Judge Tutt 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-five
hundred dollars to H. L. Wiggs with
which to take up said deed and which
money paid for Bald seventy acres.
That after the thirty-five hundred dol
lars was paid tho title to this seventy
acreB was in W. A. Crossland, and
that W. A. Crossland deeded the said
seventy acres to the highway hoard
for a consideration of one 'dollar
($1.00); the members of the state high
way commission at that time to-wit:
Dr. C. M. Strahn, Judge S. S. Bennett,
and R. C. Neely, 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. Crossland, 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 the
committee to show, that any member
of the highway hoard had any knowl
edge of Mr. CroBsland’s connection
with the transaction. Mr. Crossland
In the meantime tendered his resigna
tion as a United States engineer, but
this resignation was not accepted and
Mr. Crossland remained continuously
in the service of the United States
government and 13 now in the United
States service as its road engineer in
Georgia. These are the facts as pro
duced at the hearing in reference to
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.
It 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 a quarry they
immediately materially reduced their
prices, thereby saving the state large
sumB of mohey. Your committee
finds that the purchase of the quarry
was at a fair price, and that the state
highway department was wise in ac
quiring this property, as the holding
of it absolutely protects 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 a list of the names
of every employee of the whole de
partment, in every county of the state
covering every cent which every em
ployee had received, and this list con
tained 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
carefully audited by Dawson & Edi
son, appointed by the governor of the
state so to do. And that report of the
said 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 fundB.
The audit of the United States gov
ernment 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 hooks
audited and the report of the state
highway department auditors demon
strates no discrepancies.
“In view of these three reputable
audits your committee did not feel
justified 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 tho
entire state of Georgia in its opera
tions, and that its chairman, the Hon-
John N. Holder, last year visited ev
ery Hbunty in the state and many of
-—-Ow ahu m scouring proper
co-operation of the various county au
thorities,
IX.
“Your committee finds that wonder
ful progress has been made by the
State Highway department in consid
eration of the fact that it is less than
fivb years old. Its system of book
keeping has always been well balanc
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 its reports. An Immense
department like the highway depart
ment must go through a certain form
of evolution before it reaches perfec
tion. Your committee believes that it
has make remarkable progress and
has no suggestions to make to the
officials at the head of the same.
X.
."Your committee finds that an
earnest effort 1b being made to re
duce the number of expert employees
to a minimum, compatible with full
efficiency. The “Impress’’ system of
bookkeeping 1b coordinate with the
budget system and every possible ef
fort is made to prevent any financial
irregularities. All employees are be
ing put upon positive limits as to ex
pense accounts and every effort is be
ing made by the State Highway board
to cut expenses in every possible way.
From carefully listening to all the
evidence your committee „is unable to
reach any conclusion other than this.
"Although everything covered in
this investigation was investigated by
a legislative committee two years ago,
Mr. Holder, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Neely
and Mr. Neel, tliroir>.li their attorney,
raised no objections whatsoever to the
second investigation, but iu fact urged
same, and insisted that it be conduct
ed in the most thorough manner,
further stating that if anything irregu
lar could be discovered they were ex
tremely anxious to ascertain and cor
rect it. The committee was given full,
hearty and courteous co-operation by
every one connected with the State
Highway department with whom they
came in contact, throughout the in
vestigation. -v
"Your committee recommends that
a vote of confidence and co-operation
he given this department which is un
doubtedly doing a magnificent work
for the state of Georgia.
"In the opinion of your committee
the co-operation between the chief em
ployees of the State Highway depart
ment is as complete as ctluld be
wanted and your committee feels that
it would be remiss in its duty if it did
not give full commendation to the
SJate Highway department.
"Respectfully submitted,
"STEPHEN PACE,
! « "13th District,
* "Chairman,
-H. H. ELDERS,
“Tattnall County,
“Vice Chairman,
"GEO. W. LANKFORD,
"16th District,
“C. D. REDWINE,
"26th District,
“H. E. COATES,
"14th District,
"E. M. SMITH,
“35th District,
•^FORMER BARRETT,
"Stephens County,
"TOOMBS DuBOSE,
“Clarke County,
“J. H. WRIGHT,
"Jones County,
-O. M. HEAD,
“Cobb County,
V> B. MOORE,
"Appling County,
-BEN. J. FOWLER,
■'.~l ' "Bibb County,
-G. F. WORTHY,
"Quitman County,
"L. L, GRIN R,
“Ben Hill County."
■ >.y. ft
m
Sleep Potion Cau Her To Lose-Life
Toronto, Onta -Mrs. James Mc
Nally, wife of t " cago publisher,
missing in the f: h destroyed the
Wawa hotel at P-ays, met her
death because a powder she
had taken rendr lumbers so
deep that she fa. ar rescuers,
it has been discur irs. McIntyre,
a friend of the eldcily Mrs. McNally,
told the story. Mrs. McIntyre, who
arrived on the refuge train from, the
scene of the fire, said she had pound
ed vainly on Mrs. McNally’s door, but
was forced to flee be tore the flames,
Shipping Board Offers A New Plan
Washington.—Operation of the ship
ping board fleet through a number of
subsidiary corporations owned by the
board is proposed in the government’s
alternative operation plan as outlined
by Chairman Farley at a conference
with ship owners. It would be put
into effect in case present efforts to
place the ships under private owner
ship. fail. The corporations each
would operate one or more lines, and
would have the commercial form of
organization and operation that will
be followed by a private purchase.
Dramatic Finis Comes To Gang Leader
New York.—A stripling, with a gun
took the law out of the hands of tho
New York police and wrote a dramatic
finis to the career of Jack Kaplan,
alias “Kid Dropper," notorious gunman
and leader of the East Side “dropper
gang.’’ The wily gangster chief, on
whom the police had been trying to
tasten something for months, swagger
ed at noon from Essex market court,
where he had just defeated the latesi
eEfort to connect him with the shoot
ing of two members belonging to a
rival gang.
land ^itLquarry, Mr. Gross- jthem several times, in general super-
land objected to, the salmon, the ■ vision.....swfitl
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We have the right size
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\ BUILDING not only looks complete
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BY
H. ANDREW Bt SON
PERRY, GA.
mi
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