Salt Lake Telegram | 1934-05-25 | Page 1 | State to Make Effort to Recover Shortage

State State to Make Effort I To Recover Shortage Board of Examiners Will Act to Protect U Utah t h S Funds in Welling Case S' S Steps to recover the alleged shortage in the secretary of or states state's states ac accounts accounts accounts ac- ac counts will ill be made by the board of ot examiners and others with proper Jurisdiction it was announced today following the rele release e of r the Mall Malla a audit findings S Besides calling on bondsmen to tomake tomake tol make good the shortage the investigation investigation gation is ls expected to go still further and determine whether any person or persons in the office oHice is guilty of ofa a misdemeanor or felon felony The audit by C C. Preston Allen certified cera tined tilled public accountant reaffirmed the audit made by State Treasurer Julius Ander Anderson on and cited provisions of oC the statutes statute and state constitution which he lie declared have ha been vi vio vio- 0 The one item ilem involving Secretary of State Milton H H. H Welling is the removal from the mail of in transfer fees According to Mr Wellings Welling's Wellings Well Well- ings ing's testimony he removed the thc money io to protect his son John JohnWell Well I ing fr from m temptation ion S Testifying under oath Mr Welling admitted 1 to re re- p it det the from applications c received In the mail and keeping keep keep- ing lug th this 5 money in his po possession long Jong past the time lime he was required b by law to remit the money to the state slate treasurer treas treas- The matter presents a number of perplexing problems Mr Allen explains ex cx- plains In Inthe the report both bolh from a standpoint of determining the actual facts and from the standpoint of the thele le legal al status under which it might come Several questions come conic to my mind Was the money actually in Mr Wellings Welling's po possession Was there any good reason why it was not covered into the state treasury as Mr Welling knew at all times it was wac transfer fees Could it not have been easily accounted accounted accounted ac ac- ac- ac counted for lor at the time it was as received received received re re- re- re Why was nobody else in the secretary see sec of 01 states stales office apprised of ot its existence and the circumstances surrounding surrounding sur sur- rounding it Mr Welling not having paid the at the end of the quarter during I which it 11 had been received may have violated Jol l' l d. d the l lit law w covering covering cover cover- ing i g th the handling h of or of public funds The matter mailer is surrounded by so o many questions of ot legal nature that I do not care to give an opinion or make any recommendations l leaving the determination of the proper course of ot action to the board of examiners ex cx- or the legal department of 01 the state or others of or jurisdiction I