Show j t Auditor Declares I it J jr Long Shot Is Winner J 1 tF i ial Report Designed to Bolster Old Political Promise Official Pays Bets With i ir r C N Stage Money i t. t By A. A F. F Philips 1 ff h hotly l after the twelfth legislature convened an appropriation cro was wn made at the request of Governor Bamberger for the tnt or making an n audit of the several departments of the state I o having been made that for every dollar of the h nation expended would be returned to the state in In taxable I Q if The rue act set va known as the hundred to one shot 9 flame In Ih the the way of or a rethe fe re- re t the tho governors governor's office and the Cho thirteenth legislature met J Iaci had been turned back into the theiry iry ry b by bythe the governor about 9 1 the appropriation The rhe total amount dunt expended was reported to be auditors at Three were lJ fy ork but no report of or what they ac- ac was ever made public o c I r VO O or the special auditors were ft Oregon and Idaho the other fro Salt SAil Lake DITO S 'S REPORT Auditor Joseph fine has a report In which he ento en en- x J C ct vora to show that for the ex- ex 2 of ot the sum Bum mentioned there I f b. b i been return returned d to the state prop prop- Valued at j 4 report made by the auditor l' l r. r the following I t visited About bout fifteen counties were it n th e was found an aggregate of or of g acres of or patented land and andI I It I I 1 J In acres which had re escaped taxation I This assessable acreage 1 U acres was vas placed on I toy toUt of or the various counties Inthe In In- log the th valuations and t In increasing the gross tax I It t t lue for each year This r i has and will be e assessed In and the taxes de de- i luent y years ars I UP un to this time will t. t m tint to at least I J 1 d Tle expenditure of the re ref rein rein re- re f 1 1 d in th the recovery to the state state I PH ok 28 acres of or coal land which I y ff-f ff been previously sold old by another Wc 1 for 1 50 per acre and t which a question was waI raised as t the validity of ot the sale The state Jand andl board made a final adjustment I 1 fe 4 the matter and resold the same same I Ud to the original purchasers for 10 per acre amounting to l e purchasers also atso forfeited the already paid amounting to toD y D- D zt J S bringing the total net revenue I j t 5 the transaction up to m. m SUMMARY OF RECEIPTS I tf e following summary gives the theas ni k received by the state as a f fit r direct ct result of or the Investigations i Gross taxes from 1 acreage and taxes from l ne new lands added to rolls 1 ln 1918 three years 8 Iiri f t se e from coal coat land ass as- as s 7 three years F t it Interest e t on land board funds not previously covered Lt four years t Increased annual Income fi k continuing indefinitely i ry of or coal lands by i f State ta o 8 00 1 t revenue resulting f from m Investigation made p c bY expenditure t of ot t In the tho summary Auditor Ririe t. t r SJ's t 1 Cross taxes from acre acre- r r. r fI a t and taxes from new lands added i r in 1918 three years amount amount- 1 JIn to and Increase from coa coal three years a direct result of or the S 'S t. t J ns by the aud auditors tors DISAGREE r his statement statement does not agree with 1 1 records The acreage in question was t i 4 omitted from the rolls of or the Assessors of ot the several counties and c Yo the tate state board of or equalization and 1 r assessment In its search of or the records records rec rec- j 1 ord of ot the counties for land not 4 assessed by of or the board l reported this acreage to the state board of or equalization and it was by 17 direction of that board hoard placed on the tax rolls rons of ot the counties in which Itis Itis it itis is located The special audit m made de deby by the auditors for the governor had nothing whatever to do with the dis dis- dis- dis covery and the to 1 shot audit was not cognizant cos of or the matter Interest on land board funds not previously covered four tour years amount comes from the 2 per cent centon centon centon on daily dally balances with which the tho special audit had nothing to do nor was it unearthed under the lOa to 1 shot DEFLECTED CREDIT The dally daily balances Interest was vas suggested to the land board by Arthur Kuhn one of or the th members orthe of or the board and its secretary and the others acquiesced The auditor had nothing whatever to do with this nor did the governors governor's special audit I Consequently this Increased annual Income continuing indefinitely of or comes not from the to 1 shot nor from the special auditor audit of or the governor nor no- from any auditor audit of or Auditor fine Ririe but from the state board of or equalization and assessment and the land board Regarding the recovery for the state I of or acres of coal land which Auditor says the expenditure of or brought Is another piece of or fiction The special audit had nothIng nothing nothing noth noth- I ing whatever to do with it nor had any audit made by Mr SOME HISTORY I Here are the facts Back In the nineties members Ortho of Or the tho Milner family of or Salt Lake purchased purchased pur pur- pur-I pur chased from the state acres j I of ot land at a price of or 1 50 per acre This acreage was afterwards found I to be coal land and on January 8 8 1907 ten years before the present administration came into possession of or the state gover government ment F F. E. E Maynard Maynard May- May nard special assistant attorney general general general gen gen- eral of ot the the- United States Informed the state land board that he had instituted suit In the United States court against the Milners l to cancel their entry to the lands in question It was brought out later that the United States had had ceded title to the state therefore the state had to make settlement with the purchasers Atthe Atthe At Atthe the meeting of or the land bo board rd January January Jan Jan- uary 8 1907 ten years ears before belora the present state administration came Jan Jan-I into power a resolution was presented presented presented pre pre- and adopted as follows follows' Tat the board receive the annual I payments on this land as they fall due but that payment final upon said land should not be accepted until the rights of said applicants the Milners l to demand patent for said lands shall have been declared by the court The government as stated lost Its Us rights to the land by having ceded It to the state and thus the matter stood for several years tenders being made of or the last payment on the I property but declined in accord with the order of or the the- theland land board I Finally the demand was made for tor forthe forthe the patent to the land Then came overtures upon the part of or the state for a compromise and counter proposals proposals proposals pro pro- were made until this year when the he land board and the Milner Interests got together and the deal for the property by which the Milners paid per acre for the land and we were rEI given until 1930 to make the I first payment on the land was closed |