Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 101, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 April 1911 — BUTTE FINANCES BADLY TANGLED [ARTICLE]

BUTTE FINANCES BADLY TANGLED

Montana City Has Been Robbed 1 Right and Left. RECORDS MUTILATED OR LOST Experts Find that Four Administrai tions in Past Ten Year Show Shortages—Business men Stir Up Things. Butte, Mont., March 31. —A voluminous report showing shortages in four administrations during the past ten I years has been presented by the exI pert accountants who, at the instance ■ of a committee of citizens, have been » investigating the municipal affairs of I Butte for several months. The books of the street department under two administrations have been destroyed and others have been muti- > la ted so that the accounts cannot be checked The experts find that four former treasurers are indebted to the city in the sum of $45,090, the biggest sum being due from Phil C. Gccdwin, . amounting to $29,320. J. M. Kennedy, | a former city clerk and now state t humane officer, is accused of being i sliort SBSO. The city has outstanding in excess • of s3'*o,ooo worth of worthless wari rants, issued in excess of legal limit of indebtedness. The biggest disj crepancies are found in the street department. where it Is claimed hun- ' dreds of thousar«*s of dollars have I been dissipated and the records destroyed. Mayor Nevin, whose chief of ’ police. J. L Quinn, is a .candidate for mayor at the election next Monday, promises the committee of citizens to I call a special meeting of the council to receive the report and make it pubi lie, but he has been called put of town I on business and the committee will ! probably make the report public before election. At present the details are withheld from the newspapers.