A State Official Caught Profiting Off World's Fair Surplus
Dr. N. G. Blalock faces public scrutiny for failing to report the sale of Washington State lumber exhibit assets, keeping the proceeds for himself.
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While Gov. McGraw was here it was discovered that the surplus lumber that was donated by the Lumbermen’s Association and also by the World’s Fair commission had been quietly sold for $1,110 and the cash had been in Dr. N. G. Blalock’s pocket for more than two weeks, though not one word by way of report was made to either the commission or to the governor. When the matter was found out, Blalock was confronted with the facts and was requested by the governor to comply with the law at once by turning said money into the state treasury. Blalock said he became personally responsible for storage charges, and when said charges were paid he would send the money back. Dr. Calhoun today received a promise from Blalock that the storage charges would be paid and the balance of the funds sent back to the state treasurer tomorrow. The stealth and peculiar methods of this transaction have been unsavory, to say the least.
“The stealth and peculiar methods of this transaction have been unsavory, to say the least.”
Local officials profiting from the assets of state exhibitions and misusing public resources remains a persistent, if embarrassing, aspect of Washington political life, highlighting the ongoing necessity for transparency in public administration.
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