New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-03-17


combined in the personnel of the various departments
The great error which has led 10 our present etnhar
ragsmenhas existed from the very beginning ana ms
was neglect 10 adopt system Of rigid Comptroller
ship oyer1he various receipts which were 10 come IN
10 tn, Treasury ~4 .n8ag g. 80
THE rst'act after consolidation was the bringing
together The various of the three municipalities
and the City of Lafayette TO constitute general fund
for the city With the exception offn partial state
ment of The assets of the First Municipality, no re-
cord is to be found Of what was brought into his fnd
and certain IL there Is norecoId from which we can
| lec,ed was paid into the Treasury.
The tax bills levied on the assessments of 1851 and
collectabe III 1852 placed in the hands of the COL
lec.ors of the three Municipalities and Lafayette; but
up this time; the accounts ofbu one of those coec-
| tors have ever beenexamined by the proper officer
Nor is ii known what portion of the taxes Of that year
were collected. Nor is it known whether The amount
collected was all paid into The Treasury
The tax bills of 1852 and colectabe in 1853 were
made out by the Comptroller and the hands OF
the Treasurer to register and collect These registers
in the hands of the Treasurer the only record OF Inc
bills The books Of the city, and strange as II may
| appear the amount Of the tax bills OF that, yea, 10
still unknown the registers never having beer added up
tina, purpose. Nor have the Isis of@tha year
ever been examined by The proper officer ascertain
what portion has been collected or whether 'hose coi
! lccted were paid into the Treasury. , c
that purpose during The past season. we lind hat mere
is till unaccounted for of the tax DIS 81 ma. sei'
about s36e4G 90 The irregularity ana CONFUSION IN
The lists of that year, has up to this me prevented
| our lining the exact deficiency ,o-,
The INK bills Of 1863, and collectaDe Ill 1oot, "eie
disDosed of III the same manner f.-"
The amount OF the bills Of that year was never
ascertained until added up by the experts, which
work was completed but few days gin &C. by the re-
port OF the experts find that the taxes of That year
amounted II: ~ .c. 10
surer us collected by him. 81 ,0G3.9i2 81
Amount handed 10 Assistant
City Attorney as per re- .
celnt....'.. .....s..-..' Aoo;'f' -i,-ofS<o %
Snoring a deficiency retained unac- ,..o
No examination OF the tax lists Of that year has ever
been made by the proper officer 10 ascertain the amount
collected L, and id into into the Treasury ,o..
delivered to the Treasurer without knowing The
amount. without any record, save such As the
| Treasurer made of the same.
BY The footing of the register We find that the tax
bills of that year amounted to.....S' s747; 10" "a
Amount reported by the
Treasurer as collected by -..
Amount handed to Assistant
City Attorney as per re- go. :
cept. 2ls:eSA SOL 1888 50
Showing a deficiency retained or unac-
Ofths amount, we find in the private deawer OF The
Treasurer, bills retained and still uncoected amount
ing 10 about Sc SOB 81.
We also find in this private drawer list oftax bills
retained from the Assistant City Attorney and collected
during the summer and autumn, and for which the
Treasurer has moi accounted, amounting 10 1920 "a
These bills and records account for the discrepancy
of that year and lead 10 suppose that portion of the
deficiency Of the previous years were collected by the
Urea surer and never accounted for by him.
The licenses for the several years have been filed up
md numbered by the Comptroller and delivered the
Treasurer for collection. .
The Treas has made his daily weekly reports
Of The number and amount collected, blu, with the
cep,ion of the year 1858 the licenses issued by the
Comptroller have never been compared with the .
ports of the Treasurer. Ncr is it known whether all
! have been accounted for not.
BY an examination just completed The Comptroller
reports there ara lcen unaccouned for for the year
| 1855, amounting 10 81 e49.s
The licenses Of this year are undergoing examna.
ton al this time. .s
In the bills receivable sccount' we find great ir
regularity, also large deficiency. BY the Comp
trolieTs reports there should be bills receivable or
: hand amounting to i5s,5G2 q
| OF this amount find in the
= wants OF the Treasury ana in
bank for collection: $3.50 g
In the hands Of the Attorney. 1896 OF
- S97, 32G y
Showing deficiency unaccountedfo for oil. s61:"35 4:
or the notes unaccouned for we find records of
q portion being discounted in 1858, say. $4,000 81
DITTO in January. 1855. 80, 500 OF
D Ditto in February, 1856 ........... SOL g.
Missing. Of which no rare can be found. 1852 s.
In the vaults Of the Treasury we find two notes,
$4,000 eachgiven by the Town of Carroton 10 the cit,
of New Orleans. for monies loaned tlattown for til,
? purpose of building levee Upon the books of In
Comptroller this amount stands charged 10 "loan ac
count" and appears only as an ttemsof the e1pendi
lures of that year. and there is record of its bein
asset OF the city either in the list bills receivabl
| or of claims due the city.
n thus shown that since cons odatIon, far
receipts concerned the city has been entirely at III
mercy of ths Treasurer, with neither che accoun
ability TO any other department save such as he chos
voluntarily to make.
ESTIMATED DEFICIT.
The Treasuters Cash Book
o Cash rl,'i in NJ Bank Ban and in the
Showing a deficit in cash of..:...... s74,5es I
- List found i'll his drawerl OF tax bills col
. lected during 1865, and not entered on
the Dor ks the Treasury 10 his de blt.... f'2I9
Bills receivable, collected and not account nv,
10 School fund collected and moi accounted for 1890
niyidend from Water w orks not @ $4,000
Deficit in Trust funds ................. 35G00
IS Total d.fci, ascerained. ,........ 1895 696
To the above amount.Is 10 be added: when asce
10 tane the collected from the missing tax bill
from licences and from missing bills receivable, al
such other DEFICIENCIES as may appear from further il
- vestigalon
foreroinr statement. it is but right TO suppose III
IS partial could be furnished by the late Treasure
were he in position to settle his accounts with Il
city.
o. defective, the present Council authorized horon!
elgation of the accounts of the ditte rent depa
ments and more than seven months since employed
Go large force of able accountants for that purpose, wi
ton; but, as they began SO far back-say with the
W counts of is52-and finding so much confusion a
rcgulari,y their progress has been exceedingly so
90 As This investigation would have in time exposed /
malfeasance which has been praciced by Some a
The neglect OF others, the community well imagi
the opposition we have met at every step, and The d
- culties we have had 10 encounter.
~ 1t is duty TO report that the Comptroller has re
dercd the Committee every assistance in ascertain
the amount Of the defacution of the Treasurer; and
uo making this report.
Most res pectfully.
j. EAGER,
$50 N. F.. BAILEY,
a A. DUPRE.
A CHIAPELLA,
l. BRIDGE,
90 s. HOWELL,
THOMAS X. PRICE
W STREETS AND LANDINGS.
Mr.. Thayer, on behalf of the above committt
o5 offered the following report, which was read a
~ adopted
% The Committee of Streets and Landings have
honor to report the following subjects referred
Them, viz:
Upon The resolution 't aulhorzing the Street Co
missioner lamp TO be placed on ST Jose
street, between Foucher and Tchoupltousns Stree
and TO remove the wooden awning al the corner
Tchoupoulas and ST. Joseph streets, if il obstruct
lamp a, said corner - together with the substitute
ferred back 10 your committee, they report and recc
mend the adop tion of the said original resolution
Your committee recommend concurrence IN The r
olution authorizing the Comptroller 10 adjudlcae
the lowest bidder the contract for building two hrlds
across Canal Caroudeei,'' one 10 be placed at Mara
ar the other al Claiborne street
Respectfully submitted
ISAAC THAYER
w A. VIOLET.
s. HOWELL.