Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-04-05


inns cf vGTkiI SmeD UHder contractors OF
The late hoard Of pubiic works have no; been
Pat0, we ave OF INFORMED. and have no
nea' of acquiring accurate information in
reference thereto"
A Qaestiep for the RoarA OF Audtt
The eleventh interrogatnry reats:
III Were SEy sums ofmouey claimed TO be
due from contractors Tn the wOrkingmeu re-
tanned by the Commissioners or hoard of
audit, ont of sums due the cnntrac iors. or
any OF them, and whose accounts had not
been settlen by the board OF public works on
the sd OF June. 1874; IL so, state the names
of such cor tractors, the amounts so retained
and for whose benen rets aimed"
The Commission ers in reply give list OF
CONTRACTORS whose wOrkingmen were paid
from the $4,000 Appropriation. aud the
amounts In each case. or the sums audited
s2iI Is was withheld and the warrants can
celed on proof being given that the men had
been paid. No sums OF money claimed 70
be due rom contractors TO the work ingmen
were otherwise retained by the Commits
s1ouers out or sums due the contraC tors
whose accounts had not been settled on the
23d OF June, 1874. The contractors accounts
were settled by the board of audit, and we
are not Informed Of the amounts retained by
them out of sums due the contractors on
claims of wOrkingmen or OF the names OF
the contractors from whom the same were
retained. or for whose benefit The iufOrma-
tioH can be furnished by the boari of aliit
If OF already furnished by il.
Cancelled Bonds
The 18TH inter- pgatory is:
"12. State whether tie Commissioners az the
DiSfT1f and the Comm sSipuerS Of the Sin.
ing Fund of said District have DESTROYED by
burning. all bonds, sewer certiti"a es. &c
paii or redeemed by either OF said o1arfs "a
q rec;ed hN section 10 of an act approved
March 1875, for the support OF the District
OF Columbia. aud as requested By z letter of
The Commissioners OF the District. datef
february s, 1875, ard cad on the foo. OF :he
Mouse by It's clerk on February p 1915. ana
# 20, on what date or dates. AMI Whether IN
amounts CORES bonding with those stated in
said letter OF February s, 1875"
The Commissioners answer. Under the
section and act mentioned there were burned
the securities stated in our annual report OF
1873 al q enumerated in detail in the report
slCners, amounting 10 S7.5S1 .60f.59. Since
that date, burned March >, 1876,
Sl,G-l42S lSE. Total securities burned,
OF the Assistant Secretary OF the Treasury
of persons who counted aud sealed up the Sc
curlties, and OF the witnesses 20 the destruc-
ton of the same, including three commits
tiOners OF the sinking fund and Two of our
number, and containing also a detailed
schedule of the securities so destroyed. No
bonds, sewer certificates or other securities
Iald or redeemed by either of said boards re-
main In the hands OF the Commissioners OF
the Sinking Fund or of the District Commits
sloLe's, except Sl5GI5s SO OF registered water
stock or the corporation of Washington. TIE
amount destroyed includes those stated in
the letter referred TO, dated February s, 1875:
and all paid or redeemed to the date of this
said.
Administration or District Finances.
The 18TH Interrogation is as follows:
"l3. state whether the administration OF the
finances OF the District government is not
too much divided and diffused TO secure
proper responsibility and efficiency, whether
the controller has any authority TO inspect
the accounts OF the other District officials or
To prescribe the forms for the Keeping or req
Cerlng their accounts; whether any accounts
are Kept by the controller With the cOllectO'
OF taxes and collector Of assessments and re-
tnTnS made to him by either of those officials
OF their daily COLLECTIONS beyond filing in his
Office the treasurer'S receipt for the moneys
paid over and whether there is any check for
The prompt and regular paying over of the
daily collections of the above collectors 10
the treasurer; and what provisions, if any,
they have to make for detecting any irregl-
laTltleE or short cOmingS in such res poets"
The Commits SiOners answer: In our opinion
The adm istratiOn of the finances of the Dis
trict government is not too much divided
and difiused TO secure proper responsibility
and efficiency. The present system has been
IN operation for several years, and has
worked satisfactorily. Under existiug laws
II Is made the duty Of the collector of taxes
10 collect all taxes and licenses imposed by
the District government (Other than those of
the water department and special assess
meDts, with the collection of which the water
registrar and deputy controller are reSpec-
lively charged The collector is required 20
give bond In the sum of s.1OO. O00 for the faith
ful discharge of his duties and TO deposit daily
day, taking the receipt of the treasurer Ia
duplicate therefor, ald to transmit one of
said duplicates TO tie controller and the
other to file In his own Office. The aggregate
amount of said Tec5pts is required TO be
compared and certified To each week on the
books of the collector and treasurer by sail
respective officers. He is further required
10 enter as received To the credit of each fund
the amount collected on account thereof
posting the same to the credit OF the respec
tive funds, and at the close of each days col
~iflf.U TO- lr..
so collected, and furnish the controller with
copy thereof. He also makes q daily re-
turn OF bis collections to the Commissioners
of the District. The books OF the collector
are open at all times to the inspection of the
controller, and OF any other officer who may
be authorized TO examine them. IL is the
duty OF the controller to inspect the accounts
OF the collector OF taxes, and in conjunction
with the auditor, those of the treasurer; but
he has no authority TO prescribe the forms
for keeping or rendering their accounts; that
is substantially done by the law prescribing
the duties of those officers.
An account is regularly kept by the con-
troller with the collector OF taxes, in which
Inc collector is debited with the full amount
OF each years taxes, and with all sums of
money received by him from licenses and
other sources, and credited with the amount
deposited by him with the Treasurer. The
deputy controller is the collector of special
assessments. No account is kept with him
by the controller. He is a bonded officer, and
makes daily returns of his collections to the
sinking fund commissioners, and the ac.
count is kept with him by those commission
ers. The provisions OF the act of the Legisla-
tive Assembly, August sd, 1871, furnish, in
our Judgment, a. sufficient check for the
prompt and re gular paying over OF the daily
collections OF the collector of taxes to the
treasurer, and for detecting any irregulari-
ties or shortcomings In such respects.
Personal Tax and Licenses
The fourteenth interrogatory asks:
IA. Have they made any estimate of the
personal property in the District that can be
reached by taxation; IL so, state that esti-
mate and the amount of tax that in their
opinion can be realized therefrom at the
present rate, and at per cent. on said valu-