Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-01-29
IMPORTANT RECOMMENDA-
TION.
A VERY SENSIBLE DELivERAScE FROM
AUDITOR GENERAL scnELI.

NLRl cENnlbLL DLli LhANth fhth
AUDITOR GENERAL sCHELL.
While the State officials are casting
about them To discover new sources Of
revenue and additional subjects Of taxa
tion, one Of them, Auditor General VIM.
P. Schell, has discovered and published
in his annual report to the Govern
or some interesting data to show how
the deficits in the State Treasury may
be increased and many useless expendi.
lures be cut of. Wepublish that por-
ton of his report which is devoted to
this subject -
take the liberty of suggesting that
reduction can be safely made in the
following items
The incidental expenses of the Sen
ate and House of Representatives, and
the appropriation to the public grounds
and buildings. These are as follows;
Senate, for one year. ending 81 De-
oember, lsI7"".. ............"......... slv.2sV W
House, for one year, ending 81 De-
cember, 1871 ..,-.......... lI,1Il 49
Public buildings and grounds, for
one year, ending Aug. 81, lsTs... $4,000 90
For years there has been q wanton
extravaganza of the public money in
this direction. without uny actual nvcrs-
sity. The time has come for cutting
down these useless expenses. All Of
these accounts will undergo the strict.
est scrutiny in this Department, but
other safeguards should be thrown
around the control and disbursements
Of these funds
Stationery, furniture, repairs, &c,
for the two Houses.
Advertising proposals for stationery,
fuel, &C., for the two Houses and the
Departments.
The total amount paid for station
cry, furniture and repairs for the
two Houses and the Departments,
for year ending 81 May, 1878, was sa3,o34 So
The amount paid for advertising for
proposals for the same was........ 1l,410 3S
Which makes the advertisement OF
the proposals cost about twenty-six per
centum of the amount of the articles
purchased. Without intending any
reflection upon the officers who caused
this advertising to be done, in accord
ance with q prevailing custom, / am
compelled to say that the expenditure
is rather costly luxury for staid
Commonwealth, The law should be
80 amended as 10 require the publica-
tion of the fact that proposals would
be received for stationery, fuel, repairs,
&c, and that n schedule of the same
could be had on application. The
schedule itself should not be published.
In fact, all laws which require the
of notices in newspapers
should clearly define what should 90
into the publication, and what the
maximum price should be therefor !;
and the officer should have authority,
in case he cannot agrea with tho NH
fishers OF newspapers as to the price to
be paid, to give the proper notice by
printed handbills, put up in public
places, in the proper city or county.
ras sum ,,Iis charged the Commonwealth
Of mercantile and other license
reached rSRs ,Ss .ns,msa. me ns,a' :"a yoa 1915,
of i,,u,. this amount. the claim Of Phila- .,.
While the claims Of the rest Of the
IN. o ,o,s, saaP maauP W. ulne,enee,vn z's'o VI
collected during the year i'..,,... l,7io,Si6 81
the Treasurer Of Phiadelrhis. 27sels -
'na as ey .n.n. the Treasurer, r. , Siths remain
wealth ........ i,4ss,sOs s,
The cost Of advertising is, therefore,
n Philadelphia, about twenty per
'entum OF the whole amount collected,
md in the rest of the State about two
'er centum Of the whole amount col
ected.
This is certainly very expensive
yay of giving notice TO dealers Of their
.ppraisement and classification. The
waste of the public money il the result
f this inconsiderate legislation.
BY the Act of Nav 8, 1876 IT il pro.
ided that call newspapers publishing
he Mercantile Appraisers lists of deal.
rs, in the several counties of the Com.
lonwealth shall
Q entitled to receive in consideration
herefor sum not to exceed their
cgular publishing rates for transient
dvertising, and that the Treasurers
the several counties Of this Common
Tealth, in the settlement OF their ac-
cunts with the Auditor General, shall,
d addition to the sum allowed them
y law as compensation for services,
G allowed the sum SO paid for advcr.
ising "-(P. L., 1876, page 1919
The effect OF this law is to draw
'rge sums from the public Treasury
Without an adequate consideration
herefor The Auditor General has no
iscrction' He must allow County
'reasurers any sums which publishers
'ay me arbitrarily as their regular
ra'es 'or transient adver-
sung
The law should be changed in two