The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1880-04-16


turned by the Southern Bank 1000
80 bonds of $500 each. issued to the
Mechanical and Agricultural
Fair Association and returned
by said association ........,. 10000
certificate of $4,000 shares OF stock
New Orleans, Mobile aud
Chattanooga Railroad Com
pany. ....................... $500
| certificate 10000 shares of stock
New Orleans, Opelouses and
Great Western Railroad Com
pany Observation-Disclosures. $50
9766 coupons belonging to the free
,oan school fund ..s;............. g.. 2s7. .2o5
1920 coupons belonging to redemp ption
State debt fund .............., 39,425
33 bonds, $1,000 each, issued under
act No % of 1870 .-..e,.....,. $4,000
1874 boads. $1Oo each, issued under
act No. 3of 1874, belonging to the
Louisiana Equitable Insurance
Company .,............. ...... 12,4Oo
l note of i. l.. James, of Louisiana
Eehltentl6ry y.........,.......,. "a, 4,539
Having found the cash and securities to be
correct, weneXt proceeded to examine into the
system of keeping accounts: after an exam
ination made 10 the best of our ability, and
similar to the Investigation made of the
books OF the Auditor, we find the books we'll
and orderly kept, and that the system of
checks and balances In use In the Treasurer's
office are efficient aud safe, and are In our
Judgment ample for the proteeton of the In
terests OF the State We are unable to sug-
gest change In this particular.
Your COMMITTEES were Informed that the
two offices of Auditor and Treasurer check
each other every fifteen days. Ii might be
well that this should be done at the end of
every week In order that duplicates of war
rants might have less chance OF being re-
oeived and paid by the Treasurer.
Your oomtnitte learn from Mr.. Burke that
the manner of paying warrants of the gen
eral and engineer fund In the past has been
most embarrassing custom had been es-
tabllshe1, with O show of fairness, that tag
collectors, when making settlement Tor their
parishes. could at the same time present war
rants of officers of their parishes, and be paid
same In full, IL moneys belonging to the
general fund were paid In by them to an
amount sufficient to cover the amount of the
warrants. In some cases the officers holding
the warrants would accompany the tax col
ector to be thus paid the full value of said
warrants. Mr.. Burke alleges that he COM
menced to follow this rule, but soon discov-
cred that the operation of such plan would
work great Injustice In many cases. Officers
serving In wealthy parishes and the city of
New Orleans would be paid in full for their
warrants while less fortunate officials
" would ID have n,s, to carry sys the def deficiency
loss Incident thereto The plan of paying
warrants In the order OF the date of their
registry Is plainly seen to be liable to nearly
the same objection, Officials al or near the
Clby WDulA ubVB bu6 advantage registering
their warrants before officials In more distant
parishes. This plan was suggested, but dis
carded for the reasons just stated. By others
1t was claimed that tho rule Of "tirst come
first serve" should be followed. This plan
would have been good one were 1t proper
that warrants should be paid rs the result Of
favoEitism; because those In the Treasurer's
office, knowing when funds were ON hand,
could, by giving preference La The way OF in
formation, render all payments subject to
friendly offices. Under this plan executive,
judicial and other officers and employees
serving In New Orleons would have been
paid monthly In cash from tax collections in
New Orleans, which amount to over one half
Of the entire collections. But this would be
manfestly unfair to the officers OF the coun-
try parishes.
Mr.. Burke Informs your com mittee that to
avoid the charge OF favoritsm. and to do
justice to all warrant-holders, he adopted
the plan OF pro rata payments; that is to
say, after each quarterly settlement of the
tax collector, or monthly when the colec-
tions would justify, the Treasurer would as
certain from the books of the Auditor the
amount OF warrants outstanding, and from
his own books the cash on hand, and give
public notice that he would pay pro rata
amount OF the outstanding warrants.
Mr.. Burke informs your committee that a
bill, prepared by him, to provide for pro rata
payments, as mentioned above, was pre-
sented to the Ways and Means Committee In
1879, but was not acted on. Your committee
have induiged In this length on this subject
In order that the justice and necessity of
such u bill may be seen. They, therefore,
recon- mend the passage OF such measure at
the earliest possible date, indulging. however,
in the hope that under the new order of things
lts practical application may never become
necessary.
Your committee further recommend that
pursuant to the requirements OF the consti-
tuition, the balances at the credit OF the fol-
lowing named funds be transferred to the In
terest and redemption of S5 bonds, viz:
General fund of 1873 and prior years.
Current school fund of 1878 and prior years.
Poll tax of 1873 and prior years.
Redemption and floating debt fund.
Aud that thereafter said accounts be abol-
ried into the treasury to the credit of the in
terest and redemption of S5 bonds,
That the State-House fund be abolished as
soon as the pending litigation, touching the
money In the treasury, and claimed for insur-
ance etc, shall be settled, and any balance
remaining after payment of said claims
against the same be transferred to interest
and redemption of SIS bonds.
That the Charity Hospital fund, which now
embraces six yearly accounts, be consolidated
into one account.
That the levee and drainage fund be abol-
sshed, and the cash now In the treasury or
that may be hereafter collected for that fund,
be transferred to the general engineer fund
OF 1880, to be applied to the payment of new
levee work.
That the cash balance of S133 rs at the
credit OF the seminary fund, an amount re-
manning In the treasury several years by rea-
son OF the Legislature failing to appropriate
the same, be transferred to the seminary
fund, so that it may be drawn for.
Ihat the internal improvement fund be
abolished, and the cash balance, amounting
to S517 50, be transferred to the general en-
gineer fund OF 1880.
That the militia fund, amounting to SITS, be
abolished, and the amount now In the treas
ury, together with any other sums hereafter
collected on said account, be credited to the
general fund OF 1880.
The above recommendations are made be-
cause the continuation Of these accounts is
unnecessary under the new constitution, and
causes needless work In the Auditors and
Treasurer's offices.
We further recommend that the Treasurer
be credited with the protested check of F. J.
Heron, ex-tax collector, which he received
from the former Treasurer, and that all
papers bearing on the matter be delivered to
the AttorneysG General, with instructions to re-
quire settlement OF Simeon Belden, ex-Attor-
no y ybpi ieyo 20 to