Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-03-19
COUNTY AUDITORS REPORT.
Interesting Reading for Taxpayers.

GGO1As
Interesting Reading for Taxpayers.
Il There Too Much Meat Used ut the Prison
| What Becomes Of the Dry Goods?
The report of the county auditors, VIII
have been at work on the different &C
counts for four weeks past, was presented
t. the court this morning. 1t is as fol
lows:
To the Honorable the Judges Of the Court o
| Common Pleas Of Lancaster County. the un
derSigHed auditors of said county beg tedr,
toPresea the foll0Wing report:
| In pursuance of an act of Assembly. ap
proved March q, 1876, we convened at the
! court house in the city of Lancaster and com
| menced to audit, settle and adjust the account
! of Samuel A. Croft. esq, treasurer Of Lancas
ter county. from the LIST Of january 1879, to the
| after carefully examining the same and com
pairing his vouchers Herewith we find bal
ance in his hands on the 3lst of December
| 1879 of $63,7s7.75.
| We have also examined the account of Hugh
| X. Fulton, esq. treasurer of the Home tor
FriendleSs Children, and after comparing his
| vouchers Herewith. Lnd it correct, with a bal
ance in his hands due the Home on the 3lst
| day OF December. 1s79 of $l62.57.
We have also examined the accounts of Geo.
Spurrier treasurer OF the poor and house of
employment of said county and after compar-
ing his vouchers herewith find it correct
with a balance in his hands due the county OF
Lancaster, of the 3lst of December, 1879. OF S.
G2sG0
We have also examined the accounts of AM
Drose POwnall. treasurer of the board of prison
inspectors Ofsaid county from the lst OF jan
uary, 1879, to the 3lst of March, 1879. both days
inclusive, and after comparing his vouchers
Herewith find a balance in his hands due the
county OF Lancaster On the 3lst OF March,
1879. of 1874 80.
n. Shaefer. treasurer of the board of prison
inspectors from April lst. 1879, to December
3l>t 1879. both days inclusive, and after COM
in his hands of 81, l9945.
We further beg leave to report to the honor
able court that from the fact of the auditors
last year having called the attention of the
court to the heavy costs for cases heard and
disposed OF before magistrates of the city and
county. the auditors were tlesirOus of knowing
whether it had had any effect on those officials,
so as to show a reform in that direction, and
on examination we find that the costs in these
cases were S., ,936. y less during last year than
for the former, which shows gratifying re-
torm and the auditors hope that these officials
will continue In keeping down these costs as
much as they possibly can.
The annual costs of public printing for the
county came also to our notice, These ex-
penses are heavy and, in our opinion, might be
reduced.
In examining the accounts of the treasurer
of the board OF prison inspectors of Lancaster
county. We discovered that the treasurers did
not charge themselves with all the money re-
celved from the county commissioners and
prison keeper, which accounts tor the auditor
urers, anG on examination of these and other
prison officials we find that it has been the
tom of the prison treasurers to draw some
times more money from the county treasury
than 1t required for the payment of their
monthly bills. This over-plus. rs admitted by
the prison officials. was placed in the hands of
the prison keeper tor his convenience in buy
ing revenue stamps, whenever the salesman
at the prison could effect q sale of cigars the
allegation being that had they not received
this over-plus they would have had no money
10 Duy those revenue stamps.
The auditors would further report that from
the quantity and quality of the provisions con-
sumed ut the county prison. they cannot resist
the conclusion but that there is leak some
think is beyond @ their he'll insenuity The dfticuIty ii
seems to be the lack of proper system of
accounting between the prison keeper and
the prison keeper with the power of
disposins of the large quantity of goods
manufactured by the inmates should fall so
tar behind the necessary funds, as to require
the inspectors to leave balances in his hands
tor which they are charged by the county
treasure treasurer and directly Responsible to him.
which reflects on all parties connected
with this institution destroys that system of
Pile can be protected and leaves loophole
from which to escape the closest scrutiny of the
accounting officers. Ifthe prison cannot earn
stamps, without requiring the county treasnr-
er to do so, the public ought to know it, and
prison labor mig hit be ma lie more remuner.-
tive by hiring it out under a system OF con-
tracts, as is done in other localities. when the
public have become tired of the experiments
OF runn1 lg refOrmatOry and corrective inStit,l-
ilOns on Il anon-self-supporting basis
The auditors, lind from an examination oftEe
bills rendered, ,thatOver $500 worth of meat hts
been purcased ut prices far above that allowed
to be paid Tor the meat furnished to the prison
lit Is Il fair inference that the meat is used by
the prison family. If so, there must be either
great consumption OF meat or else great
travagance. as this sum, on Il careful ca!cula-
ton, would supply the table of an ordinary
meat per day. 1t must be remembered that
this meat bill does not include the other large
bills torpoultry: While upon this subject the
ton to heavy bills OF dry goods, charged 10 the
prison keepers personal account, and not
shown to have been used outside Of the prison
The auditors likewise find Il bill OF $50 charged
for horse hire by the prison keeper, besides
We. as auditors, cannot too strongly advert
to the loose manner of accounting which at
present exists in prison circles, especially the
freedom with which the treaSurers of that in
stitulion pass over the items which should
fortify their accounts and deal only In ball
ances, which the public when these accounts
are filed according to law for inspection have
no more means OF verifying than if no accounts
had been fled
able to give the taxpayers the gratifying in
formation that ut least some of the unneces-
sary appendages OF the prison have been lop-
ped Oft by he new inspectors, such rs llatrOn,
at a salary of $50, and cigar boss at u salary of
$3.50 and other retrenchments are promised.
We have also inquired into the financial
standing OF the county and find that the bond
Ell Indebtedness on the lst of January, 1880,
was $bhS. l.79, with Il balance in the treasury
of $63 7S7 d., The bonded Indebtedness of the
county on January l. 1879, was $3iO 766,9 80, with
balance in the treasury of only sic, lO7.7e,
which shows that the debt of the county is on
the decrease and that the present board of
county commissioners has managed the county
affairs economically,
In testimony whereof We have hereunto set
our hands and seals this 10Th day of March,
1880.
LANES COLLINS