The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-08-27
"A ScOldi8I Zee.

''nVii mo Il regular ScOldlIg bee last
saturday evening. The city treasurer
ara the county treasurer and clerks,
ana The dredg men, and The telephone
men, and the school men, in fact most
everybody bnt the verv honorable
couhcll-men themselves got a regular
'io.iasLioned scoIding .'Nobod7
scented to know nothing" not eye.,
The honorable councilmen themselves.
whether tie city still had a good bank
account or whether it tottered on the
brink of the financial bottom,ass abvss.
Ills Honor, the Mayor. thought the
stroHg box OF the city was about
empty, but he thought it might be re-
llehished II some way could be devised
hy winch the city could get Il settle
ment with the county. The county.
lie sad, had received *o50, 900 during
The past year from delinquent taxes.
CT which amount so, ESQ has beer,
turned over to the city and the balance
charged up against the city on the as
seSSment account, bat they had no
thing to show what the assessments
were for, or what property was as
SeSsed. 1t seems the county and the
city has never yet had Il settlement
and no one knows anything about how
the financial matters of the county and
city stand. Alderman OIIare said
that he had tried to find something in
the city treasurer'S office, and found
the books "in deplorable state" and
could find no ltemiZed accounts of
anything.
His honor Mayor Scott said
that there was not a proper set of
books kept by the city treasurer The
sinking fund. for instance, is kept in
lump, land there is no special account
of the Tower avenue paving fund, or
of any other special fund. The first
thing we know we will be short in our
/ finances" Here the city clerk tried
to defend the city treasurer by saying
that official was not to blame because
lie was following the example of his
predecessor, and that it would require
a good deal of time and work to open
! for the city proper set of books. Of
course this explanation for bad book
| keeping Will be perfectly satisfactory
| to the people. After this lucid eXpla-
nation was offered, Alderman O'Uare
moved:
That the finance committee be in
- f,1 10 ,lNt - 1,,
tween Douglas county and the City of
Superior of all accounts and that they
II authorized to employ all assistants
/ they deem necessary, and that they be
fGAther instructed TO enquire into the
system Of bookkeeping now in vogue
in all county Offices
just why the system of bookkeeping
nov III vogue in all the city offices as
we'll as the county offices was not in
Guided in the motion does not appear.
Perhaps it was intended 10 cover both.
After this the school board got it
under the ribs, below the belt, and al
over in fine style. They were chang
ing school house plans and building
larger without the consent of the coun-
ell, and to crown all, they had decided
to put III the Smead system OF closets
and ventilation against the wish Of the
council, and in view of all these high
crimes and misdemeanors 1t was
thought to be unsafe 10 trust the
school board with the $167 ,O0O voted
JN,,t Int II
would be best to dole out the amount
in small sums as work progressed.
Aldermen Dundon and Cross thought
the board would have TO be closely
watched or else it would get the coun-
ell deeply in debt There WAS no com
mittee appointed to watch Aldermen
Dundon and Cross.
| After the school board came the
telephone company, and the council
men being somewhat exhausted, and
not feeling able to do the subject jus
tiee at that time, an able bodied com
mittce was appointed to lock after
that wicked and disreputahle corpo-
ration The committee, Messrs. Dun
don. Linnen and Derig, will 10 doubt
do the matter justice in their forth
coming report.
The evenings entertainment closed
with boxing Captain Barker S ears for
knocking down the old Tower bay
deck, and for piling too much sand on
one Of the East End docks.
1t WAS Il decidedly interesting scs
sion and let us say in all cantor and
saberness, it was. all in all, one ct the
best business sessions he'd i'll Z long
time. provided, always, that some OF
the scolding is followed up and made
to bear fruit We think that the
scrap with the school board WAS most
decidedly out of place. and the com
ments made especially 10y Dunden and
Ross were insolent and unbecoming at
any time or place, much less in coun-
ell meeting The money should be
turned over to the school board at
once. and then if they steal 1t or
sauauder it. lei them be called to ac-
count. But that the council should
dole ont the money in small sums as
proposed is both insulting to the board
of education and method not contem-
plated by the charter.
But when it comes to the matter OF
book keeping for both county and city,
there IS no doubt but all that was said
was fully deserved and emlnentiy
proper. This matter has been dis
cuSsed before, but it seems that be
cause it would cost something, take
some time and labor TO perfect proper
system, nothing has been done. ne
idea of having no tented accounts III
all our book keeping is preposterouS.
IL, MD N