The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1893-11-03
Continued from First page.

Nv oAiS'o VI Soei'y
OF court appear 20 be more than self SUE
tanning from the fees collected. The en-
tire burden Of these offices is thus born
by those who file papers and have lltiga
lion.
1t appears that city policemen are pai'
witness fees in criminal cases.
To anyone but a bookkeeper tn,
quarterly reports of the treasurer to thu
county commissioners are trial balances
Of his books rather than statements o
receipts and disbursements.
Certain discrepancies between The
books of the treasurer and his quarterl,
reports appear to be matters of book
keeping and do not operate to the pref
udice Of the county, being susceptible
Of explanation.
The cost of any department can not be
accurately determined from the total Of
warrants drawn against the particular
fund provided for the purpose, and the
county auditor advises that there is no
way to determine exactly the annual cost
in any department except to examine the
bills for the entire year, and in the
limited time at the disposal of your com
mittee these could not be made to tally
with the disbursements by warrants.
The auditor has recently indugurated
a system by which he will be able to
make an exact showing at any time.
No reports of examination of the books
and accounts of the various officers by
the county auditor appear to have been
made to the county commissioners.
At no place were the committee able
TO tind totals showing the assessed valu-
alton of property in the city and school
district No. l.
cuo.;,1 1a.oo:t % A. -,la-l f,nl
has been kept by the county treasurer,
nor does his cash book totals show actual
receipts and disbursements.
Each county officer appears to be a
purchasing agent of supplies for his
particular department.
These matters result mainly from
faults Of system and are not chargeable
10 dereliction on tue part of the officers.
The county board have already taken
action on the matter of the bond of the
county treasurer, having cited him to
appear November g..
The maximum amount of cash re-
ported by the treasurer at any time is
about $4,000, and the penalty in his
bond is 100000.
1t is perhaps needless to add that the
county officers were uniformly courteous
and obliging and disposed to afford your
committee every means for obtaining
desired information.
In Conclusion.
The cost of maintaining all branches
of the government during the year ended
Sept. l, 1893, was 1924, 1926. The esti-
mated revenue for the current year is
s}i9,1JO. This seems a large amount to
be raised in a county Of the size and re-
quirements of Cascade. Residents and
foreign taxpayers are asking why their
taxes are increased from 10 to 30 per
cent over last year.
Outside Of needed legislation and adj
ministration OF the city affairs relief in
the way Of retrenchment and economy
must come through the action of the
board OF county commissioners. In the
Ia the matters Of expenditures for road
work. general expense bills and operat-
ing expenses your committee is of the
opinion that the expenses Of the current
year may be reduced from those of last
year by many thousand dollar, and we
believe that the district Judge and coun
ty officers will heartily cooperate i IN any
effort to economiZe along all reasonable
lines.
Your committee have not attempted
anything like a systematic. expert exami-
nation Of the books and accounts of the
county. The time and continuous ap-
plication necessary to do this would pre-
vent. and besides we were of the opinion
that you wanted information and results
Of a general character which would sug-
gest to you methods Of procedure in de-
creasing expenditures.
We recommend that the entire subject
he placed before the county board for
their consideration and action. with such
suggestions as your honorable board
may make.
Circumstances have combined to de-
.ay this report. For this we ask indul-
gence.
Subject to correction wherein we may
have made mistakes in figures or in
statement Of facts, we are respectfully.
y. NJ. SCOTT,
&. RABAN,
Il. S. FORD.
Committee.
The reading Of the report naturally
suggested the subject Of taxation. and in
order to give everybody a chance to
make a thorough study Of the subject it
was decided to hold a special meeting
next Saturday afternoon at 8 o'clock.
Invitations we're extended to the county
officers, the old and new board of county
commissioners. and to taxpayers gener-
ally to be present and cooperate with
the board in carrying out much-needed
reforms.
Cash for Wheat. |