The herald., 1893-08-07
SOME RATHER LAX METHODS,
Commissioner Scott Has Omit
ted to Make Reports.
A General Ignorance In the Court
House About Scale Bug Expenses.
The Law Calls for Monthly Reports to
tho Supervisors. which CLARK whitte-
more Says Have Not Been Filed.
Careless Bookkeeping.

moro Says Have Not Been Filed.
Careless Bookkeeping.
There has been considerable inquiry
III late with reference to the manage
ment OF the county horticultural de
partment.
This inquiry has grown up since tht
movements of the steel-blue lady bird
orcus chaiybeus, have assumed such i'm
portance to orchasdists.
Last year, aroused to action by the
necessity of making extraordinary effortt
to keep the orchards clean, the board o.
supervisors made appropriations to pro-
vide the county with tents and fumi,
eating apparatus. Several thousand
dollars were appropriated for this pur.
pose, and the management of the bust.
ness was left in the hands OF County
Commissioner Scott.
He had authority to compel any one
to iumigate, and either do it with his
own apparatus or the county's. In the
latter case the commissioner is sup
posed to charge the bare cost to the
county Of the labor and material in the
fumigation of an orchard.
The manner in which this has been
done may be and probably is all right,
but the looseness with which the &C.
counts are kept. struck q HERALD re.
porter day or two ago when endeavor-
ing to get some iukling of the amounts
which have been collected by the county
commissioner.
Mr.. Whittemofe, clerk to the board o!
supervisors. was asked to show Mr..
Scott's reports to the board showing the
business OF his Office.
The reply was made that Mr.. Scott
had made no reports to the board The
act OF the legislature covering the horti-
cultural commission, as amended May
81, 1881, contains the following proviso I:
"SEC. s. It shall be the duty of the
county board of horticultural commits
sioners to keep record of their official
doings, and to make monthly report to
the board of supervisors; and the board
of supervisors may withhold warrant for
salary of said members and inspectors
thereof until such time as said report is
made" Gas amended 1882
Upon being asked whether or not the
supervisors did not exercise eupervis-
ion over Mr.. Scott's WORK in detail. Mr..
Wittemore said that he did not believe
there had been any regular reports from
him. He said that the money collected
by the commissioner went into the
county treasury, and an account OF it
could be ascertained at the county
auditors Office.
A call at the county auditors Office
was made and it was found that Mr..
Scott was certainly on the books, but in
rather careless manner.
For some time after the commence
ment OF county fumigation the money
turned in by Mr.. Scott was 90 tHrned in
accompanied by the names of the per
sons from whom received. Latterly,
however, the commissioner has been in
the habit OF turning in lump sums of
money, without the names of the per-
sons from whom collected.
Deputy Auditor Wood said that this
had been the case, and while he did not
think there was anything out OF the
way. it would be better for Mr.. Scott to
specify the persons from whom he col.
lected the money, and hereafter be
would, no doubt, be required to do 60.
This was about az far ss an investiga-
ton of the commissioner Office could
be made until he was seen, and that
was matter of two or three days, be.
cause his Office days are only Monday
and Saturday. the remainder OF the
time being spent outside. He 10 the
most untrsmmeled officer, to say the
least, that there is.
No doubt Mr.. Scott is a very honest
and Conscientious officer, but there
might be other incumbents where the
lsxity Of accountability would prove
dangerous.
Finally Mr.. Scott was found and was
very ready to exhibit his books and &C.
counts. The system of bookkeeping as
he said himself 10 very crude. It con.
sists of the entering into little PASS
books of the names of persons whose
trees the county has fumigated, together
with the amounts charged against them
and the amounts paid.
From a running glance at their con-
tents it was seen that the county paid
out about $1400 for it's fumigating ap-
paratus last year. 1t collected from
various orchsrdiats about $4,000, and
the accounts nearly balanced, although
the fret cost of the apparatus has not
yet been obtained by the county.
There are quite number of orchard
lists still in arrears for the fumigation, as
they we're allowed to pay IN installments
by the supervisors.
The percentage of cost per tree ranges
from 1S cents to so and 90, and the aver.
age would probably be about 35 cents.
The charges making up this cost, as
shown on Mr.. Scott's book, are the cost
of the fumigating liquid, the cost of
fumigation, the labor in doing the work,
the cost OF transporting the tents, etc.,
and Is per cent added to cover the wear
and tear and incidental expenses.
Mr.. Scott claimed that he had been
obliged to compel but one man to fumi.
gate, as the orchardists who had been
requested to do 30 had all complied
readily with his desires.